tradecraft

Me: I graduated from the University of Vermont in May 2014, joined Tradecraft's growth marketing track in Sept 2014 and landed a head of growth position for a well-funded startup in Nov 2014. 

TC: It's like a MBA for startups. By the end of the program you will have the skillset and mindset to perform and delivery at startups of all sizes/funding stages. For me, the core TC experience breaks down into 3 main things: 

1) Community and Network 

As some of my other TC peers have pointed out, the community and culture at TC is unparalleled to any other tech program. I've never been surrounded by more ambitious, high flying people in my life. This becomes invaluable to students because it gives you the support system you need to develop core hard/soft skills but also sets the bar high and provides a "we can do even more" type of attitude to creative problem solving. 

The network speaks for itself at TC. I've had the opportunity to learn about growth marketing and traction from the best in the business. Being at TC gives you an exclusive pass to meet with and learn from senior leadership at very noteworthy startups. Irene Au, anyone?

2) Work on real problems 

TC gives you the chance to work on real problems startups have to deal with. Some of these problems are project based where you're consulting with startups in the Bay Area and others are assignments that focus on building particular hard skills for a given track. I found both sets of problems to be very exciting and challenging to work on. You will have a lot of "lessons learned" type moments where you learn from your mistakes. This is part of the growth curve and it's something TC embraces. 

3) Personal Development 

This last point ties in with the first point, but it's worth noting. TC does not just invest in you for 12 weeks. They make a commitment to help you accelerate your personal growth long after you exit the program. During the first part of the program, there is a lot of focus on personal development and identifying your strengths to leverage them. Once you exit the program, there is a focus on making sure you get where you want to be and making it easy to reconnect with the entire TC community (which is pretty big these days). By the end of the program I felt like I had a completely new mindset for approaching growth marketing and the everyday challenges startups face. 

These are the types of experiences and values you can expect from TC. If these are things you value too and you're looking to break into the tech scene, I'd highly recommend applying to the program

I was in the second cohort at Tradecraft where I completed the Growth track in San Francisco. It was truly awesome and valuable to me, as one year later I am now the Head of Growth at a rapidly growing startup. 

The level of mentorship and learning that happens there is unrivaled. Students get to work on real world projects with startups facing real challenges in areas such as user acquisition, analytics, user experience, sales, and business development. Top mentors and startup founders drop by Tradecraft for talks on a daily basis. Getting to chat with major movers and shakers like Brian Balfour, Doug Landis, Rick Marini, Noah Kagan, Sean Ellis, Nir Eyal, Gagan Biyani, Matt Ellsworth, Jamie Quint, Katie Hughes, and many others was truly priceless. 

Beyond the learning opportunities, there's an infectious level of energy and camaraderie among students and instructors alike at Tradecraft. It's the kind of place that inspires you to work your ass off while also enjoying every minute of it. To this day I still talk regularly to TC alums and we often help each other with tricky growth/marketing/analytics problems. It's a great, strong network if you are willing to give to it. 

At the end of the day, Tradecraft's strong track record of placing graduates into top startups proves their ability to deliver on their promises.

Like so many others, Tradecraft really has done a tremendous amount to improve my knowledge base, network, and subsequentally open so many doors that otherwise wouldn't have been open.  It's a fantastic curriculum-based learning environment, where you'll meet other smart, ambitious people.

In the growth track, they'll cover the imperatives like SQL, referral marketing, email, content marketing, paid acquisition, etc. and arguably some of the most valuable things you learn aren't even in the classroom, but words of wisdom from some incredible mentors, true tech influencers and thought leaders.

My only words of advice are to come open-minded, ready to work hard, and know what you want to get out of the program. The more ways you can find to relate your background to your field, company, or track of choice, the better. Learn to play to your strengths, and this program will truly help you move in the direction you want.

Tradecraft was one of the best experiences of my life.

It feels strange to use the past tense because although I completed the official three month program in Growth a few months ago, Tradecraft is and will continue to be a huge part of my life.

For three months, I worked my ass off. Nights and weekends. Reaching out to mentors. Taking on projects for high-profile startups with real expectations.

I learned more in those three months than I could have possibly expected, and then after, I went out to figure out where I wanted to land.

See, the reason it's weird to use the past tense is that even after those three months passed, Tradecraft has been there for me.

When I was going through interviews, evaluating my opportunities, and negotiating my contract, Tradecraft was an unbelievable support. And I absolutely credit all the support I got as the reason I landed my dream job.

There are lots of great places to learn the nuts and bolts of how to work in tech startups.

I'm so glad I chose Tradecraft because it's ultimately about a long-term relationship where I'm continually supported with the knowledge, resources, and relationships to kick ass long into my career.

And in turn, I get excited about giving back to Tradecraft because it's an incredible community of friends, mentors, and advocates who support each other.

It's a big commitment of time, energy, and money. But if you're ready to commit and you're given the opportunity, I can't think of a more rewarding experience than Tradecraft.

I heartily endorse Tradecraft for delivering exactly what they promise--accelerating a career into a meaningful role at a startup.

The instructors are smart, passionate, and connected. The program teaches you quite a lot (like drinking from a firehose), and you do great work for the startups that they pair you with.  

I worked in the sales and business development track, and our instructor/mentor provided terrific instruction on accomplishing a lot in those roles. He also was terrific to lean on while working for the paired startup, diagramming and breaking down what went right and what went wrong within our sales process.

Tradecraft also concentrates very hard on doing everything it can to help you find a job, including mock interviews. Most importantly, however, is Tradecraft's network (growing every day) that it taps into to help people find the right role. It's how I found mine.

Cheers to Tradecraft.

I moved to the Bay Area to be a part of the first class of Tradecraft and it was insturmental in helping me land my dream job. Tradecraft's curriculum serves a wide range of individuals from those breaking into tech and startups to students who are looking to hone specific skills or identify their passions and identify their next opportunity.
Tradecraft helped me to quickly get up to speed on Silicon Valley and learn the companies, individuals and resources that are available. As a lover of efficiency, I appreciate that this took 3 months, not a year and a half. The Tradecraft team was very supportive and helpful throughout the program and my job search process. 

I enjoyed the ability to learn and then immediately apply the curriculum with startups that we worked with. We had the opportunity to focus on soft skills (personal development and EQ) which I found as helpful, if not more than the hard skills I walked away with. Finally, I'm really appreciative of the ongoing network and community that I am a part of -- and growing!

Most amazing experience of my life. In 3 months, I went from an SEO / Content Strategist for small businesses to Director of Growth for an early-stage startup. I received career training, personal development training, and entrepreneurial training. Tradecraft revolutionized the way I think about marketing. Highly recommend if you want to focus on growth, sales & business development, Dev or UX for startups. Regarding the decision to attend Tradecraft vs a more traditional learning institution ... Know how you run into old college buddies and think "Oh yea! John hasn't changed a bit! Good 'ole John!"? That doesn't happen with Tradecraft graduates. Once they've got the TC momentum of discovering, iterating and absorbing, they continue - and you can see that personal evolution even a year later.

As a member of the first class, I thought attending Tradecraft and giving up 3 months of a working salary while also paying tuition would be a big risk, not to mention that it was a brand new (and unproven) program at the time.

It was the best decision I made for my career so far.  The return on investment has been more than worth it, and this program has accelerated my career at least 2-3 years.  I am very happy to be working at my current company now, and I was definitely a much more competitive candidate in the job market after the program.

As a member of the Growth track, I can't speak highly enough of our mentor instructors--Graham Hunter and Will Bunker.  Graham's dedication in teaching and challenging us to go beyond and teach ourselves made this educational experience unlike any others I've experienced.  Will's career advice and encouragement taught me more about my own motivations to seek fulfillment in my career.  Ultimately, it was Graham who made the crucial introduction that led to my current position--all because he told me about a tech meet up after class.  Kudos also to the founders Misha Chellam and Russ Klusas who selected an excellent first cohort.  I learned as much from my fellow classmates as I did from our instructors and industry mentors.  

I would recommend this course for people who know they want to break into or accelerate their tech careers.  Opportunities to learn and to network are presented to you, but you do have to be highly motivated and hard-working to take advantage of them to the fullest.  It's not a program to hold your hand.  Instead, it's a program that will open doors for you and introduce you to people you probably wouldn't meet otherwise.  You'll have to work to reap the benefits, but they are well worth it.

About me: I went through Tradecraft (TC) in the fifth cohort's Growth Marketing track. I wrote answers to FAQs from prospective students on my blog, in case this and other reviews aren't comprehensive enough.

About TC: Size/stage depends on you, but Tradecraft prepares you to work at tech companies. Through various mechanisms, some intentional and others not, TC forces students to learn and work both cooperatively and independently, advocate for themselves and their needs, and manage their time and relationships. These are probably the three most valuable skills anyone can master, and they are essential to anyone who works in or hopes to break into tech, especially on the non-technical side of things.

Strengths:

• Internal Network -- Tradecraft students and alumni are fantastic people and a rich group to learn from and lean on professionally. 
• External Network -- Tradecraft's founders and instructors are well-connected and happy to leverage their connections for students.
• Mentors -- Mentors might more accurately be called Speakers. They come in for Q&A sessions with current students (and occassionally alums) and have been known to help students professionally.
• Learning Environment -- Students are forced to focus their learning and advocate for themselves when they get stuck. There aren't many, if any, freebies.
• Projects -- Students work with startups to solve problems and gain experience.
• Instructors -- TC instructors are wonderful people and experienced practitioners in their given fields.

Weaknesses:

•  In my time there, Tradecraft's curriculum was basically a compilation of free online resources that we were guided through. I felt like we skimmed the surface in class and needed to devote most of my free time to developing a more limited, selective skillset.

Overall ​Recommendation: Highly recommended. The softness of the curriculum was disappointing, but the network, projects, and overall exposure have more than paid themselves off. Bottom line, Tradecraft is a great jumping off point for anyone looking to get started in tech.

Tradecraft proved to be one of the best investments in terms of time and money I have ever made. It has all the components of a great teaching environment: well-structured curriculums, experienced teachers, projects to get hands-on experience, and a stellar network of industry experts.

Where Tradecraft differs from the rest is an environment of highly selected peers to challenge your thoughts and make you grow, as a professional and as a person. The environment is optimized to challenge you and give you the tools and mindset to achieve great results in your career.

A professional playground you will hardly forget.

Tradecraft is one of the best decisions I've made, not just for my career, but in life. It's rare that we are afforded the opportunity to focus on our personal and professional development, in parallel, for 12 straight weeks. Tradecraft encourages you to do just that. The program fosters a culture where you are inspired by your peers, instructors, and industry mentors to challenge yourself and grow as much as possible. In the end, you will develop your strengths, grow your network, expand your acumen, and trade expertise with some of the most talented people you'll ever meet. You'll also have an action plan for locking in a role at the company of your dreams. You'll have the skills to proactively assess and target those companies, find your internal champion, navigate the interview process, and negotiate an offer. You'll be able to articulate the value you bring to the table and what you are capable of doing for that organization. They will benefit from your Tradecraft network as well!