The reach of Suncoast Developers Guild Academy extends beyond the developer academy that they run. The enterprise has gathered a community of Tampa-based code organizations, run a coding conference, and offered free coding classes for young learners.
Suncoast Developers Guild Academy (SDGA) was founded in 2013 by CEO Jason Perry. Both Perry and SDGA itself are leaders in the Tampa tech community; Perry has assisted with many local startups and founded the Tampa Ruby Brigade. SDGA is on a mission to empower anybody with the drive and passion to become a web developer, regardless of their current experience. This school focuses on both technical and soft skills needed to become a success and start an exciting new career path.
SDGA is located in the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg, Florida just two miles from the coast. The school is near many beautiful parks, restaurants, and cafes. It is also within one block of the city bus and trolley transportation lines.
SDGA offers one program for web development. It is described as an immersive, full-time program which is also sometimes called a bootcamp. If you’re exploring multiple programs, you can check out Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me tool and compare Suncoast to other web development bootcamps in your area.
SDGA offers one Web Development Program. The course is broken down into three units. The first is Web Fundamentals, where students learn the basics of programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The second unit focuses on front end development and building unique and accessible interfaces. This is done primarily with the JavaScript library React. The final unit delves into the server-side of web development before putting it all together for a capstone project where they create an original website.
The Web Development Program at SDGA is taught in two different formats. The first is a full-time 12-week program that is treated like a job. Students are in class from 9 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, however, class ends early on Fridays, and students are encouraged to use this time to study together and get to know their classmates.
The “night shift” schedule for the Web Development Program is taught online in the evenings. Night students receive the same resources and the curriculum is the same. They also have access to real-time assistance from their teachers and interaction with fellow students. The night course is taught in what SDGA describes as a “flipped” format. This means that students work on readings and review video material before their lessons, then use classroom time to problem solve and ask any questions they have. The night shift program lasts for 36 weeks.
Applying to SDGA begins with completing a short online application. Your answers to the questions in the application will help the admissions team determine whether you will be invited to complete the interview process. When submitting your application, keep in mind that the faculty are looking for students who have excellent creative problem-solving skills and whose future goals best align with the program. Applicants must also be either over the age of 18 or have their high school diploma/equivalency.
The interviews consist of meeting with enrollment specialists, the campus director, and possibly some of the course instructors. They will work as a team to discuss whether you are a good fit for the program before offering admission. If you want to find out more before applying, SDGA offers a campus tour every Friday afternoon. You can RSVP for a tour here if you’re interested.
The tuition at SDGA is $14,900 for the Web Development Program; the price is the same whether you study on the full-time schedule or the night shift schedule. After you are accepted, the school requires an initial $1,000 deposit to reserve your spot in a specific cohort. The remaining amount will be due on or before the first day of class.
SDGA does not currently accept any Federal Student Loans as payment. Instead, the school has partnered with Skills Fund and Meritize to assist students in financing their education. They also offer two different scholarships that students can apply for. The first is a Diversity Scholarship, which is awarded to students who come from marginalized backgrounds typically underrepresented in technology. This scholarship of $1,900 is intended for women, LGBT students, students with disabilities, and people of color. The second is called the Hero Award, which is intended for veterans or active-duty service members (and their family members), law enforcement, teachers, and first responders.
The curriculum at SDGA devotes significant classroom time to career support. For those students who take the full-time program, every Friday morning is spent in career support labs and lectures. During this time, students can work on their resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and prepare for interviews. SDGA also works with a large hiring network of local agencies and they post profiles of recent graduates on their website so companies can see who is available to hire.
SDGA does not offer any specific alumni outcome data. On its webpage, it does share that some of its graduates have been hired at companies like Amazon, Bank of the Ozarks, and GitLab.
If you’re trying to decide between different options for a web development bootcamp, it can often be helpful to know what former students have to say. Knowing more about a student’s first-hand experience can help you better understand the positive and negative aspects of a particular school. Luckily, many SDGA graduates have offered their thoughts on different review websites.
SDGA has overwhelmingly favorable reviews across multiple websites. The instructors reportedly work hard to make themselves available for additional support after hours. Alumni of the school also felt they were given superb career support and networking opportunities within the local community. As one reviewer said, “If your aim is to get hired in the greater Tampa Bay area after graduating, this is the best program for you.” The staff and instructors at SDGA strive to make sure every student feels welcome. The school is frequently described as being a warm and caring community.
Although the reviews for SDGA were extremely positive overall, former students did share a few challenges in their reviews. The program is quick and very demanding. Graduates recommend being thoughtful about whether you can truly devote three months of your life to this program before you enroll; many felt that they needed to put “everything else on hold” to be successful. Additionally, some students who were total beginners said they felt they needed to commit more time practicing their programming skills on other online platforms for additional support.
Learn more at suncoast.io
Designed to prepare students for careers as junior web developers, this course follows a full stack curriculum. The three-unit program starts with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, then moves to React and back end programming with a language of the student's choice.
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Web development encompasses all of the layers involved in building a website or web application. Websites are made up of two parts: the front end and the back end. Web development is used to create beautiful, interactive, and functional websites in nearly every industry.