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Skill Distillery

Average Rating4.69
115 Reviews
3 Courses

Skill Distillery is an intensive, 16-week Java bootcamp in Denver, Colorado. The course is arranged into three units – Java Programming, Server-side Java, and Front-end Development. The curriculum focuses on the fundamentals of programming, Java (and its libraries), unit testing, Spring, Spring MVC, and using a source code repository. Students will also gain experience deploying web content to a web server and navigating the server file system from the command line...

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115 Skill Distillery Reviews

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  • Cole R
    Software Developer • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Feb 04, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    Job Assistance

    They are teaching what you need to know

    Summary:

    Skill Distillery is an intensive training program teaching in-demand technologies.  Being successful in the program requires dedication and hard work.  Completion of the program and understanding of the curriculum will give you the skills necessary to build and deploy a full stack Java web application (of relatively small scope).  These skills are in demand – after one month on the job market I was invited to 6 on-site interviews with different organizat...

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  • Kimberly Saviano
    Java Developer I • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Jan 27, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Great foundation in a difficult language, and the skills to learn more languages, libraries, and frameworks

    I was part of the second cohort at Skill Distillery (SD) and my 19-week program ran from July through November. Of our initial class of 10 (with an additional person who audited some of it), two people dropped out fairly early, and one person joined us halfway to retake the second half of the course. We had a close-knit group where most everyone got along really well, we initiated study groups on weekends, some went to meetups together, hung out socially, and really got to know one another...

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  • Draddog
    Communication Engineer • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Jan 22, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
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    Job Assistance

    Get READY TO WORK

    You had better bring you A game, because these guys are not playing.  I'm serious!  If you are going to walk the walk and talk that talk you had better be ready to sweat.  I'm talking 10 hours a day and catch up on the weekendes.  You are going to compress 1500 hours of coding into 16 weeks.  If you can't adapt to the needs of the job, if you can't take intellectual pressure then get out of the kitchen.  BUT!!!! if you can hang in there and hold on until the end you will be ready to handle...

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  • Anonymous
    Denver
    Jan 17, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    OMG DONT ATTEND SKILL DISTILLERY EVER!

     

    look here's the deal. Skill distillery is worse than second rate.  It's the red headed step child that has always dreamed of becoming the first rate biological first rate loved first born. I do t know what to tell you, every accurate review thus far ? All negative reviews) have already stated the truth. Skill distillery does not deserve your 16k. Go to Turing or otherwise. You'll be glad you did. 

     

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    Bruce Batky of Skill Distillery

    CEO

    Jan 20, 2016

    Hi Anonymous, 

    We have a pretty small cohort of students in each class and we strive to provide a lot of individual attention. Since we dont know who left this review, I cant respond to any specific challenges you may have to our program. Were you a student here? Our door is always open if you would like to share your experience with us. 

    Please feel free to contact me with any questions or ideas you may have: bruce(at)skilldistillery.com

    ~Bruce
  • Aaron Aguil
    Student • Denver
    Jan 15, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    WORTH EVERY PENNY

    PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE REVIEW IF YOU WANT A 100% IN DEPTH  ANALYSIS OF COHORT 3 AND THE REVIEWS POSTED BELOW

    First off, because Mr. Anonymous two reviews below mine is suspicious of the five star reviews, lets ignore ALL of the positive reviews on this page. That leaves SIX reviews, of which FIVE, I believe were written by students from my cohort (SD3). Some of their comments are justified, but I feel that they may have been decieved by their own expectation of a program that wa...

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  • Ted Kubach
    Student • Denver
    Jan 14, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
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    N/A

    Challenging

    After having just left medical school early upon becoming disillusioned with a career in healthcare I sought out various development bootcamps to geek me out for a stimulating career in technology. I was fortunate enough to stumble upon this program. Having worked previously for a creative digital agency out of NYC, and working directly with the CTO and CEO on talent management, I was accustomed to the technologies being sought after. I ended up choosing SD over 2 other competitive bootc...
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  • Anonymous
    Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Jan 13, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    Difficult to justify the cost

    I attended the SD program prior to the authors of these other reviews, and I feel compelled to add my thoughts to the discussion.

    Following the same format…

    Pros: I like the location and the building SD is housed in. There is a common area, kitchen, and additional space for students to study. Garage parking is free for students, and there are restaurants surrounding the school. The program started out very promising, with...

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  • Anonymous
    Student • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Jan 13, 2016
    Overall Experience
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    Do your research

    Do not be deceived by the five star reviews.

     

    Overall Experience: The first part of the program was superb. If I were to have written a review during the Java portion of the course, I would have given it five stars out of five. After five weeks of studying and practicing pure Java, about half the students were able to pass the Oracle Certified Associate - Java Programmer exam, which is impressive in my opinion.

     

    The ...

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    Bruce of Skill Distillery

    CEO

    Jan 20, 2016

    Dear Annoymous (sic),

    I am sorry to hear that you were not happy with your experience here at Skill Distillery. We know that this program isn't for everyone and we know that learning Java is difficult. Passing the Java Oracle exam is a big accomplishment and is very valuable, but that is just the beginning of the journey to becoming a skilled programmer. The latter portion of our program is where things get really difficult, and we know that some students will not make it through. 

    Based on our last 5 years providing boot camps to corporations and our previous two decades of teaching people to code, we chose the most in demand technologies for our curriculum. We are teaching the most sought after skills based on our experience with companies and data from sources like the US Department of Labor and Glassdoor. 

    We spend a significant amount of time working with companies to place our students into internships and jobs.  Just this morning, two of our graduates were placed with a major tech firm in south Denver as entry-level Java Programmers after only two weeks of submitting applications. We also spend time and energy helping students prepare resumes and performing mock interviews. But, for students to take full advantage of our network and hiring resources, they need to stay the full 19 weeks and graduate the course. 

    If you would ever like to come in and chat about your experience, try again to complete the program, or learn more about our hiring resources, please send me an email: bruce(at)skilldistillery.com

    ~Bruce
  • Anonymous
    Student • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Jan 13, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Not recommended

    Pros:  

    The Java instructor was excellent.  He is a true teacher whose gift has helped many and will continue to do so.  The first portion of Java was successful.

    Cons:

    This bootcamp did not produce as promised.  After the first portion of Java programming, everything fell apart.  The course content was advertised as unique and created in-house, however, instructors ended up reading out of external courseware manuals.  The learning process consisted of unengag...

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  • Maya Mohan
    Student • Denver
    Jan 12, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    great opportunity

    First off, Jamie Placensia, Why are reviewing a school you never went to? Second, move on! Welcome to the real world, no one owes you anything.

    I am a current student at skill distillery and so far, so good! Jamie is an excellent instructor, TA's are helpful, and there's a good group of people in my cohort who come from all kinds of backgrounds. We all kind of help each other out. The program kicks your butt, but what do you expect? I feel myself being constantly pushed, but I k...

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  • Pelham
    Student • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Jan 12, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    A Consistently Rewarding Experience

    I came to Skill Distillery with no prior coding experience whatsoever.  I was worried, but the excellent instructors and support staff at Skill Distillery have made me feel at home, and I'm learning so much every day.  I looked at coding boot camps all over the country, and frankly,I could not be happier with my decision to attend Skill Distillery.

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    Cole Frock of Skill Distillery

    School Director

    Jan 21, 2016

    Hello, 

    Thank you for your positive review and thank you for being our student. I couldn't be happier to see your progress and success!

    ~Cole
  • Anonymous
    Software Engineer • Graduate • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) • Denver
    Jan 12, 2016
    Overall Experience
    Instructors
    Curriculum
    Job Assistance

    Good Technologies, Great Teachers

    I enjoyed my time with Skill Distillery. The staff were courteous and professional, and they cared about the students. It's a genuine challenge to fall through the cracks at their school.

    I went to SD for the enterprise Java development aspect of the program. It's a very difficult school to complete successfully. I think a large part of that is due to the nature of Java as a full-fledged programming language and not a scripting language. After working my face off in the program, ...

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Skill Distillery Alumni Outcomes

Skill Distillery Scholarships

$500 Skill Distillery Scholarship

Course Report is excited to offer an exclusive Skill Distillery scholarship for $500 off tuition!

Eligibility

Offer is only valid for new applicants. Applicants who have already submitted an application cannot claim this scholarship. & This scholarship cannot be combined with other offers.

Qualifying Courses

  • Full-Stack Web Development w/Java Bootcamp (Onsite) (Denver)

Recent Skill Distillery News

Liz Eggleston
Updated March 06, 2023
What Is VET TEC? VET TEC is a high-tech training pilot program that doesn t use GI Bill benefits and pays a monthly housing stipend to students in the program. VET TEC stands for V eteran E mployment T hrough T echnology E ducation C ourses. In other words, veterans can attend a coding bootcamp for free without using any GI Bill benefits! VET TEC vs GI Bill Of course, many coding bootcamps now accept the GI Bill . But VET TEC is different from the GI Bill Veterans only need one day of unexpired ...
Liz Eggleston
Updated July 07, 2015
Since the White House Department of Veterans Affairs hosted the first coding bootcamp roundtable in September 2014, it's been clear that the use of the GI Bill for bootcamp tuition is on the minds of both educators and government. Recently, Skill Distillery , a 19-week Java Coding Bootcamp in Denver, Colorado, was VA-Approved and began accepting the GI Bill- huge news! Skill Distillery CEO Cole Frock talks to Course Report about the process to become approved, why veterans ...
Harry Hantel
Updated July 01, 2015
Welcome to the June News Roundup, your monthly news digest full of the most interesting articles and announcements in the bootcamp space. Do you want something considered for the next News Roundup? Submit announcements of new courses, scholarships, or open jobs at your school! Coding Bootcamps In The Headlines Coding Bootcamp Enrollment Soars! (via Bloomberg) Skill Distillery is the First Coding Bootcamp Approved for GI Bill. Coding Dojo spotlighted in Geekwire News. ...
Liz Eggleston
Updated September 11, 2014
With over 40,000 alumni from their Batky-Howell training courses, Bruce Batky and Cole Frock have recently launched their 19-week Java bootcamp, Skill Distillery , in Denver, Colorado. We catch up with Cole and Bruce to discuss their hands-on instruction, how they constructed the Java curriculum, and the types of companies Skill Distillery is partnering with to place graduates in jobs! Remember, the Course Report community is eligible for a 500 scholarship ...

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How much does Skill Distillery cost?

Skill Distillery costs around $19,950. On the lower end, some Skill Distillery courses like Part-Time Full-Stack Java cost $9,950.

Where does Skill Distillery have campuses?

Skill Distillery has an in-person campus in Denver.

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Skill Distillery is a certified vocational school by the state of Colorado.
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