Skill Distillery

Skill Distillery is a comprehensive and incredibly detailed program. They really create an environment where learning can thrive and give you all the tools needed to succeed in the “real world”. From learning actual code, to rehearsing for interviews,... Read More down to beefing up your resume; they really cover the necessities.

I started programming in college for a semester and discovered coding bootcamps. I found Skill Distillery through VETTEC. It was one of the few schools that taught Full Stack Java Development along with Angular. I was having trouble learning how to learn... Read More programming and getting everything to stick prior to attending. I loved the model that was used to teach. We would have a lecture and a lab to enforce what we learned for every topic. Skill Distillery allowed me to transition from the medical field into a Software Engineer position. I currently work using Angular and almost everything I learned in the bootcamp.

The instructors and assistants for Skill Distillery were very helpful and compassionate when it came to teaching and some even stayed with us after class was over just in case we needed help. Skill Distillery also had a lot of workshops for job assistance in the second half of the program as well as after we finished our final projects. I recommend working on HTML and CSS before attending and during your downtime since this coding bootcamp is more backend heavy.

I highly recommend Skill Distillery for anyone in search for a coding bootcamp. Just remember you get what you put into it. I spent a lot of time during my downtime making sure I understood the material and it paid off for me in the end.

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... Read More (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.... Read More 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.

ALL THOSE CONSIDERING THIS COURSE...PLEASE READ!
The skills learned in this course are very translatable and useful to the industry. You leave with a knowledge base unparalleled to that of other courses. The instructors are dedicated and willing to put... Read More in the time and effort to get you to where you need to be. HOWEVER!!! IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD WHATSOEVER, I highly recommend reconsidering your application here. The pace is breakneck and I saw people with varying levels of experience have an extremely difficult time. Will you get through it? Probably. but the issue is information retention.

If you are set on taking this course, do yourself a favor and:

1. look or ask about the specific topics covered in the course, at least for the first two months
2. take some courses on Udemy or edX on those topics.
3. There are some great textbooks out there (Intro to Java Programming, OCA Study Guide)
4. PUT IN THE TIME BEFOREHAND. STRESSING THIS!
3. Youtube is a great resource (however can be dangerous) to explain topics further.

Most other bootcamps are about 6 months. There is a reason for this. The amount of material to be covered is vast and growing daily. Do yourself a favor and put in the work beforehand, or reconsider your decision. Prework will get you past week 1. you have close to 4 more months after that.

You are about to dedicate 4+ months to 24/7 coding. Possibly relocate and go without income unless you are lucky enough to be one of those who have VA benefits. It is not a decision to take lightly. Do not go in blind. The result of the class, like many other experiences, hinges on what you put into it. The information is there, and the instructors are ready and willing to put you first. But the most important question is "are you ready and ABLE to take it all in?" I write this because I've seen many people not be able to reap the full benefits of this course, of which the benefits are many. It is stated that this course in a "no prior experience necessary". I disagree. My CS degree from undergrad was helpful here and there. My C++ experience was helpful, but at the same time confusing due to how "strict" Java is. If this scared you off... well, good. It is not for everyone. Be humble because this course will humble you quick.

If it didn't scare you off, then you're perfect for this course. Go forth and conquer.

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 -... Read More 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.

Choosing to go to Skill Distillery was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I essentially picked up my whole life and moved across the country to attend, and I don’t regret it one bit. I was working on a computer science degree in college and felt... Read More like the degree was taking far too long, with a lot of irrelevant classes that made my course load feel bloated. It was simply a more effective use of my time to spend 4 short months in a boot camp vs. 4 long years at a university.

Skill Distillery being a 16 week full stack program that covers front and back-end means that you’ll have a lot more experience with a wide variety of technologies when compared to most other courses. This greatly improves the amount of jobs you’re qualified to apply for. The course is legitimately difficult because of the speed you learn these new technologies at, but with the help of the instructors (who actually have industry experience), it’s nothing you can’t do if you actually study and put effort into your assignments. I can’t recommend Skill Distillery enough.

Overall, Skill Distillery is pretty tough. The pace is fast. It is not for the faint hearted. That being said, their instructors are Very experienced and knowledgeable. I did question it at times, but now have graduated and look back I think the course... Read More is definitely worth the time, money, and experience. A lot of the other bootcamps are probably good in their own ways, but I'm willing to bet that this is a stronger foundation that will set you up with the ability to take on new challenges (in any language or framework). The only week point of the program is their exposure which I know that they are actively making headway to grow their exposure to the community.

At the end of day, it's going to be what you put into it..ie, your efforts. The instructors and staff are very genuine and truly want to see you succeed. If you think about it, their students are their product and from what I do know, most developers take pride in what they produce.

Skill Distillery is a very comprehensive and well rounded course. I feel confident in the skills I have gained and their ability to help me transition careers. It's a heavy workload but work every second. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable and they... Read More want you to succeed but you do have to put in the work.

Skill Distillery is a great bootcamp. I can't say enough good things about the material, the instructors, the assistant instructors, etc. The course as a whole is A LOT of work and is probably the HARDEST bootcamp around, but the resources and material... Read More provided, along with the excellent instructors and team as a whole, along with a strong personal work-ethic and commitment, make it totally doable. I'd highly recommend this school to anyone looking for a career as a developer.