FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 14, 2020
SDG Announces Hero Award Scholarship
St. Petersburg, Florida– Suncoast Developers Guild (SDG) is proud to announce its Hero Award, a scholarship fund that supports our veterans, active-duty military, first responders, law enforcement, and teachers in their efforts to transition into a new software development career. The award also extends to the spouses, partners, parents, and children of our heroes.
A “Hometown Hero” Scholarship
“Putting the Hero Award into place has been a dream of ours for over a year. We’re now able to put the team into place to support the expansion of our program and recognize the contributions of our local heroes. The Hero Award program complements our existing Diversity Scholarship. We’re fully committed to developing a tech workforce that celebrates and reflects our diverse community,” said Jason L Perry, CEO of Suncoast Guild.
Suncoast Developers Guild has also sought to narrow the gaps in our industry by introducing local companies to diverse talent. SDG currently offers a Diversity Scholarship of \$1,900 to members of communities that are underrepresented in technology. This opportunity is available, but not limited to: self-identifying women, people of color, individuals with disabilities, and the LGBTQ community. Members of all underrepresented groups may apply for this scholarship.
Reimagining Workforce Development
SDG prepares individuals for entry-level jobs as junior front-end or back-end web developers. Graduates will be able to find employment with companies who build and maintain their own websites and web applications (i.e. product work), or with agencies that produce websites and web applications for other companies (i.e. client work). SDG has excellent student placement rates with most graduates employed within 3 - 6 months of graduation. Students learn client-side (front-end) technology: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript as well as server-side (back-end) technology such as .NET, Node.js, or Ruby on Rails. At the end of the course, students will be able to create beautiful, fully functional websites backed by databases and server-side applications.
SDG’s core values of Universal Ability, Transformative Skills, and a Supportive Community permeate through its programming and operations. For example, SDG students join its extensive developer community of 2,000+ and benefit from networking, personal growth, and mutual support.
I chose to pursue a career in coding after realizing that I could no longer rely on my physical nature to earn a living. I had gone from active duty Army to being a full-time EMT and traditional student in the medical field.
A good friend of mine attended the Iron Yard and told me about their quality of life improvement after becoming a developer I was enamored that I could have a great career that only involved my ability to learn and had no bearing on my ability to perform manual labor. I chose to attend Suncoast Developers Guild because I knew their name and how community-driven they were through personal connections in my home of St. Petersburg.
Since attending the school I have been happily working as a developer for a local company for over a year. My life has positively benefited from what I learned at Suncoast Developers Guild and was one of the best choices that I have made in life. I encourage anyone who loves a fulfilling challenge to reach out to the amazing team.
— Matthew Cooke, SDG Alum (Cohort XI)
Register Today!
Each Hero Award Scholarship is worth \$1,900 towards the costs of the full-time three-month immersive coding program. “We’re accepting Hero Award applicants starting today for our next cohort, Cohort 18, that starts on May 11. We anticipate the Fall program will start on August 10. Any students wait-listed for the May 11 program will be given priority for the Fall program,” said Perry.
The application process is simple and streamlined. The typical time from application to decision is two days and can be done online. More Information on the Hero Award. and other scholarships can be found on SDG’s website.
Sponsor a Hero
“We are thrilled to make this dream, the Hero Award, come true for these heroes. We invite Tampa Bay area corporations and philanthropic organizations that share this dream and these values to contact us about sponsoring this scholarship program,” added Perry.
Located in the Grand Central district of St. Petersburg, SDG is conducting its classes online during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cohort 18 will begin on May 11 and run through July 31. As necessary, classes will be held virtually until SDG is confident of the safety of its students and staff and as directed by FLDOE and other government authorities. For more information, contact us by email at hello@suncoast.io. You can also register online at https://suncoast.io/academy/
