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tradecraft is closed
This school is now closed. Although tradecraft is no longer accepting students or running its program, you can still see historical information and tradecraft alumni reviews on the school page.
Tradecraft in San Francisco offers full time, 12-week immersive bootcamp programs for smart, motivated people who want to get into tech. Tradecraft offers courses in Sales & Business Development, Growth Marketing, Product Design and Engineering.
The program has been designed by industry-leading experts to ensure that students graduate with the depth and breadth of knowledge to make meaningful contributions from day one at a high-growth startup. Tradecraft students work with a large group of world-class mentors and a small group of inspiring peers. Students gain real work experience during the course of the program by working on projects for Silicon Valley companies.
Tradecraft’s unique approach to training means that graduates will have access to programs and resources until they get a job. Tradecraft offers ongoing mentorship and support to their alumni.
A little over a year ago, I was unsatisfied with my job at a company where I had no room to grow. After talking to some alumni they all reaffirmed the positive reviews about Tradecraft. So I decided to take the leap and it was one of the best decisions of my life.
I wanted to surround myself with motivated people because I knew it would accelerate my learning. Moving into the Bay from out of town, I didn’t have a lot of connections. TC quickly became my network and welcomed me in...
A little over a year ago, I was unsatisfied with my job at a company where I had no room to grow. After talking to some alumni they all reaffirmed the positive reviews about Tradecraft. So I decided to take the leap and it was one of the best decisions of my life.
I wanted to surround myself with motivated people because I knew it would accelerate my learning. Moving into the Bay from out of town, I didn’t have a lot of connections. TC quickly became my network and welcomed me into a great community of people who continually motivate and keep each other accountable. “Mentor Talks” are also set up every week with established designers, product managers, growth marketers, and founders who come in to share their insights and help us get a sense of what it’s like to work in Silicon Valley.
Tradecraft is set up to emulate the environment of a real life startup. The instructors cover a wide range of topics, give you practical feedback, and push you to get out of your comfort zone. Getting to work with real companies was invaluable for building my portfolio. It gave me a lot to talk about in my interviews not just in terms of design decisions, but how I manage my workflow and collaborate with others. 2 months after the program, I was able to land a contract position mostly by talking about one of the projects I had worked on during the interview.
Ariane, the head of career development is an awesome coach. She taught us how to pitch our previous experiences into a marketable story, how to negotiate offers, and helped us prep for interviews. One of the biggest differentiators between Tradecraft and other programs was the career support they give even after you’ve landed your first job. Ariane, Russ, Nick, and the rest of the staff invest in you to help find the right company for you whether its your 2nd, 3rd, etc role. They’ve cultivated a large community that lift each other up from Directors of Design who were in the very first cohort to fresh grads jumping into the job market.
Is Tradecraft a guarantee to land a job in tech immediately? Of course not. Like others have said, you'll need a lot of hustle and a bit of luck. The staff won't hold your hand but they will set you up with the resources and knowledge needed to contribute to a team while guiding you to properly network your way to more opportunities. I’m really grateful for this community of ambitious, driven, and talented people who have my back.
I transitioned from a background in social science research to product design in less than 6 months. I had taught myself design for about a month before Tradecraft, but ultimately turned to bootcamps to speed things up. After extensive research (LOTS of phone calls with alum, combing through coursera reviews like this one, etc.), Tradecraft became the obvious choice.
Why?
I transitioned from a background in social science research to product design in less than 6 months. I had taught myself design for about a month before Tradecraft, but ultimately turned to bootcamps to speed things up. After extensive research (LOTS of phone calls with alum, combing through coursera reviews like this one, etc.), Tradecraft became the obvious choice.
Why?
Like others have mentioned, you get what you put in. A hunger to learn is a necessity as nothing is handed to you.
Truly though, I can't imagine a better place to have learned design than at Tradecraft, surrounded by some of the smartest, most hard-working staff and peers I've met (and befriended).
I completed the Tradecraft program almost exactly one year ago to this date, and one year later, I couldn't be happier with my investment. In the months leading up to my applying, I was trying to make the transition to product design on my own by self-studying and self-learning, but wasn't satisfied with the speed at which I was progressing.
There are many reviews that already description about the product design track and what prospective Tradecrafters can expect. I'll focus on ...
I completed the Tradecraft program almost exactly one year ago to this date, and one year later, I couldn't be happier with my investment. In the months leading up to my applying, I was trying to make the transition to product design on my own by self-studying and self-learning, but wasn't satisfied with the speed at which I was progressing.
There are many reviews that already description about the product design track and what prospective Tradecrafters can expect. I'll focus on a few points where I feel the experience was particularly valuable to me:
Overall, a year removed from the program, I can say I'm very happy with where I'm at today. And I don't think I'd be where I'm at today without the Tradecraft experience.
Making the jump to take a program like Tradecraft is scary. This is especially true if your current status quo is comfortable and known, but I couldn't recommend it more.
Only great things to say about Tradecraft: amazing network of smart hardworking people, intense and in-depth curriculum, great exposure to the tech/startup world etc.
I do want people considering this program to note that this is an experience where the direct input you put in, relates to the direct ou...
Making the jump to take a program like Tradecraft is scary. This is especially true if your current status quo is comfortable and known, but I couldn't recommend it more.
Only great things to say about Tradecraft: amazing network of smart hardworking people, intense and in-depth curriculum, great exposure to the tech/startup world etc.
I do want people considering this program to note that this is an experience where the direct input you put in, relates to the direct output you will receive. You are given a lot of reading and work as part of the curriculum, but so much of the important aspects of the learning come from diving down the rabit holes of what interests you and you putting in lots of time on things you want to improve on.
Reach out to past gradautes, that is what sold me on the program! Everyone is open and supportive and the networking potential is amazing.
Like several other reviewers have mentioned, I went into Tradecraft with perhaps unrealistic high hopes. It's not to say I didn't find it effective, but my experience there wasn't without snags.
The most rewarding part of it was the friends that I made at Tradecraft. You do meet and work alongsde some brilliant and diverse group of students that you make connections with past the duration of your 3 months. However, I found the curriculum and honestly, job search support, to be la...
Like several other reviewers have mentioned, I went into Tradecraft with perhaps unrealistic high hopes. It's not to say I didn't find it effective, but my experience there wasn't without snags.
The most rewarding part of it was the friends that I made at Tradecraft. You do meet and work alongsde some brilliant and diverse group of students that you make connections with past the duration of your 3 months. However, I found the curriculum and honestly, job search support, to be lacking.
I got a job fairly fast, but I felt like I received very little and inconsistent support from the instructors. Often times, my emails or Slack messages asking a question or for assistance will garner no response. It's almost impossible to book a time slot to meet with any instructor within a month's time.
While I understand instructors are busy with students and their own lives, I think Tradecraft would benefit to hire more instructors. Having to wait a month or squeeze in a quick session for help isn't effective when you're trying to learn a lot in a short timespan, or the issue is time-sensitive.
That being said, I think Tradecraft is worth doing because, like all the reviewers have said, you leave with a portfolio--and that is absolutely the key to finding your first UX or PD role. As long as you manage your expectations, you will have a positive experience and, soon, an awesome new career!
Tradecraft is a one-of-a-kind program in the tech world and I couldn't be more happy with the decision I made to go through this SF-based career accelerator.
After spending 4 years in NYC as a tech/software investor, I decided to leave my awesome career at Goldman Sachs in order to pursue a more exciting and dynamic career in the enterprise software sector. It's not a path that many embark upon, so after doing tons of my own research and conducting interviews with fol...
Tradecraft is a one-of-a-kind program in the tech world and I couldn't be more happy with the decision I made to go through this SF-based career accelerator.
After spending 4 years in NYC as a tech/software investor, I decided to leave my awesome career at Goldman Sachs in order to pursue a more exciting and dynamic career in the enterprise software sector. It's not a path that many embark upon, so after doing tons of my own research and conducting interviews with folks all across the tech sector, I decided to move out to the Bay Area and enroll in Tradecraft. It's one of the best decisions I've ever made.
I moved to SF with only a handful of friends and family members out here, and Tradecraft instantly became my home away from home. Not only was the program/curriculum exactly what I was hoping for, but it's an amazing community to be part of. The instructors and students truly embody the "work hard, play hard" culture that I enjoy most -- it was a great way to enter a new city and career at the same time. Some of my best friends in SF are my fellow TC students/instructors, and I am incredibly thankful for getting to be part of this amazing program.
The curriculum is great for those who want to start their own companies, join high-growth startups as early hires, or for anyone interested in testing/building/scaling up businesses that are in some way impacted by the tech sector (i.e. nearly every business). Coming in with a traditional investment analyst skillset from wall street, I was never bored with Tradecraft's extensive curriculum, which covers a wide range of growth topics such as SEO, paid acquisition, social media, cohort analytics, email marketing, B2B sales frameworks, and more! This all comes in handy not only for building and scaling startups (in my current role), but also in the context of being a technology-oriented investor as well.
I'd recommend Tradecraft to anyone who has a desire in commiting themselves to a career in tech, plain and simple. Tradecraft's instructors and career mentors are extraordinarily resourceful and well-connected in the Bay Area and will get you from point A to point B in your career faster than any business school will.
I graduated from the Product Design Track in Jul 2017 and found a role as a product designer at an SF-based tech company within 2 months of graduating. That said, I want to be very clear that I do not mean it in a how-to-get-rich-quick kind of way - Tradecraft is NOT a hack to getting the growth/product design role that you want. But for the candidate with the right attitude, willingness to put in the time and effort into the painful task of carving out one's path from scratch in growth/pr...
I graduated from the Product Design Track in Jul 2017 and found a role as a product designer at an SF-based tech company within 2 months of graduating. That said, I want to be very clear that I do not mean it in a how-to-get-rich-quick kind of way - Tradecraft is NOT a hack to getting the growth/product design role that you want. But for the candidate with the right attitude, willingness to put in the time and effort into the painful task of carving out one's path from scratch in growth/product design, this is THE place to be.
Your time is short and you want to know what exactly you're getting if you sign up for Tradecraft, so here's a summary of what Tradecraft offers that other product design bootcamps do not. Also I can only speak for the product design track, so keep that in mind:
Lastly, I cannot reiterate enough the fact that all of the above will be for nothing unless you take the initiative:
- to network with the staff, mentors they bring in for talks and your peers,
- to set aside time every day to get better at your new field.
- to ask questions: this is a safe environment to learn what you need to know.
In addition to getting a job and making the transition from graphic to product design, Tradecraft was the catalyst for a great deal of personal change that I'm still benefiting from (and working through.)
The nature of the environment is one where you're surrounded by people questioning things: their future desired role and how to get there, user experience problems, the various degrees of ennui one experiences when transitioning), and in general how to be a better human.
...In addition to getting a job and making the transition from graphic to product design, Tradecraft was the catalyst for a great deal of personal change that I'm still benefiting from (and working through.)
The nature of the environment is one where you're surrounded by people questioning things: their future desired role and how to get there, user experience problems, the various degrees of ennui one experiences when transitioning), and in general how to be a better human.
The last point is something I found particularly wonderful. Tradecraft forces you to take a step back and look at things about yourself that you may have not considered before.
These are but a few things that I learned about in the program (in addition to all the design stuff :) and it may be totally different for you. The one thing I can guarantee though, is that it'll be impactful for you as a person – for where you are in life. See Christine and Jasmine Rosen's reviews (two of my colleagues) for a better overall analysis, they were always better at this stuff than me.
While we're on the subject of friends/colleagues: the concentrated timespan of the program will help you develop surprisingly strong, genuine friendships during your time there. I've shared a pretty large spectrum of human emotion with peers + the staff. As for the staff, every damn one of them has gone above and beyond for me, at various times and in various ways, and probably in many that I'm not aware of. I want to emphasize that, because I something still look back at it and am baffled at how much everyone gives a shit about you.
Something you'll commonly hear is that you'll get out of Tradecraft what you put in. This is not an easy program, and it isn't designed to be. If you truly dedicate yourself then what everyone else is saying is absolutely true – the rewards are vastly greater than any time, money, and energy you'll put in.
Enrolling at Tradecraft was one of the best decisions I ever made. I came to Tradecraft after being laid off from the company I had been at for 11 years – 8 of which I was doing graphic design. The months in the program were difficult and demanding but that's where the magic happens. With the fast paced curriculum learnings, real world projects, and amazing faculty’s support all under my belt, I was able to land a contract at a high-growth startup a few months shortly after wrapping up all...
Enrolling at Tradecraft was one of the best decisions I ever made. I came to Tradecraft after being laid off from the company I had been at for 11 years – 8 of which I was doing graphic design. The months in the program were difficult and demanding but that's where the magic happens. With the fast paced curriculum learnings, real world projects, and amazing faculty’s support all under my belt, I was able to land a contract at a high-growth startup a few months shortly after wrapping up all projects. I am currently the only designer and I am astonished how the curriculum and project structure prepared me for startup life as a sole designer. I was given learning moments at TC so I could build my resiliency and design thinking to really thrive in tech environments. I love the work I’m doing now and I am surprised at how my time at TC changed me as a person to nurture me into a better designer.
Summary: Tradecraft was definitely a net positive experience for me and my career. However, I have to admit that the reviews on this site prior to beginning set up unrealistic and slightly misleading expectations. Tradecraft is not, by any means, a perfect experience that will blow you out of the water and be the best thing you have ever done in your life, as many reviews here will make you think. That said, as long as you go into it with tempered and real...
Summary: Tradecraft was definitely a net positive experience for me and my career. However, I have to admit that the reviews on this site prior to beginning set up unrealistic and slightly misleading expectations. Tradecraft is not, by any means, a perfect experience that will blow you out of the water and be the best thing you have ever done in your life, as many reviews here will make you think. That said, as long as you go into it with tempered and realistic expectations for what you will experience and get out of it, I think you will also come to see Tradecraft as a net positive on your career. Overall I recommend Tradecraft, but only if you go into it with eyes wide open and reasonable expectations.
TL;DR letter grade: B / B-
. . .
Breakdown
Work Experience: One of the most valuable pieces of Tradecraft. Real work for real companies/startups, with real deliverables and stakeholders. I think of Tradecraft as basically part-product design agency for startups that need pro bono work. This is especially important for anyone with no prior product design experience who needs to build up a portfolio of actual work to point to, and experience working with stakeholders and deadlines in an agile environment. Though there are still some areas of improvement in client projects (for example, sometimes group sizes can be too large and depth of projects aren't very deep), it does give you working experience on your portfolio and resume that you likely would not be able to get elsewhere, and it’s up to you to be able to articulate your experience effectively in your portfolio and interviews.
Career Development: Another of the most valuable pieces of Tradecraft. Ariane, the Head of Careers, is very knowledgeable and good to work with. Her dedicated classes to career development were of high value to me, going over things like LinkedIn, resumes, cold emails, personal stories, interviewing, salary negotiations, industry specific information and trends, career paths, how to get from point A to point C, etc. Furthermore, after graduation, the support continued - there are weekly meetings open to alums to go over things on their minds, and also opportunities to have 1:1 meetings/check-ins with Ariane, or even just Slack her with random questions. These things were all incredibly valuable to me. (Nick and Zac were also very helpful in the post-TC job search, taking time to make intros and give advice.)
Curriculum: This was probably the biggest weakness of TC. Not because of any shortcoming in knowledge of the instructors, but because the curriculum was not very structured or deep. It was a bit all over the place, and often felt like a hodgepodge of different topics, with not enough context given to each topic, nor any headway as to what was coming down the road. It was seemingly random, and there are certain topics your cohort will miss out on entirely that the next cohorts might get to, and vice versa. Furthermore, everything was pretty shallow - you never dive very deep into topics. If not for my own self-education in the year prior, it would have been difficult for me to put what we did cover into context. I learned some things at TC and felt my skills did improve, but not as much as I would hope for based on what I paid and expected from the program. The honest truth is I probably learned more theory in my self-education prior to TC than I did during TC's classes. I recommend doing some solid time of self-education before coming to TC - read some of the seminal design books, take some online classes and tutorials, go to some of the one-off UX 101 classes at General Assembly, etc. Otherwise, you may leave with a lack of baseline understanding of the fundamentals of UX and product design.
Instructors: Zac, the lead product design instructor, is awesome. He is very knowledgeable, articulate, a really good guy, and great to work with. He takes time to talk with students and give them advice and counsel. Jake I hardly ever saw or interacted with, and it would have been nice to see him more, as I thought I would before beginning the program. I had some mixed experiences with other staff members, as other students did too.
Job Ready-ness: Be realistic about this. TC is not a panacea or magic wand. If you don't already have previous direct UX or Product Design experience, or other related work, 3 months of project work and curriculum is not going to immediately make you a job-ready designer. Your skills and knowledge simply won’t be there yet. Furthermore, it can take you a long time to find your first full-time job. It is not uncommon for grads to spend 6-12+ months after graduating still looking for their first full-time position. This isn't really TC's fault, it's just the way it is. It takes a while to create your portfolio, make further revisions and iterations, gain more knowledge, reach out to connections and hiring managers, apply to positions, interview, practice whiteboard challenges, and, most importantly, become more fluent in how you speak about yourself and your work. Additionally, the design job market is getting more and more saturated, and it is becoming harder and harder to get your first full-time role. Just be realistic about that. That said, TC sets you up far better and quicker than doing it all on your own. Things like having dedicated career development classes, instructor advice, portfolio reviews through instructors and alumni, the alumni network in general, whiteboard challenge prep, etc. all go a long way. It's up to you to utilize it effectively.
Network: Perhaps the most valuable piece of Tradecraft. Many graduates go on to work for or with other alums, or through connections of alums. There are now hundreds of alums throughout the Bay Area that you can tap, if even just for an intro to the hiring manager at their company or a referral for a position.
I had an amazing experience with Tradecraft. The program was effective, dynamic, and super hands-on. The staff is brilliant and provides lots of guidance along the journey. If you are looking to learn details on how to use the tools (i.e. Sketch), this might not be your choice. The staff expects you to learn on your own for basic skills, but spend the time teaching many valuable things that you won't be able to learn from the internet (makes a lot of sense to me). The real-world experience...
I had an amazing experience with Tradecraft. The program was effective, dynamic, and super hands-on. The staff is brilliant and provides lots of guidance along the journey. If you are looking to learn details on how to use the tools (i.e. Sketch), this might not be your choice. The staff expects you to learn on your own for basic skills, but spend the time teaching many valuable things that you won't be able to learn from the internet (makes a lot of sense to me). The real-world experience of working with silicon valley start-ups was extremely valuable to me. It gave me opportunities to collaborate with the client and team, to work on all phases of product design from research to validation. Also, TC offer career development sessions every week to help you on everything about job hunting. Luckily I was able to land a job almost right after finishing the program. It wouldn't happen without TC. Last, the program is pretty intensive and offers huge amount of resource from technical knowledge, practical experience, to networking. Absolutely highly recommended.
How much does tradecraft cost?
tradecraft costs around $14,000.
What courses does tradecraft teach?
tradecraft offers courses like Business Development & Sales, Growth, Product Design.
Where does tradecraft have campuses?
tradecraft has an in-person campus in San Francisco.
Is tradecraft worth it?
tradecraft hasn't shared alumni outcomes yet, but one way to determine if a bootcamp is worth it is by reading alumni reviews. 139 tradecraft alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed tradecraft on Course Report - you should start there!
Is tradecraft legit?
We let alumni answer that question. 139 tradecraft alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed tradecraft and rate their overall experience a 4.91 out of 5.
Does tradecraft offer scholarships or accept the GI Bill?
Right now, it doesn't look like tradecraft offers scholarships or accepts the GI Bill. We're always adding to the list of schools that do offer Exclusive Course Report Scholarships and a list of the bootcamps that accept the GI Bill.
Can I read tradecraft reviews?
You can read 139 reviews of tradecraft on Course Report! tradecraft alumni, students, and applicants have reviewed tradecraft and rate their overall experience a 4.91 out of 5.
Is tradecraft accredited?
While bootcamps must be approved to operate, accreditation is relatively rare. tradecraft doesn't yet share information about their accreditation status.
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