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Samantha was an executive assistant with a background in marketing, now she’s a full stack software engineer!
Samantha L. has a bachelor’s degree in communications with concentration in public relations. Before learning how to code, she had been working as an executive assistant at a toy licensing and manufacturing company. Samantha had been working a lot of hours and wasn’t making much money, so she started to look for better career options. She had some basic experiences with WordPress websites, and she took some introductory web design courses online and was hooked. A friend had told her about opportunities in tech, specifically coding, so Samantha started to research bootcamps.
“Sabio really caught my eye because on their website, they were encouraging diversity. It seemed like a welcoming bootcamp to go to. I made an appointment to attend an info session, and I had talked to Gregorio [Sabio’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer]. Talking to Gregorio convinced me to go to Sabio,” Samantha said.
For people who are interested in making a career switch to tech, Samantha recommends that people look at online resources and classes. She recommends Sabio to anyone who has a self-starter mentality and is willing to work hard to be the best software developer that she/he can be.
When she was in bootcamp, Samantha felt that the instructors were credible, knowledgable, and passionate about their work. She is still in contact with her former instructor at Sabio and considers him to be a professional mentor. Samantha also benefitted from mock interviews with actual recruiters and working software developers. She credits the interview prep with helping prepare her current position as a full stack software engineer at a tech consulting firm. In her current role, she’s been building MVPs [minimum viable products] for one of the company’s clients, a voice API company, and helping them pitch their software product to potential customers.
Congrats on the new position Samantha!
Sabio Takes Reporting Standards Seriously and Builds on Relationship with CIRR
Two lifelong higher education professionals Rick O’Donnell & Joseph Kozusko began following the non-traditional accelerated learning programs (i.e. bootcamps) when Coca Cola, Pepsi and Nike began invading University campuses to sell their brands. In the United States, higher educational institutions became the latest public entities to be assaulted and remade into working marketplaces. This influenced Rick and Joseph to formulate alternative learning platforms to stress educational values. Once they established the belief that every human being deserves a professional opportunity that provides purpose and fulfillment, they began streamlining a process to fiscally fund educational journeys through these accelerated learning programs. Identifying the best of these bootcamps and their commitment of career placement to their graduating students remains the key ingredient to their ‘students first’ philosophy. It was inevitable Sabio’s academic reputation would assure them notice.
Earlier this year Sabio became a reporting member of the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR). This is both a responsibility and an honor to their instructional procedures. The CIRR promotes statistical data transparency to monitor student progression within the classroom and throughout their professional career. The student comes first in establishing all these standards. This allows potential students to see a return on their education by enrolling in high quality schools. This assures potential employers that they are recruiting trained workers who have been taught these in-demand technical skills. This statistical data gathered by CIRR also assures innovative schools with quality programs are receiving investment monies and student financing from investors.
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| To learn more about CIRR and the data it collects, click here. |
Lauren Bauml is the Vice President of Marketing for Skills Fund. Skills Fund is a student financing platform that facilitates the growth of high-quality, innovative high education providers. They ensure that coding, data science, and other accelerated learning programs meet quality standards and provide strong graduate employment outcomes. Skills Fund is a student financing partner of Sabio, and Lauren is also involved in the CIRR effort.
Lauren’s (CIRR) business relationship with Sabio goes back to 2015. “Because Sabio elected to submit all their statistical data for 2016 without delay, we (CIRR) were able to distinguish their classroom environment as a high quality program,” Lauren said.
Sabio is committed to being transparent in reporting its graduation and job placement data. It’s important that bootcamps, as providers of private postsecondary education, commit themselves to delivering what they advertise and that their data is verified by independent third parties. This is why Sabio has sought to be one of the 28 coding bootcamp programs that have joined CIRR’s coalition to commit to standardized results reporting and truth in advertising.
**Meet our Senior Sabio Instructors at our Wednesday Night Meet & Greet ****
Talent Acquisition Manager: Sabio Fellows Put in the Extra Effort to Learn More!
Domenick Calise is a local talent acquisition manager. He was recently able to speak to Sabio about his experience hiring Sabio fellows and what makes them unique on the local job market. Dom has been able to place several Sabio fellows in jobs throughout the region.
“Can a candidate solve a complex problem on their own with the resources provided by us?” Dominick says is a key question that he keeps at the forefront of his talent search. He likes finding individuals who are able to put in the extra effort to learn more, and Sabio fellows tend to do this because they are always encouraged to continue learning and have the support of the Sabio community.
“The folks that we hire from Sabio are the ones that are putting in the extra work after hours, and a lot of that comes from the environment that they are working in while they attend Sabio. Also, the curriculum that is taught coincides well with our needs. Most of the cohorts focus on C# and SQL, so there is a strong understanding of object oriented programming,” Dominick said.
In Domenick’s view, Sabio is uniquely positioned because it’s close to the big tech companies in Santa Monica and offers opportunities for bootcamp graduates to find work in both startups and the in larger, more established tech companies.
Sabio is always connecting its fellows with recruiters, talent acquisition managers, and other recruiters who have insights into the inner workings of the ever evolving tech industry. One of the advantages of learning to code with Sabio is being able to connect with professionals who have their fingers on the pulse of the industry.
Sabio and Operation Code Create Deploy App to Help Veterans Get into Tech
Operation Code is an non-profit organization, which was founded in 2014 by retired U.S. Army Captain David Molina after he couldn’t use his New GI Bill to go to code school. He originally created Operation Code to lobby Congress to expand the New GI Bill to include coding bootcamps and since then has built an all-decentralized and remote community focusing on getting more U.S. military veterans into technology careers. In 2015 Sabio began collaborating with this great nonprofit and has had a strong and long-lasting relationship since then. In 2016, Sabio and Operation Code collaborated on a joint event, VetsHack event, a hackathon that was devoted to finding solutions to problems that veterans encounter once they enter the civilian world.
As Operation Code has grown, the organization’s need for a web platform to coordinate employer hiring and web projects has become more apparent. This is where Sabio comes in. Sabio routinely builds websites and apps for organizations and businesses at a reduced cost. What’s the catch? The new app is built by a cohort of Sabio fellows, majority veterans, and is led by an instructor who has years of tech industry experience.
Deploy is a tool that Sabio is creating for the Operation Code leadership team and membership base. Deploy will be a veteran marketplace to help get veterans hired, and it will do that by building a job marketplace around veteran hiring, focusing on companies that seek out veterans, and by getting veterans trained so that they are prepared to enter the tech industry. The goal is for any veteran who wants to get into tech to be a user of the Deploy platform.
Veterans will be able to search for and apply for jobs via Deploy. Additionally, veterans will be able to receive mentorship via the platform with users grouping themselves together into squads, which is similar to how the veterans operated in teams in the military. Within Deploy, there will also be a project management tool that will help veterans with their own web development projects.
“Let’s say a client approaches Operation Code and asks for help in building an app. The admins for the Deploy site will post a job with the description of what the client is looking for and veterans will be able to respond to the posting and even get started on the project within the platform,” said Phil Percesepe, a prior service Marine who went through Sabio’s coding bootcamp and who is working on the project.
The overall goal of Deploy is to provide an efficient way to increase mentorship and employment, but the project management dashboard is something that will enable veterans to get help and to get the job done once they find an opportunity.
Deploy is expected to go live in a few months. Four of the fellows who are working on the Deploy app are veterans themselves, so they know what their peers are looking for in terms of the utility of the tool. To learn more about Operation Code, click here.
Anna was pursuing pre-med and physical therapy, now she’s a software developer
Anna C. was working as a physical therapy aid who was considering medical school, but about a year ago, she decided that she wanted to switch paths and do something that she really wanted to do instead of something that she was expected to do. Anna has a degree in psychology from UC Santa Cruz. She discovered that she wanted to code because one of her friends who was a programmer was working on an app. Anna’s friend walked her through some programming basics, and she liked what she saw.
Shortly after getting familiar with coding from her programmer friend, Anna started researching bootcamps and found Sabio. She recently graduated with Cohort 28 in the Orange County location. Anna appreciated that the Sabio instructors were patient and able to explain concepts to people who lack a technical background. She says that Sabio was one of the best experiences in her life from the instruction to preparing her for interviews and finding jobs to the new friends she has that she now considers family.
“Sabio is really good about prepping you for interviews. They take professional head shots of you so you have a professional photo on linked in. They also help you with your resume. You really are well prepared not only in your knowledge, but also in how Sabio gets you ready to interview,” Anna said.
Anna recently was offered a position as a Junior C# Developer. Congrats Anna!
Kimberly transitioned from working in the entertainment industry to becoming a full stack developer
Kimberly had worked in the entertainment industry for about a decade doing a bit of acting in film and television, a bit of production, and some print modeling. When she became a mom, she decided that she wanted a more stable career. She wanted something that would allow her to be both creative and analytical at the same time. After doing some research, she decided that she would pursue coding, and her research brought her to Sabio.
“I did the typical searches for coding bootcamps in Los Angeles. I ended up on a review website, and something about the reviews on Sabio really struck me and seemed really genuine. When I went to the information session that Gregorio holds once a week, I had an opportunity to ask all the questions that I wanted to ask. It just seemed genuine. I loved the vision and that they were intentional about bringing diversity into the bootcamp. This really appealed to me,” Kimberly said.
Kimberly was in Mike’s cohort at the Culver City location. She appreciated how Mike delivered the content and helped her to not feel overwhelmed with the amount of information.
The ability to have an idea and then create something is what excites Kimberly about being a software developer. She finds that the process is a bit similar to working in film production where she would work on different elements like finding a location, actors, pulling together a script, etc.
Kimberly has a bachelor’s degree in management information systems, but she had not used her degree in any meaningful way until she started to code.
A week out of bootcamp, Kimberly landed a position as a full stack developer for a marketing company. In her current job, she’s doing mostly front end development. She feels challenged and is learning a lot even coding some of her own projects on the side to continue to build her skills.
Congrats on your new gig Kimberly!
Reviewing Your Bootcamp: How Your Story Can Help Future Students
By Mary Bergeron, SwitchUp
Before you decided on a bootcamp, chances are you started your research online. Maybe you read through reviews on a site like SwitchUp, browsed posts on Medium, or even reached out to alumni through social media.
For bootcamps and future students alike, reviews and feedback are extremely important. Bootcamps have grown quickly in recent years, largely driven by excellent student outcomes. According to SwitchUp’s research, there are now over 120 in-person bootcamps worldwide, and hundreds of part-time and online programs. While the growth means that there is more choice than ever, it is sometimes difficult for prospective students to find the program that is the best fit for them.
A thorough review is important because it gives students a detailed, first-hand look at a bootcamp outside of marketing claims or outcomes statistics. Depending on when a review was written, it can also give students a glimpse into post-bootcamp life at a variety of stages- from the first job search right after graduation, to an alum’s outlook once they are well into a new tech career.
If you are a bootcamp grad (or soon-to-be grad), your perspective can help “pay it forward” to the next cohort of students, and give your school helpful feedback as well. We suggest the following tips to write a review that is valuable to future students:
1. Weigh the Pros and Cons
Reviews are most helpful to students when they balance out both the pros and cons of the experience. Even if you have a very strong opinion about your bootcamp, try to balance out your feedback to make it more constructive. Keep in mind that everyone is looking for something a little different in a bootcamp, so something that was a big “pro” or “con” for you might not be viewed the same to someone else.
In our experience, prospective students are most interested in the quality of the curriculum, teaching staff, and job support, so be sure to mention your thoughts on these areas. If your school has multiple campuses then you’ll want to list the campus you attended, as these variables change from campus to campus.
2. Talk About Your Complete Experience: Before, During, and After The Bootcamp
The entire bootcamp process – from pre-work to your first job offer – is part of your career transformation, so it’s important that you include how the program prepared you before and after the bootcamp itself. Did the pre-work adequately prepare you for the main program? Did career services help you ace an interview with your dream company? By talking about the whole process, you’ll give future bootcampers insight on how the program can help them both learn to code AND meet their career goals.
3. Tell Your Story
Maybe you embarked on a career change into coding from a completely different background. Or maybe you took a semester off from college to gain UI/UX skills at a bootcamp. Whatever the case may be, your path will inspire others and show them the possibilities. This perspective is especially helpful if you do not have a background in computer science, since many bootcamp students come from a completely different field. Your story will show future students that as long as they are committed, they too can switch to tech career.
Where To Find & Write Your Review
Many bootcamp alumni are choosing to leave reviews on sites like Quora and Medium, or on a review site like SwitchUp.
If you are interested in writing a review of Sabio, check out their SwitchUp reviews page here. As an added incentive, you’ll be automatically entered to win a $350 Amazon gift card once you submit a verified review.
By taking a few minutes to write a review, you’ll provide invaluable feedback to Sabio and help “pay-it-forward” to future students!
Derrick Transitions From Sales to a Career as a .NET Developer and Doubles His Salary
Derrick C. has a degree in business administration and management. Before he decided to learn how to code, he was working in business to business sales selling internet service. He was around technology, but not immersed in creating it.
Some friends who were working in tech encouraged him to look at coding bootcamps, and after doing some research, Derrick ended up at Sabio’s Newport Beach location. He recently graduated with Cohort 27 in April and was offered a job within a month of graduating. Derick now has a job as a .NET developer where he will be earning twice what he was earning when he was working in sales. The Sabio experience has been a game changer for Derrick.
“I would tell anyone who is interested in coding to go to an info session and ask questions. As you start to ask questions, you will get an idea about the training program and what to expect. Sabio has given me the skills to not only earn more money in the job market, but a foundation to build upon so I can learn more programming languages,” Derrick said.
Congrats Derrick!
How does someone with a literature degree become a web developer?
Glen P. was working doing financial research, but he wasn’t really happy with the direction of his career. He had graduated with a degree in modern literature at the height of the financial crisis, so he didn’t have the luxury of being selective about the job that he would ultimately end up in before learning how to code. After six years on the job, Glen quit his job and started to explore his options by volunteering, reading, and learning as much as he could about a bunch of topics that he was interested in.
Eventually, Glen found his way back to computers. He had a little bit of experience with building websites for friends and family, but he wasn’t formally trained. He ended up finding Sabio after looking on CourseReport for coding bootcamps.
“After I met Gregorio [Sabio’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer], I pretty much decided that I was going to Sabio,” Glen said.
Now Glen has a job building tools for a video game company. He is trained in the .NET stack and is positioned to learn more programming languages.
When asked how someone with a background in literature and who has not had technical jobs can transition to software development Glen offered the following,”I would say definitely go to an info session. Try coding out on your own first, and shop around. I encourage you to do your research. Making the transition to technology is definitely doable and rewarding. You can learn so much in a short amount of time once you make the commitment.”
Congrats Glen!
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