School16

Before school16, I was looking for ways to create tangible results for UX Research in form of projects. I also wanted to partner with people to create those projects. Being at School16 allowed me to do exactly that. The program had by the most diverse crew I had ever seen in Bootcamp and that's saying something because I've participated in a few, from coding Bootcamp to non-coding, college-alternative programs. I remember thinking on the call, "now this is what the tech industry ought to look like!" I love that the curriculum helped me understand the various moving pieces of a start-up -- operations, sales, customer service, marketing, product management with some design thinking attached. The group projects allowed me to get to know my peers and their strengths, and in the end, I found a co-founder with whom I am going to create a company! I would recommend School16 to those looking to break into tech with purpose and passion. 

School16 is a great short program that allows you to get your feet wet in several different fields that are growing rapidly right now. Technology is here and not goin anywhere. Instructors provide you with in-depth information within the sectors of product management, sales, marketing and operations. These sectors are significant in the development of any company. The information is valuable and is in conjunction with any field from medical, business, law, entertainment, sports, finance and etc. Great investment for the knowledge and resources given. I recommend given it a try and using every opportunity to soak in the information, complete the tasks and for those looking to secure a job, use the tips given to speak update resumes, LinkedIn and ways to contact recruiters and catch their eyes. 

A couple of months ago, I got to know about School16's Technology Career Acceleration Program, and it was wonderful. It has been the most challenging process, academically speaking, that I took this year. Without a doubt, it is the best way to understand the world of technology and how to enter.

My base career is communication and I have always worked on the social sciences side, so having the opportunity to go through an 8-week process to learn more about sales, marketing (From a Tech point of view), operations and the product was amazing. In addition,  during this process, they provide 1: 1 mentorship for professional growth, the instructors are from magnificent organizations and the diversity that exists in the group is incredible to be able to grow. 

School16 was definitely worth the investment for me. I learned a lot about product management which is the field that I am transitioning into. There were plenty resources for self study and coaching sessions so I was able to have one on one office hour sessions with the instructors. 
I believe the program and my accountability group gave me the support that I needed to really attack my goals this year.  
I feel more confident in pursuing opportunities in tech. I learned more about how my background could translate into a product management role. Behind product management, the career development module was my second favorite part of the experience. 
My only thing is I wish I would have known how quickly S16 office hour sessions get booked. I would have taken advantage of having more face time with the instructors earlier on in the program. I was able to connect with most of them through LinkedIn afterwards though! 

School16 training program gives you a clear understanding of all major non-technical roles in tech companies. I was looking to fill out the blanks in my understanding of different roles to decide where do I want to grow. And I was surprised by the simplicity and cohesion of every module; it was clear that every instructor was very dedicated to helping the students actually understand his area and how this area works with other roles in tech companies.

As a huge bonus, I expanded my network. I highly recommend this course.

I feel like what School16 does actually needs to be a part of college education, but it's not unfortunately and School16 does a great job of filling that gap. I really liked the fact that the program Vadim and Sergei have developed helps different types of career changers: straight out of college, early and several years into their career, and folks looking to make a move to a completely different field. School16 gives an opportunity to anyone from these groups to identify where they want to be, what does it take to get there, connect with folks who have done it before, learn from them, and have a plan to make the career change/move they are looking for. The curriculum actually teaches you to network, connect with people, find great employers, interview well, and give actionable playbooks on each part of the process. I enjoyed School16 and it has been instrumental for me in getting promoted and accelerating my professional growth! 

For over 2 years I had been at a job that I was phenomenal in, but I was also underappreciated, bored, unhappy, and burnt out. I had been applying for several months to positions that I knew I would be good in, but not excited about. I wanted to totally change my career (education), but was so desperate that I would have settled for a job change. After making it to the final round of several interviews and still wasn't able to land anything - I felt like I was missing something somehow. 

After suffering a terrible loss, I found myself reevaluating a lot of things in my life and finally decided that it was time for me to make waves instead of ripples. For me, that meant believing in myself enough to invest more time, effort, and money to live the life of my dreams.

I'm not quite sure how I came across School16 (LinkedIn or Google), but I was initially skeptical because this program was so different from the other bootcamps I had researched. I'm happy that I decided to give it a chance when I did. I was enrolled in School16's tech acceleration program which ran for 8 weeks at the time. I learned a ton about the tech industry, several roles I had been interested in exploring, and ways that I could optimize my LinkedIn to increase my chances of landing the role that I wanted. I took advantage of the career coaching and resume workshops when I could (typically on days I was off from work since they were only available during the work day hours) and those sessions helped me to recognize my strengths and identify transferrable skills for roles I never thought I'd do well in. 

By the end of the program, I felt I was better prepared to find and land the job that I wanted. I quit my job a week later (def don't recommend without a plan) and went hard, putting what I'd learned into practice and was able to land my best job to date a little over a month later. I now work on the customer enablement (success) team at a software company where I'm challenged to learn everyday and my skills as an educator, social worker, and CSM are valued.

School16 may not guarantee you a job by the end of the program but if you are dedicated to the program and its requirements, you will develop skills and techniques that will help you find the job/career of your dreams in tech - which was more than worth the investment for me.