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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.
I did the sales track and I learned more in 3 months at TC than I did in my 4 years at college. New to SF, it felt like I had expanded my network by 100+ people - wich lead me to negotiate and sign a job offer the day I graduated. They give you the resources to be successful.
Tradecraft is an outstanding apprenticeship for those looking to transform their careers. I had been circling a career in product design in the few years since I had graduated from university, however, a dedicated role in the field had always eluded me. Despite working for an exciting company in the tech industry, I felt uninspired in my day-to-day life and any progress in my career seemed tangential to where I really wanted to go. Wanting to regain control of my career and its trajectory,...
Tradecraft is an outstanding apprenticeship for those looking to transform their careers. I had been circling a career in product design in the few years since I had graduated from university, however, a dedicated role in the field had always eluded me. Despite working for an exciting company in the tech industry, I felt uninspired in my day-to-day life and any progress in my career seemed tangential to where I really wanted to go. Wanting to regain control of my career and its trajectory, I researched my options, and ultimately decided to take a calculated risk: I left my job to study product design at Tradecraft. And this was one of the best decisions I have ever made.
There are a couple things that really make Tradecraft (TC) stand out:
1) Client Projects: Although the lectures and curriculum are excellent and cover a wide range of topics such as visual design, typography, prototyping, and lean design, I feel I learned the most from working on client projects. These projects with start ups in the Silicon Valley are a trial by fire, and give students the opportunity to collaborate as a team and apply what they’ve learned to real work that will (likely) ship. This hands on experience not only helps students build out their portfolios, but is also a critical step in the journey to becoming a full-fledged designer.
2) The people: The instructors and staff at TC are wonderful – it’s rare to find a group of people as talented, experienced, supportive, and fun to be around. You will also be able to learn much from your fellow students, who come from diverse backgrounds, share in the goal of entering a new field, and will one day become your colleagues. One of the most valuable things to come out of my time at TC is the community of friends and mentors I found there. I would not be the designer I am today without them.
3) Personal Growth: TC pushes you to be introspective and develop a better understanding of what you truly want to do and where you want to go in your career. One of the great strengths of the apprenticeship is that it also teaches you to be more strategic and methodical in how you go about pursuing your goals.
There are a couple caveats. Attending TC does not (nor should it) guarantee that you will successfully make the transition into your desired field. However, it will give you every opportunity and tool to be successful in this pursuit. You will get the most out of the experience if you are self-directed, respectful and open-minded, resilient under hardship, and committed to the work. Ultimately, the only one who can make your desired career change a reality is you.
Upon graduating from TC, I interviewed for a few months before accepting a role as a UX/UI Product Designer. I love what I do now and have never before felt this fulfilled or excited about my work. TC was a force multiplier and if you feel you are up to the journey, I would highly recommend taking it.
I moved to the Bay Area from Singapore to do Tradecraft. I literally knew no one when I stepped into America. Tradecraft gave me a strong network of alumni and community to tap into for job connections, networking, advice, mentorship etc. As the program grows, this network only gets bigger and stronger.
I also knew nothing about the tech or startup industry, and Tradecraft taught me everything I needed to know to succeed. Tradecraft is not your run of the mill education prog...
I moved to the Bay Area from Singapore to do Tradecraft. I literally knew no one when I stepped into America. Tradecraft gave me a strong network of alumni and community to tap into for job connections, networking, advice, mentorship etc. As the program grows, this network only gets bigger and stronger.
I also knew nothing about the tech or startup industry, and Tradecraft taught me everything I needed to know to succeed. Tradecraft is not your run of the mill education program. It's a mindset. The way I approached problems and life in general changed after just 3 months. I learnt about adding value, being a resource to others and being a good member of the community. And these are the kind of skills that no one talks about, but are immensely important in being successful in Silicon Valley.
On top of that, the work you do at Tradecraft is real client work, the kind you would be doing if you were a freelancer. No student projects here. Expect to work very hard, make tons of mistakes, learn quickly and repeat. Zac and Jake, the design instructors are always available for advice. But don't expect them to hold your hand and spoon feed you material. A large part of the Tradecraft experience is self-motivated learning. What you learn and how fast you learn are all in your hands.
I currently work as a designer full-time in San Francisco, which was not something that would have been possible without Tradecraft. If you are motivated and want to enter the tech scene, I would strongly advise that you go through the program.
I hope my story resonates with some of you. I felt locked into Big 4 accounting, every year that passed my skills were laser focused on building an aptitude around one particular code section. While my colleagues were fawning over reaching the next level (Sr. Associate, Manager, Sr. Manager, etc.) I was thinking to myself, how did I get into this mess of living in the world of measuring success through chargable hours. My creativity which my college friends and family loved about me dwi...
I hope my story resonates with some of you. I felt locked into Big 4 accounting, every year that passed my skills were laser focused on building an aptitude around one particular code section. While my colleagues were fawning over reaching the next level (Sr. Associate, Manager, Sr. Manager, etc.) I was thinking to myself, how did I get into this mess of living in the world of measuring success through chargable hours. My creativity which my college friends and family loved about me dwindled and I felt if I didn't change something drastically, there would be no turning back.
Something did change - at age 30, I decided to change my career. I was a bit naive and abruptly left my job. A year later, I wasn’t any closer to landing a Growth/Marketing role. I didn’t have the network or the knowledge to successfully land a role. I endlessly interviewed - it is painful to even remember the amount of rejection and time I spent on proposals to try and cater to highly competitive SV companies.
My Tradecraft experience was more valuable than my highly ranked graduate program at UT Austin. The classes were rigorous and the self introspection was intense. At times I felt overloaded but I knew this was the right path. Our highly experienced and patient growth instructor understood how to ramp students up to the ever changing world of growth marketing. On top of curriculum, students worked together on real projects for brand name startups. I was privileged to lead a data heavy paid acquisition project with Udemy and presented my findings to a board room filled with their growth team.
My experiences with Tradecraft led to many rich conversations with companies which wouldn’t respond to a LinkedIn or Angel.co resume drop. The leads and network Tradecraft offers is unparalleled. TC is very tactical by nature and understands how to stand out in this talent flooded market.
Within a few months after graduation, I landed my dream role as a product marketing manager owning all marketing initiatives for a particular product line. I am work with designers, developers and closely with the CEO on a day to day basis. The work environment is highly collaborative and I feel empowered to make all decisions around design of my product. I couldn’t have dreamt any of this would’ve been possible.
If anyone in the financial services space thinking of a transition - I highly recommend looking into what Tradecraft can do. Please feel free to look me up on LinkedIn to reach out to me directly.
I can't think of good enough words to describe what Tradecraft was for my career/life. Coming from very far away (Chile), you read about tech & growth but don't really understand how things are done in the Bay Area. Tradecraft was the gap between those two worlds.
I joined with an interesting background. Being a founder twice (including a Snapchat - Latin American competitor that grew to 80,000+ DAU), I had experienced the pains of growing a company. Growth isn...
I can't think of good enough words to describe what Tradecraft was for my career/life. Coming from very far away (Chile), you read about tech & growth but don't really understand how things are done in the Bay Area. Tradecraft was the gap between those two worlds.
I joined with an interesting background. Being a founder twice (including a Snapchat - Latin American competitor that grew to 80,000+ DAU), I had experienced the pains of growing a company. Growth isn't luck. It's a mindset. And even though I had some previous experience optimizing viral loops, Tradecraft gave me the solid foundations to become a growth marketer.
I met amazing people during the 3-month program. Humble, fast learners. Always looking for new ways to add value to the community. Most of them now working at top startups in the Bay Area.
Tradecraft is for people that want to learn, are curious and motivated. If you expect the world to do everything for you, then this is not the place for you. If you work hard, you'ill get 10x back.
The instructors are incredibly smart and have experience in startups and growing companies. They help you accelerate your learning curve by giving you the right material and walking you through the different growth channels.
I'm currently working in a hyper-growth company. Couldn't be happier. I will be forever grateful for everything they did for me and the Chilean Mafia.
Coming into the program, I had two goals: work on a growth team at a small/medium sized company and to network with growth professionals in the Bay Area. After graduating, I now work on a growth team and have a ton of connections - and most people are only an email or two away.
I joined TC in May, 2016 after 10 years as a designer for multiple tech companies in the Los Angeles area. I was wanting to transition to the Bay Area and revive my UX, UI, and visual design skills and thought TC would be a great way to do that. Lucky for me TC delivered so much more.
The freshening up of my design skills, revisiting concepts I understood well, and also becoming acquainted with the latest processes and trends was worth the money on its own. But where TC exce...
I joined TC in May, 2016 after 10 years as a designer for multiple tech companies in the Los Angeles area. I was wanting to transition to the Bay Area and revive my UX, UI, and visual design skills and thought TC would be a great way to do that. Lucky for me TC delivered so much more.
The freshening up of my design skills, revisiting concepts I understood well, and also becoming acquainted with the latest processes and trends was worth the money on its own. But where TC excelled was at helping me understand the unique culture and needs of Silicon Valley, teaching me how to build my network and the importance of it, and in helping me find a job.
Four months out of TC and I'm in the midst of transitioning to head of design from senior product designer at a post-product market fit startup while I manage my own company of contractors designing groundbreaking interfaces for the military!
In summary, it's the best money I've ever spent and I now have an incredible network here in the Bay.
Tradecraft is an excellent institution for anyone looking to change careers and work at startups. Misha, Nick and Ariane all provided valuable advice and developed a structured coursework and job search plan for me during my time at Tradecraft. Alongside, I was impressed by the quality of students at Tradecraft. Many students come from various professional backgrounds, and are able to provide valuable inputs during projects and discussions. Overall, I would high recommend anyone who ...
Tradecraft is an excellent institution for anyone looking to change careers and work at startups. Misha, Nick and Ariane all provided valuable advice and developed a structured coursework and job search plan for me during my time at Tradecraft. Alongside, I was impressed by the quality of students at Tradecraft. Many students come from various professional backgrounds, and are able to provide valuable inputs during projects and discussions. Overall, I would high recommend anyone who is looking to change careers, and move to the San Francisco Bay region to apply for Tradeacaft. You would develop an excellent network and learn new skills that will prove to be a great resource when searching for jobs.
Tradecraft offers an amazing opportunity to make a career transition that builds off of your current experience (no matter how different it may seem at first!).
It's a guided program, but success comes down to putting in the time to each yourself. The curriculum gives a curated assortment of the best resources out there covering all of the topics of product design. It's up to you to decide what you want to focus on.
The students are diverse with an incredibly variety i...
Tradecraft offers an amazing opportunity to make a career transition that builds off of your current experience (no matter how different it may seem at first!).
It's a guided program, but success comes down to putting in the time to each yourself. The curriculum gives a curated assortment of the best resources out there covering all of the topics of product design. It's up to you to decide what you want to focus on.
The students are diverse with an incredibly variety in backgrounds and are all very driven. This is critical because you work together to the deliver the client work.
This is also what set Tradecraft apart-you do real product design work for real clients. This is done in teams and ultimately becomes your portfolio to get a position after the program is over.
The instructors are top notch. They are intelligent and driven, but will not tell you what to do. Rather, they help you ask yourself the questions that will get you to your own answer.
The only thing I would have done differently was to get on client work sooner and work with the instructors to get the team to do more iterations of our design solutions.
I was a sales rep at a startup for my first job and was looking for a way to break through into the growth marketing scene. I've heard great things about Tradecraft before but I wanted to speak to Thomas and Nick, who assured me that these 12 weeks would be more valuable than anything that I've done for my career. And they were right!
The great thing about TC is that it feels more like a community and less like a boot camp. Sales/BD, Product Design, and Growth tracks work togeth...
I was a sales rep at a startup for my first job and was looking for a way to break through into the growth marketing scene. I've heard great things about Tradecraft before but I wanted to speak to Thomas and Nick, who assured me that these 12 weeks would be more valuable than anything that I've done for my career. And they were right!
The great thing about TC is that it feels more like a community and less like a boot camp. Sales/BD, Product Design, and Growth tracks work together everyday to accomplish real tasks and deliverables for startups. There is nothing better than to get hands-on experience for work that you'll be doing shortly after the program.
Although I had no prior growth experience prior to TC, it didn't matter. Thomas and everyone at Tradecraft took time out of their day to make sure that we were engaged and challenging ourselves. I've met some great people at TC. I still keep in touch with people from my cohort and it's always great to bounce ideas off of them especially since we're all in the same field.
I would strongly recommend everyone who is looking into getting into breaking into the tech scene to give Tradecraft a shot, it's definitely changed my life and can changes yours as well.
Tradecraft transformed my career and professional network. Through Tradecraft, I developed new, highly relevant business development and growth marketing skills that enabled me to jumpstart my career and break into tech after +10 years of contract marketing work. I learned more about entrepreneurship, technology, the startup community, and how to add value and drive business growth than I ever thought possible. I also received excellent career counseling. Thanks to Tradecraft, I landed a ...
Tradecraft transformed my career and professional network. Through Tradecraft, I developed new, highly relevant business development and growth marketing skills that enabled me to jumpstart my career and break into tech after +10 years of contract marketing work. I learned more about entrepreneurship, technology, the startup community, and how to add value and drive business growth than I ever thought possible. I also received excellent career counseling. Thanks to Tradecraft, I landed a great new job with a fast growing B2B software company that would have been otherwise out of reach.
When I got my MBA, I was taught business theories through textbooks and out-of-date case studies by professors focused on academics and research. At Tradecraft, my instructors were startup founders and industry practitioners who gave us opportunities to apply what we learned to real world startup projects. The value of this practical hands-on training is incredible. The Tradecraft founders, curriculum, track instructors, peer group, career advice, and professional network will blow you away. Attending Tradecraft was the best decision I could have made as a mid-career professional eager to pivot into tech.
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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