Skill Distillery

Skill Distillery provided extremely high quality, well organized content and instruction that trains beginner software developers into becoming fully capable Full Stack web developers in 16 weeks.  The quality of the material and genuine care for our progress from all of the staff is unmatched.  The material has been structured to build from previous lessons and is relatable to real word web application development requirements and experiences.  I highly recommend Skill Distillery as a Full Stack Java Web Development Bootcamp.

I cannot say enough about how incredible Skill DIstillery was. From Briana (Admin), Bruce (Owner) and the instructors (Dee, Anthony, John) I have never been part of an organization this committed to your development and success. This is not a numbers bootcamp this is a course focussed on your journey wherever you are at, as a Developer. I would 100 percent recommend this to anyone who wants to dive head first into this career path. I had almost zero coding background and this course pushed my to my limit but the end result speaks for itself. I believe in my ability as a developer and that is what Skill Distillery did for me.    Private String SkillDistillery == 10OutOf10;  "Coding humor lol" 

As someone with zero prior experience or background in coding or full-stack programming this 16 week program has instilled in me wealth of knowledge and practical experience.  The Instructors provide a vast range of experiences and teach in a way that people with any type of learning stye can comprehend the materials.  Since it is a Bootcamp the rate of learning is steep, however the material is set up in a way that continuous advancement into more complicated coding is seamless.  I would highly recommend this Bootcamp to anyone interested in learning full-stack programming especially since it is 100% virtual and they accept students from anywhere in the world. 

Skill Distillery is a full stack Java/Angular/MySQL coding bootcamp. The curriculum was comprehensive, covering both frontend and backend development using Java, Angular, MySQL, and other technologies, providing a well-rounded understanding of full-stack development. The instructors were not only highly knowledgeable but also incredibly supportive, always willing to go the extra mile to ensure every student grasped the concepts. The hands-on projects were challenging yet rewarding, and provided a great milestone for our development. The collaborative and engaging learning environment fostered a sense of camaraderie among classmates, creating a strong network of aspiring developers. Overall, this bootcamp equipped me with the skills and confidence to pursue a career in full-stack development, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to kickstart their journey into the world of software development.

Skill Distillery is an amazing experience with compassionate dedicated instructors who will get you to the finish line when you trust in yourself and the process. While at times it feels like drinking from a fire hose trying to learn 4 years of schooling in 4 months should be impossible but SD seems to have it down to a science and while you may not be an expert when you graduate you will most definitely have what you need to compete for those entry level jobs and even have experience and knowledge that most college graduates will not have. I can not recommend Skill Distillery enough if you are wanting to become a full stack or back end software developer.

Skill Distillery exceeded my expectations. Coming from zero programming experience prior to attending, they make you feel incredibly comfortable asking questions. The instructors are extremely knowledgable and passionate about programming and collectively have multiple decades of experience in software development and teaching. They solidify important programming habits and practices that will be necessary when working in the industry. You can tell right off the bat, they love teaching and want you to succeed. The curriculum is extremely intensive and hard at times, in my opinion, which provides you all of the tools necessary to have the context you need to further your understanding and learning in this field. So be prepared to give it all you got. I did and couldn't be happier with what I've learned. 

I attended Skill Distillery from January to April 2023. The course starts off with you hitting the ground running and ends with you still running. This course teaches you MANY concepts ranging from Backend Development to Frontend Development using Java, JavaScript, Angular, HTML/CSS, and many other technologies in between. If you attend this school, be prepared to make this course your full-time job. There is a lot to learn, but Skill Distillery has plenty of staff instructors and resources to help you understand the concepts or to assist you with your projects. They will hold you accountable for everything you do. The course itself was extremely challenging but also very rewarding. You won't regret choosing this program if you are serious about changing your career.

This is an excellent boot camp to learn Java programming. The instructors are knowledgeable and seasoned, 20+ years of experience, meaning you don't have to worry about them moving to other opportunities during the program. The content is fast-paced, and you must be prepared to dedicate yourself to the program. Resume building and job support leave something to be desired, so if you have little to no job experience, try to find professional development networks (alumni, Linkedin, etc) and resources to complement the course. Finally, be prepared for a considerable amount of lecture vs. coding, which is to be expected with the amount of content and what is covered. Overall, this is an excellent BootCamp where you will learn a desirable programming language and framework from seasoned instructors.

As someone who had taken programming courses in college, I wasn't sure what to expect from Skill Distillery. But I can honestly say that I learned more in the bootcamp than I did in my college courses. The TAs and instructors were all incredibly knowledgeable and were able to explain complex concepts in a way that was easy to understand.
So honestly I can't speak highly enough of the Instructors and TAs. They were always very welcoming and approachable. They always made it clear that they wanted us to ask questions and seek help whenever we needed it, which made for a very supportive learning environment. 
The curriculum was comprehensive and covered all the relevant topics we needed to become proficient in Java full-stack development and although the coursework was challenging,  the instructors were always available to provide guidance and feedback when needed.

Overall, I would highly recommend Skill Distillery to anyone looking to develop their skills in programming. The TAs and instructors were fantastic, the curriculum was comprehensive, and the learning environment was very supportive and engaging. 

Attending Skill Distillery is one of the best decisions I have ever made, while simultaneously being one of the most difficult tasks I have ever accomplished. If you are looking to attend a coding bootcamp this is the one. Everyone at Skill Distillery is extremely dedicated to providing their students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in Full-Stack development, but you will need to put in a significant amount of time and effort to be able to complete the course. If you are looking for a challenge and want instructors to help you along every step of the way choose Skill Distillery. 

Before I joined SD, I looked for a coding bootcamp that teach Java and SD is one of very few of them. After reviewing their curriculum, my SWE engineer friends agreed that it covered a solid foundation for  a java developer, which made me feel more confident to join the program. As I joined, I liked how the knowledge was presented, especially quizzes and projects, really helped me solidify my understandings. During the lectures, I asked a lot of questions to cover all of aspects and all of them were answered thoroughly. I was impressed with their patience, communication, and experiences. I also felt supportive post graduation. Their full stack program helped me a lot during the interview at LinkedIn. I would recommend anyone to this coding bootcamp. Also, overall advice, join couple Udemy courses in advance would help expedite the learning process. 

This course is challenging and very worth the effort. If you're the kind of person that picks your education for the challenge and quality of the curriculum, Skill Distillery is the right choice. After reviewing many bootcamps, I chose Skill Distillery because of it's foundation in Java (a more challenging language than JavaScript), focus on back end development (I wanted to make things work more than I wanted to make a webpage look pretty), and its reputation for being a challenging course.

It is definitely challenging. It's a firehose of information and can leave you feeling overwhelmed at times. Even so, as someone who had no background in programming, I was able to complete the course and passed all the assignments. The instructors welcome questions and are always ready to help. There are TA hours on Saturdays to help with the weekend projects.

The days last about 10 hours with a one hour break for lunch. There are 10 minute breaks every few hours. The weekend projects can last anywhere from 4 - 20 hours, depending on how much you're putting into the project, the complexity of that week's project, and how many errant semi-colons or misspellings you might have made. ;-)

After the course, the instructors and staff still check in with you to help you brush up your LinkedIn profile, create a resume, coach on interviews, and give mock interviews. 

The course curriculum sets you up with experience for some of the most popular and in-demand languages and frameworks that large companies are looking for in their job descriptions.

It is difficult to land your first job in software development. The staff helps and offers assistance to keep you motivated during that process after the formal course is over. 

If you're looking for a great programming foundation and have the willingness to put in a lot of hours, this course is highly worth it.

The technical knowledge, experience, and confidence I gained in 16 weeks was far greater than both a college degree and a career in quality assurance combined. 

I came into the bootcamp with a computer science-related degree, and a prior career in QA automation. Any advantage I had was gone within the first week. I let go of what I thought I knew and started from scratch. It honestly would have been easier if I had absolutely no previous technical experience, which is exactly how this bootcamp is designed.

The scope of Java, SQL, and front-end material is incredibly thorough. The continuous hands-on practice, homework assignments, and group projects all drive it home. The schedule is rigorous. The amount of knowledge consumption will have you dreaming about coding.

If you invest four months of your life into this program and put faith in the instructors, the TAs, and the program itself, you will be the author of your software development career.

Everyone at Skill Distillery is amazing. The knowledgeable and experienced instructors provide lessons that are clear and easy to understand. The instructors, teaching assistants, and other staff members I had the honor to learn from, are the most passionate and patient people I’ve ever met. Everyone at Skill Distillery truly wants to see you not only graduate, but also find employment at a place you truly love. 
I'm so glad that I chose Skill Distillery. It has truly changed my life.

I attended Skill Distillery with about a couple years of (hobbyist) programming/scripting experience and no knowledge of web development.

Preparation
The course was mostly backend oriented at the time of my attendance, focusing on a Java Apache server with just a bit of Javascript/Typescript/Angular towards the end of the bootcamp. I’d highly recommend basic familiarization with the above technology. 
If you want to be more comfortable with Java: you should be familiar with syntax, types, and general object oriented patterns (if you work with any object-oriented language such as Java, you will be forced into these patterns most of the time) at a surface level. Any multitude of the first steps in a Java course (free or paid) can give you this knowledge. Understanding the tools at your disposal is far more important than anticipating where you need to use them.

With Angular and Typescript/Javascript, it’s not hugely critical but helpful in your search for employment. I had no knowledge of these but worked with other dynamic programming languages and frameworks prior. I believe just a cursory understanding of Javascript and using npm packages with your own code will be enough to give you a decent boost.
Also knowing how to use Git (and Github) to: push, pull, make a branch, make a pull request, merge a pull request, and lastly how to deal with merge conflicts, are practical skills that will help you in the course and beyond no matter where you work in the future. It may seem like a lot, but just having a slight understanding of what happens when any of these actions are performed is more than enough.

The Work
Days were about 10 hours in length but decently paced with approximately ten minute breaks at the end of every hour and about an hour for lunch. 
Lecture was most of the day with some small asides to work with things we were learning about on our own or every now and again with one or more other students. These were largely informal and allowed us to (attempt to) exercise what we had just learned in a few minutes. 
There were small projects to accomplish most weekends and one paired project at about the midpoint of the course. Additionally, we had two group projects; a “midterm” and “final” that were significantly more work and involved at least three people creating some form of full-stack web application over several days. These were very practical endeavors in retrospect and certainly what I would say were the most valuable experiences I got from the course.
I felt the program was well balanced and overall about the right amount of time (a few months) for a full-time course if maybe just slightly short, though I didn’t have finances to worry about while attending for any longer than that.
I will say that I immediately began working on serverless architecture with a NOSQL database, which is essentially the opposite paradigm to what I was taught during the course. However, I believe in the long run I was better off learning how to setup my own server in the long run as I understand more of what is "under the hood" with cloud services such as AWS or Google. The transition was not a problem in the slightest.

Conclusion
Skill Distillery gave me a solid foundation for web development. They introduced me to Test-Driven Development, pair-programming, databases, web frameworks, Typescript, Angular, the list goes on. I used Java and TDD to help me get my current job, and I use TS, Angular, and collaborative programming daily as well as numerous other skills I picked up during the course. 

Like many others attending coding bootcamps I was tired of my previous career and was looking for a rewarding change of pace. After doing a lot of research into bootcamps I decided to go with Skill Distillery. I was lucky to be able to use my GI benefits and take advantage of the VetTec program that covered my tuition to SD. From my initial screening phone call to post-graduation the support from the staff and other alum was outstanding. The course is difficult, and you will get out of it what you put into it. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions, the staff is always happy to answer questions. Post graduation the instructors will still provide support with mock interviews, setting up a resume, tweaking LinkedIn pages, and providing any advice towards the job search. The alum channel is active and there to provide referrals and advice to fresh graduates. I was able to land multiple offers 2 months after graduation and the skills I learned at Skill Distillery set me up well as a Jr. dev. I would recommend SD to anyone looking to get into the world of programming. 

I was very new to coding before I started at Skill Distillery (had done some courses through freecodecamp, mostly html and css). It is a very intense, very extensive school, but because of the in-depth curriculum and the dedication of the staff, you will be prepared to get a job with your new skills right away. They have Saturday hours where they help you with your projects and are always available for questions or help even after you have graduated. You will be amazed at the things you are able to accomplish if you persevere through the hard times in class. Lean on your classmates for help! My cohort was amazing and we made sure to help so everyone would succeed. 

Life changing is the best way to describe Skill Distillery. Prior to this bootcamp I was an EMT, looking into healthcare degrees. Burnt out from working healthcare, I was looking for the next thing. Before Skill Distillery I knew nothing about coding, after the 16 week program, I felt extremely prepared to apply for jobs. I landed a job 6 weeks after graduation. I love my new job, it’s flexible, pays well, and provides a lot of new opportunities for me. It feels crazy to look back less than a year ago and see where I am now, totally life changing. I highly recommend this program.

TL;DR - If you're going to invest the time and money into trying to change your career, Skill Distillery is bar none the best investment. 

I'd been thinking about trying to attend a coding bootcamp for quite a while when I made the decision to start interviewing at a few places in Denver. I interviewed at Skill Distillery and was pretty shocked at how welcoming and accommodating they were, especially after talking to several other bootcamps and seeing how they operated; I'd assumed I'd just be one number among many many students. But that's not how Skill Distillery works. The staff goes above and beyond to make sure students are getting what they NEED out of the program. They genuinely want every single person that attends to go on and better their lives. They're truly invested in you as a person, not just as a number on a sheet. The instructional staff is accessible, kind and patient. The material is incredible, you'll learn more than you could possibly imagine. It's crazy to watch your understanding of something grow so quickly over the course of just a few months. Whether you're interested in learning front end or back end development, this course teaches something for everyone. You learn Java, which is an amazing way to be introduced to programming, it sets a great foundation for further learning. 

The last thing to say is that it is genuinely hard work, it takes a lot out of you. And the more you give the more you get out of it. By the end of my cohort, I felt that I had really given 100% of what I had, which was a really fulfilling experience, personally. They prepare you for job hunting, help you set up your resume and LinkedIn, and continue to reach out to contribute to your job search in whatever way you might need. Seriously, 10/10 experience, wouldn't trade it for the world. You end up learning so much more than just code! 

I finished the SD31 cohort earlier this month, and had a fantastic experience.
Application process: I worked with Briana to enroll, and she was always very responsive and I never felt like I was getting any copy/pasted answers from her. I appreciate her quickness and helpful information.
Material: Skill Distillery teaches primarily Java and Javascript languages, as well as other important coding information. Looking through the job market after graduating, I can see why. It seems like nearly every job has Java/JS as requirements, and angular preferred (which we also learned). The coursework is challenging, but felt fair at all times. You definitely have to commit to the course, but it is well, well worth it.
Time commitment: It's almost 50 hours a week, and nearly every single weekend has homework. Once class is over for the day, I never felt the need to continue working. I was able to work every Sunday throughout the class, and never felt as if I couldn't complete all of my homework on Saturdays.
Instructors: Fantastic. It's so rare to get a group of people together who genuinely want their students to learn the material. They were clear, thorough, patient, and encouraged questions to a level I've never seen before. They also really, really know their stuff, and bring humor into all of their lessons. 
Overall: I strongly recommend Skill Distillery. Within two weeks of graduating (some classmates began the job search during class, I didn't), I have a job making over $40k more than last year. The value for what you're getting is incredible. I had a fantastic 4 months working my butt off, and I really believe the effort that you put in multiplies what you get out. 

 Hello prospective bootcamper,  [Im starting with some general talk about attending a bootcamp...skip down a bit to read about this particular school]  ******************* deciding whether a bootcamp is right for you ********************  Hopefully I can help you decide whether this bootcamp is right for you. As a disclaimer, I had access to VA funding to complete this course so the cost to me was simply an opportunity cost of time, and the loss of a future benefit to be used elsewhere. As someone who finds the slow pace of university learning unbearable...I was happy to use up some GI Bill for this type of course. If you're plunking down some hard-earned cash...you will just have to make sure you get a job afterward (at this school, the numbers are very, very much in your favor) and the rewards of starting a software career should make the cost a write-off within a year as compared to the median salary in the U.S. As I'm writing this, I cant imagine any of my coworkers going to work as a newbie developer for less than 60k. My brother took a 55k starting salary after a less rigorous bootcamp in Ohio but he took a job in Ohio which probably ranks on the lower end of salaries. But his first raise was to 70k after just one year, so yeah...you can be optimistic about your pay prospects.  Alright, let's talk about the elephant in the room...the C.S. degree that you're not getting. Im sure you've done a fair bit of reading thru Reddit and getting disheartened by some negativity about boot camps. I am a C.S. degree dropout. I started at ASUs software engineering program and switched to University of Alaska's C.S. program when I moved to AK. Not a super prestigious pair of schools but they are both ABET programs so they're legit. I have absolutely no regrets about not finishing my university program. It was too slow, I didn't give a single hoot about advanced calculus and physics, and only really enjoyed the courses that directly employed coding and/or circuit/computer design. Actually I did really enjoy discrete math as well. But for every course I enjoyed there were 2 or 3 that just severely annoyed me with their lack of practicality in the workplace and excruciatingly slow pace. Keep in mind I was 34 years old when trying to complete my degree and I already had sufficient professional writing, problem solving, and teamwork experience from my prior military time.  ******************** My experience with Skill Distillery *********************  This course is absolutely high-quality. It is not perfect, but no course will be that aims to instruct more than one person simultaneously. There will always be compromise for different learning styles and to educate the highest number of people for the highest number of jobs. However, they continuously integrate student and employer(!) feedback to improve the course. It's DIFFICULT. And it is really long. I will admit a loss of motivation about 3 weeks from the end because my brain was just tired of learning new stuff. This course will whoop your a** and you will be exhausted at the end. This is how it should be though. The whole reason a course like this exists is to pack in as much knowledge and experience as possible to maximize the value of time and money spent. I have no regrets choosing this school and when my brother was able to compare our respective course syllabuses and length, it was obvious that Skill Distillery was a much more in-depth and higher quality course.  It never felt like a money-grab. I have never experienced such a patient and caring group of instructors. In four months you will feel like part of a small family. They really care about making you succeed. There is ample help with developing your projects, crafting your resume, job-hunting, interviewing, etc. The staff is very empathetic to your learning and career struggle and many of the staff members are former students. They are experts in their fields and the more senior members have tons of collective experience. They also seem to do a pretty solid job of choosing who is admitted to the program because everyone was fairly sharp and able to learn quickly enough to keep the course moving forward. Of course, I can only speak of the experience of my cohort. Also, I should mention the alum network...it seems rock solid. There is a lot of interaction in the job hunt thread of Slack and there are plenty of job leads coming in. Skill Distillery is quite a mature school so they have a large list of historic employers and those employers have been able to experience the quality of SD grads. This is very valuable with such a large pool of bootcamps out in the world of various quality.  The main aspects of this course that I did not enjoy were mainly due to my lack of research on what full-stack development is and not having time to polish up projects to my liking before moving on. I also struggled to learn concepts on team-based assignments vs the ones I could complete on my own (your experience will likely be different, I'm just such a read the book and do it myself type of learner). And there is a lot of team-based work, but this is what employers have communicated wanting in grads so I had to basically just suck it up. But here I am, one of the first grads to secure a job in a mainly Java-developing role so in the end, none of it mattered too much. I am a bit of an outlier though, I had 10+ years of telecom experience and the job I secured really was a carbon copy of my past experience and the course material. If you are coming from a non-tech background, you are going to have to do the interview grind for a while...maybe up to 2 months so just mentally prepare for that and manage your expectations. 

P.S. You don't need a bootcamp to get a software job, but its hard for me to imagine pushing myself to the level that this course did and within the same timeframe. I say go for it! Good luck!!!

After working for one year as a software developer, I can say with confidence that my life would not be the same without attending Skill Distillery's full-stack Java bootcamp. Sure you can take online courses or even other bootcamps, but my knowledge and experience would not be the same without their 16 week program. I know this because I complete an online bootcamp and other courses before attending Skill Distillery. Those courses didn't even come close to what you learn in the first month in their program.

Skill Distillery provides the foundation that you will need to get into the industry. Java is still very relevant in today's job market and once you learn a core language like Java, you can learn any other language. At some point, you will become language agnostic and deciding which language or stack to learn won't even be a concern. But if you are concerned about languages/stacks, the huge advantage Skill Distillery has over other schools is that they are focused on an enterprise stack. Most mid to large companies use Java or an OOP language similar to Java, which makes the job hunt easier.

Instructors are very knowledgeable and provide daily feedback and support. All senior instructors worked in the industry for 20+ years. The class size is also great: small and plenty of staff to have hands on with everyone as needed. Job assistance is there for anyone who wants to use it throughout the course. You can schedule mock interviews with staff and they also set up luncheons with recruiters. 

It only took six months to completely change my life. I started the 16 week course on September 9th, 2019 and graduated on January 9th, 2020. My first day of work as a software engineer was on March 9th, 2020. My only regret was that I didn't start sooner. And if you're having doubts about family or responsibilities, just find a way. While attending the course, I still had family obligations to my wife and 3 year old. I still worked a part-time job at an Amazon warehouse. You can get through it. Find a way. There is a completely different life waiting for you on the other side.

I cannot fully express how wonderful and helpful the instructional staff are. Every single one of the staff members go above and beyond to make sure all of your question's are answered. With that being said, there is nothing easy about a Coding Bootcamp. 16 Weeks of fast paced material. Skill Distillery does an excellent job at instructing material at a pace you can learn. I went from 0 coding experience and a medical background, to completing full Stack Web apps. Love Skill Distillery and their staff and cannot thank them enough for everything they have taught me. 

After a 12 year career in Finance, I was looking for a challenge and a new career to go into that would be more engaging. I looked for many options but was impressed on the accolades seen from fellow veterans that had attended the school. This was before the Vet Tec Program, I used my Post 911/GI BILL and the VA worked well with Skill Distillery.
Pros: The classes were taught by people in the industry, the depth and level of knowledge they bring would only be recognize by me until I started working. From day one I knew what was being talked about at my first job as a developer, thanks to the staff at Skill Distillery. You get a thorough breakdown of concepts that seem trivial at first but it's all part of a bigger picture and its not limited to the school environment. I went from having no formal technical training to having a grasps at concepts that would later transfer into a new field, and I had the confidence to take on new challenges at work because I got the core I needed at Skill Distillery. The course is challenging but they give you the tools and resources to reach the goals that sometime seem unattainable.
Cons: This is a full time course, meaning you could be putting in some 10 hour days. The course is heavily backend based but with just enough on the front end to gain an appreciation for it.

  Being a software developer was the top option I wanted to pursue as I was getting ready to transition out of the military. I wanted to attend a program that is veteran-friendly and teaches technologies that are highly sought after in the industry. Skill Distillery was on top of the list, and attending this program was the best decision I made. Now, I work for a fortune-100 company as a Software Developer.   The program was designed to not only teach you how to code, but also teaches you the ability to learn new technologies. It’s also designed to train you how to collaborate with other developers using tools to help you be succesful at your work. Not very many bootcamps teaches Java, because it’s a hard language to learn in my point of view. But, they really make sure that everyone doesn’t get left behind.  Another good thing about this program is that they help you prepare for the Oracle Certified Associate Java SE8 Certification. I didn’t get to take it because I was one of the strugglinG students, but the fact that they offer it, is a great deal itself.
 
 The instructors were very knowledgeable and they were definitely industry experts. They have dedicated instructors for each technologies, but whenever I needed help with a topic, even the instructor from a different topic was willing to help out. Like I mentioned earlier, I was one of the struggling students in our cohort, but I got all the help that I need, from the TA, classmates, and instructors. This was definitely a great experience for me. 

Be forewarned that this bootcamp will require the vast majority of your time! But that's because you will learn so much and come out on the other end with an abundance of new skills. I believe there is another review on here saying this bootcamp is not for the inexperienced and with respect I will have to whole heartedly disagree! I had zero coding experience as did two of my closest friends in class and we all made it through having learned so much. No lie - it took a lot of work, studying, and dedication but you can absolutely do it! My only cons are sometimes the wording of the curriculum is hard to follow and towards the end we didn't get a lot of detailed critique on our homework projects. But Skill Distillery is one of the best decisions I've ever made and I feel really good about my future!

Skill Distillery was a life-changing experience for me! I went from a non-profit director to a Full-Stack Software Developer, and I do not think I would be successful in this change without the great instructors and SD course. If you choose to put the effort and dedication into the SD course, it will pay off when you begin a career as a new developer. 

My first Software Developer job was delayed because of COVID-19. I am now a developer working with Java building microservices at a Fortune-150 company at one of their Denver Metropolitan locations, but I am currently working remotely. I graduated in January 2020 and became employed in May 2020 after a seven-week delay to my original start date. 

This transformation was not an easy process, but I learned the needed developer skills at Skill Distillery and how to learn new skills quickly.  It was a game-changer to me having SD's staff continued to encourage, coach, and help me after the course to help me have stronger interviews. 

I recommend the Skill Distillery Java Software Development Bootcamp to anyone aspiring to be a developer who is willing to put the hard work in and wants to make a career change. Please look me up on a business networking site and feel free to ask me about this experience.  

My former career plans had hit a wall and I was looking for an exit. The VA's VET TEC program in April 2019 provided that exit and offered three schools to choose from: Code Platoon, Zip Code Wilmington, and Skill Distillery (SD). SD was the longest course available (680 hours, 16 weeks) at the time and logistically it worked best for me. 

SD was the most mentally challenging endeavor of my life and it consumed all of my time from July 5th through October 28th. The amount of material SD manages to cram into 16 weeks is staggering and you need to understand that this won't be a walk in the park.

The teachers are supportive and knowledgable, the assignments engaging, and the curriculum is a perfect foundation for bringing a person without experience into the world of software development. I highly recommend SD if you're looking to make a change in your life and you're willing to wholly dedicate your time to making that change. Today, I have a stable and promising career path that is enjoyable. The future is bright!

*Prior to enrolling in a bootcamp, research what technologies are in demand for your target locale* 
For example, I went to Denver and learned Java at SD and then moved back to Tulsa and didn't gain much traction in the job hunt until picking up C# / ASP.Net on my own. I highly recommend speaking to a few recruiters in the cities you're interested in to get a feel for that job market. 

Pros:
+ VET TEC Preferred Program
+ Very veteran friendly, my cohort consisted of all military veterans
+ Seemingly very compassionate instructors & staff
+ Very eager to do whatever it took to ease our minds through whatever transition we would go through (OCAs, COVID, etc)
+ Made an extended family with my cohort
+ Accepting of my emotional support animal which I understand is not a service dog
+ Awesome building/facility even though one classroom has no windows

Cons (which I knew going in):
-Extremely fast paced, wish there were more reviews to ensure retention of foundational topics
-Some instructors read from slides so can lose attention easily 

I made the decision to attend Skill Distillery because I felt stunted in my career field and wanted to attain marketable skills and felt like this Java Full Stack Bootcamp was a good decision based on recommendations from prior students and other veterans. I ended up leaving my job and moving from Missouri to Colorado and quickly realized that it was the greatest decision I made thus far in my career path. Prior to attending Skill Distillery, I had worked in the cybersecurity field as an intelligence analyst but did not really have any knowledge about programming languages. We were immediately thrown into learning Java since the program is only 16 weeks. The program offered numerous labs, some that needed to be completed over the weekend, that were crucial when it came to fully understanding and absorbing the new concepts. Quickly on I did feel like I was falling behind, but through the closeness of the cohort (small class size), dedication of the instructors, and the teaching assistants help on Saturdays I was able to pull through and have more confidence in my coding ability. Throughout the program, we learned many technologies, including front end, back end, and project management tools.  I started attending the course in January and when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred Skill Distillery was very transparent when it came to communication and a way forward as lockdown was eminent. Skill Distillery was able to transition us to learning over Zoom and I did not notice any loss in the material we were learning. We were able to share our screen with the instructors if we were stuck or behind and had the ability to have breakout rooms to be able to conduct pair programming and group projects.  Lastly, Skill Distillery was very helpful in preparing me to reenter the job market by conducting career workshops, mock interviews (technical and nontechnical), and resume review. I was able to secure a job offer the week prior to completing the program. Everyone that worked at Skill Distillery seemed genuinely passionate about what they did and helping the students to succeed and overcome their imposter syndrome. Overall, I would highly recommend this bootcamp for anyone that is considering making the transition into software development or wants more knowledge on front and back end technologies.

Skill Distillery’s 16-week course was an incredible experience. I was itching for a career change into software development, and Skill Distillery made that possibility a reality. Much like whoever may be reading this, I too read every review I could -  even reached out to former students who all had positive things to say about the course. The fact that it is based on the Java language is an advantage for those wanting to gain practical experience using Object-Oriented Programming.  The course was highly fast-pace, and at times I did feel like I was drowning. However, that is expected. The instructors were incredibly knowledgeable and went above-and-beyond to help students understand difficult concepts. Within three weeks of graduating, I had two offers. The position I accepted uses C#, which is similar to Java since they are each part of the C language family. Needless to say, students gain the ability to learn how to learn, which opens the door to many jobs outside of the languages taught throughout the course.  Overall, I can't recommend this course enough. This easily might be the best decision I’ve made, but having a desire to code and natural curiosity is essential to enjoying the process. I feel like I learned more in those four months than I did in four years of college. The instructors and staff truly care about the success of each student. 

If you are ready to put in the time for a change, this is the place to go. Staff and instructors are very intelligent and helpful, they are there to teach you how to code and they do it well. You will come out of Skill Distillery as a confident developer ready for the job market. You will get out of this course what you put into it. Be ready to devote yourself to a career change and you will have it.

I graduated Skill Distillery class SD23 two weeks ago and already have a job offer.

 

At the end of 16 weeks you'll have a really solid foundation and be able to build make websites hosted on Amazon Web Services EC2 using Java, Angular, and SQL databases.  Before coming here I'd always struggle learning programming languages on my own. I dropped a C++ class in college, and got by in other Java / Microsoft Access classes. Here they're not as concerned with the academic concepts of topics. They focus more on the practical application of writing code and that's how I managed to stay interested and learn quickly how to do it. Instructors and TAs are very approachable when it comes to questions or when you're stuck on something.

I'm 1 week into my job search and have much confidence in what I've learned during my time at Skill Distillery.