Flockjay

In October 2020. I was lost. I had spent the past 9 months going into random homes during a pandemic to install and repair Americans’ main form of Covid-19 entertainment: Television and internet services. I was in a dead-end career in telecommunications where I only had a small chance for a promotion if somebody above me decided to move on. I didn’t like how my career path was being obstructed by somebody else. I didn’t like anybody else being in control of my opportunities to grow. While browsing online for new careers, I ran across an ad for Flockjay. I was intrigued. After spending time researching Flockjay, I applied and went through a simple interview process, after which I was honored to be selected to join Batch 8! 
So I made a crazy, risky, hail-Mary decision: To quit my full-time job, with full benefits, during a pandemic, to focus 100% on attending Flockjay’s 10-week tech sales boot camp. This decision was difficult for me, but necessary because my job schedule at the time 5 days a week, 12-14 hours per day. Flockjay classes were graciously Mondays through Thursdays 5-8 pm Pacific Time but I was unable to commit to them while still employed. 
Oh my! I am so lucky Flockjay not only turned out to be every bit as successful in training me as I’d hoped but they also created a new, fresh network of 100%-supportive trainers and flockmates! I have made and continue to make so many new friends here and Flockjay has taught us the importance of networking with those friends both inside and outside of class. What an awesome experience! 
Everybody starts in class as rookies. Everybody. Throughout the program, we are all taught the same curriculum, and we all learn and progress at the same rate. This builds a complete feeling of unity within the flock. This is the experience that truly makes Flockjay so special. The sense of unity. The support of the trainers, the tech fellows, and the resume, interview, and career success coaches is unbelievable! They exist to help you, whatever your background, to succeed in Flockjay and 100% prepare you for an entry-level role as a Sales Development Representative (SDR) in the tech world.
The resume-building process was phenomenal! I never imagined my resume could be transformed so intelligently into a professional document I am itching to share! I know it rocks. I earned this confidence while methodically altering, and sometimes creating new versions of, every single line on my original resume through Flockjay’s proprietary process. My resume is essentially a ‘mic drop’ in paper form now! 
I’ve learned so much and had such incredible shared experiences here. I’ve had strong tech sales etiquette instilled within me as well, so I understand how to navigate interviews, and comfortably move through the hiring process with future job opportunities. I can only hope everyone with even a glint of interest in Flockjay will at least give their amazing free 1st-week, no-obligation offer a chance. Flockjay changed my life and is changing the tech world by providing a new, diverse pool of highly-trained individuals from which big-name companies can hire. Today, January 20, 2021, I am one of those diverse individuals being sought out by big tech companies to hire! As a new graduate from Flockjay, I will officially enter the tech sales world seeking employment as an SDR, and Flockjay, post-graduation, is still committed to my success in acquiring that job! I am so pumped! 
What a story, right?! What will yours be in 6 months? One of my Flockmates posted this quote a few months ago and it made me think about my time both before and during Flockjay: 
"Change is constant, but growth is optional."- John Maxwell

Flockjay's 10 week program has sharpened my sales skills and allowed me to tailor them to selling tech.  Flockjay also provided us with a ton of support during our time in the program and even has support systems after graduation.  During my last week in the program, I applied to about 10 positions and received 4 callbacks from recruiters in just one week!  Super excited to have included Flockjay in my sales career and looking forward to starting a successful career at an awesome company!  

The three months I spent with Flockjay have been very impactful for me. The material and resources provided are phenomenal, but my favorite part has been the community support from both the instructors and my peers. There's a heavy emphasis on community in the program, and I've made friends I hope to stay in touch with for a long time.

I also really appreciated the teaching methodology they used. It's very hands-on, we constantly practiced new methods and tools immediately after being introduced to them. There's quite a bit of work in small groups and teams, deliberately mimicking the workplace structure for the sales roles we're learning to do post-graduation.

It's not easy, it definitely takes some commitment for both time and effort. I'm very glad I did it, and would recommend it to anybody looking to break into tech sales.

I joined Flockjay to transition from engineering to sales. The course starts off with an introduction to sales, help with networking/LinkedIn, then dives into inbound, after it's outbound, and in the end, we work on a capstone project to apply those skills and a ton of career services help to aid in the interview and job placement process.

Instructors - I absolutely loved my instructors (Mallorie & Lauren). They bring in very relevant real-life examples and give amazing feedback. They're very responsive and helpful throughout the program. I appreciate that they're honest and direct in their feedback.

Content - at first the pace felt a little slow because they were trying to ensure everyone is on the same page by having a LinkedIn profile, giving some smaller homework assignments but it definitely picked up. The last few weeks when we did interview prep were extremely helpful. I learned a ton of information on how to craft my answers and got many interviews and offers.

Pros:
1. They truly work on diversity, the class is filled with people from non-traditional backgrounds that are interested in sales
2. Job placement - they offer interview help, negotiating salaries, they get you job interviews with their hiring partners and also help you get interviews at companies that they might not already work with, they give you a the inside scoop of what those companies are looking for, etc.

Cons:
1. Slow pace at the beginning if you've been in the professional environment for some time but it's a great way for those who haven't to get caught up

My time at Flockjay started out as exciting and easy, then got difficult but incredibly rewarding, kind of like a real job where you're excited to start a new project but then the deadline approaches. The invaluable skills I learned as far as sales theory and tools mastery is just a fraction of what I took from Flockjay. Before I even finished the program, they started setting me up with hiring partners to look for jobs. They stay with you every step of the way, through the entire hiring process by providing interview practice and email templates, and even after you get a job with their incredible alumni support, focus groups, and informative meetings to keep up with the ever-changing world of tech. I have seen significantly more expensive and longer programs that do way less for you. Ten weeks go by fast. Focus. Nose to the books. Get it done. Get rewarded.

I know in the future when I look back on my life, Flockjay will have been a pivotal turning point in my career. During my time in the program, my flockmates became my family, and the week of graduation, interviews came pouring in for me. I have been a walking testimony for anyone within earshot to my personal experience in Flockjay that if you are looking to break into tech this is your North Star! I'm sad it's all over and excited for anyone that decides to take this leap and invest in themselves.