Hi, I’m Brian, a former senior software engineer and now industry mentor at Pathrise. I have worked with hundreds of web developers and software engineers to help them land their dream jobs in tech. Check out my review of Suncoast Developers Guild.
- What does Suncoast Developers Guild do?
- Who is Suncoast Developers Guild for?
- What does Suncoast Developers Guild cost?
- Ratings and reviews of Suncoast Developers Guild
- Alternatives to Suncoast Developers Guild
- How does Suncoast Developers Guild compare to Pathrise?
What does Suncoast Developers Guild do?
Suncoast Developers Guild is a web development bootcamp. They usually offer both remote and onsite learning options at their campus in St. Petersburg, Florida. They are re-opening their onsite option in the spring of 2021.
Students in the 12-week full-time course meet Monday through Thursday from 9am to 5pm, plus Friday classes from 9am to 3pm. The part-time course meets for about 36 weeks with classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30pm to 9pm. While they both cover a similar web dev curriculum, the part-time course features mostly coding labs and lectures. The full-time program features labs, lectures, stand-ups, bonding activities, weekly coding reviews, and career meetings.
The curriculum prepares people for an entry-level job as a junior front-end or back-end web developer. Students learn front-end development with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as back-end technology like .NET, Node.js, and Ruby on Rails. By the end of the course, students are able to create full websites backed by databases and server-side apps. Students build projects throughout the course, including a capstone project that they can add to their portfolios and present to potential employers.
The program also includes job support. Students get coached on interviewing, decoding technical job descriptions, resume writing, and portfolio building. The course also hosts Demo Day events where students showcase their coding projects to potential employers, advisory board members, and community leaders. In addition, the bootcamp’s career services department offers a “reverse job board” that sends local employers and hiring partners a list of graduates and alumni who are seeking employment. Students also participate in dozens of community networking events hosted on campus and around the St. Petersburg area.
Who is Suncoast Developers Guild for?
If you are trying to move into a web development role but you have no experience, you could benefit from the bootcamp. The program is especially helpful for people based in St. Petersburg, Florida.
What does Suncoast Developers Guild cost? How much work is involved?
Tuition is about $14,900 for either the full-time or the part-time bootcamp. Financing is available through Skills Fund, Climb Credit, Meritize, and LoanWell. Rates and repayment plans may depend on the student’s credit history.
They offer $1,900 scholarships to students from communities that are underrepresented in tech. The program also awards $1,900 scholarships to members (or the spouses, partners, parents, and children) of the military, first responders, law enforcement, and teachers.
The admissions process begins with an online application. Candidates are then invited to a series of interviews with a combination of enrollment specialists, the campus director, and instructors. Students must be at least 18 years old and hold a high school diploma or equivalent to apply.
Ratings and reviews
Reviews for Suncoast Developers Guild are mostly positive. The program holds a 4.89/5 star rating on Course Report, where grads rave about the instructor team and student support. The top review remarked that “the staff at SDG was a definite highlight” and described the instructor team as “attentive to the students.” The grad was also impressed by the “well-crafted lesson plans” and career support throughout and even after the bootcamp.
Another grad appreciated the hands-on curriculum and the supportive staff who “patiently answered all” questions students asked. The grad also valued the job support, describing Suncoast’s career service team as “excellent in helping out setting up a LinkedIn account, resumes, and cover letters.” However, the grad also described the course as “very fast paced” and was frustrated that “at times I felt like there was no light at the end of the tunnel.”
The bootcamp is also rated 4.95/5 stars on Switchup. One student commented that “career support was phenomenal” and described the staff as “knowledgeable, friendly and supportive.” Although the grad was confident students were well supported, they felt that most students “struggle” and have to “work hard to grasp all of the material they throw your way.” The bootcamp also holds a 4.8/5 star review on Career Karma, where one grad praised the “sense of community” and instructor team who “were readily available to answer questions even after hours.”
However, the grad felt discouraged at times because the program “went so fast!” Students rated the course 4.9/5 stars on Google Reviews, where grads were impressed by the “staff that go above and beyond for guests and students” and extensive career services. Overall, graduates were very satisfied with the course’s hands-on learning, comprehensive curriculum, and supportive staff. However, some would have preferred a more relaxed pace.
Alternatives to Suncoast Developers Guild
If you decide not to enroll in Suncoast Developers Guild, there are a number of alternative bootcamps and online resources that can help aspiring software developers.
- The popular bootcamp BrainStation offers programs in web development, web design, and many other tech subjects. Their hands-on web development course boasts an 88% job placement rate.
- Aspiring web developers can also consider CodeX Academy, a self-paced coding bootcamp with mentoring opportunities. Learn more about CodeX Academy in our review.
- Another well-known bootcamp is General Assembly. They offer full-time, part-time, and 1-day courses on software engineering, UX design, digital marketing, and other tech subjects. Their program is hands-on and gives students access to 19,000+ hiring partners from companies like Google and Twitter.
- Students seeking an intensive online bootcamp can check out Lambda School. Their full-time web dev course features a project-based curriculum with industry mentoring, career coaching, and even an income share agreement (ISA).
- Similarly, Byte Academy, Thinkful, and Holberton School also provide ISA financing options. They have tracks in software engineering, web development, UX/UI design, and more.
- The full-time tech bootcamp Kenzie Academy offers in-person and online courses in software engineering & UX design and front-end engineering. Learn more about Kenzie Academy in our review.
- Bloc teaches online courses in web development and web design. The program emphasizes student support, with lots of instructor feedback and weekly 1-on-1 mentoring sessions.
- Students on a budget can also check out Udemy, an online program hosting thousands of affordable self-paced video courses on web dev, cybersecurity, data analysis, and much more. Classes cost about $10 each.
- Codecademy is one of the most popular coding programs online. They offer free courses on front-end web development plus dozens of programming languages. They have membership options ranging from $20 to $40 per month for greater course options and more support.
- The online learning platform Coursera hosts thousands of video courses on tech topics like web development and software engineering. Many of their courses come with university-branded certifications.
- Students seeking self-paced learning can also check out Udacity, an online resource with tracks in data science, web dev, UX, and more. Students work with a technical and career mentor while building a polished project portfolio. Learn more about Udacity in our review.
- The popular online learning platform edX hosts self-paced courses from top universities like Harvard and MIT, and tech major companies like Microsoft. Students can choose to learn the fundamentals or focus on specific topics, like front-end web development. Learn more about edX in our review.
- Another online project-based learning program, Springboard offers tracks in software engineering, UX/UI, and more. If students don’t land a great job within 6 months of graduating, they get a full refund. Learn more about Springboard in our review.
How does Suncoast Developers Guild compare to Pathrise?
Suncoast Developers Guild is a bootcamp for people who want to learn the skills to land an entry-level web developer role. Most students will start with no formal coding experience at all. Pathrise fellows should already have some experience in their chosen field to get the most out of the technical workshops.
Pathrise is a career accelerator that has helped 700+ students and professionals land their dream tech job. Our experienced mentors assist with all phases of the job search, including resume & portfolio building, cold emailing & reverse recruiting strategies, behavioral interview preparation, salary negotiation, and more.
Our program is flexible. There are only 4 hours of group sessions per week and fellows can schedule 1-on-1s as needed. All of our sessions are both live and recorded, so fellows can review previous material at their own pace. Pathrise’s income share agreement (ISA) is 9% of the first year’s salary. We never require upfront payments or deposits.
Pathrise optimizes the job search through 1-on-1 mentoring. Fellows in our program see their interview scores double and their application responses triple, landing a job in just 3-5 months on average. If you are interested in working with any of our mentors to optimize your job search, join Pathrise.
Apply today.
