Bay Area Video Coalition

re: TechSF
If you are serious about getting an education, don’t waste a minute here. BIG waste of time. Been there, done that.
Head over to CCSF, where you can get a certificate or degree in a tech field of your choosing.
City College of San Francisco is FREE, if you make under $ 17.5Kyr. Look up the BOGW fee waiver. If you make too much, CCSF has the most ridiculously low tuition of $ 47 per credit, so you can take a full load of classes (4 classes per semester), for a whole year (2 semesters), for under $ 1200. That’s cheap!
You will qualify for up to $ 5775 per year Pell Grant.(You don’t have to pay back a grant, so were talking FREE money here) After paying for books & tuition your still left with money you can use to buy a laptop or pay rent.
Should you choose to, which would be stupid considering there is no out of pocket expense, you can take an additional $ 9500 per year in loans that you WILL qualify for (NO CREDIT required, BAD credit OK). Payback is $ 50mo for 10yrs for every $ 5000 you borrow.

I’m currently in the TechSF Experiential Design (UX/​UI) Certificate program, and getting great exposure to all levels of disciplines in the field or User Experience Design. But on top of the skills development, I’m really impressed with the career development services they offer. Many of the workshops are open to the public (workshops on Jump Starting your job search, Personal Branding, Interviewing, Networking, Resumes and LinkedIn among others) while being enrolled in TechSF or the BAVC «Ready to Hire» programs will give you additional career mentoring, peer reviews, one-​on-​one-​coaching and more. Doing the tandem development of my skillset with the mechanics of career development is like a turbo-​charged way of preparing me for my career switch. I highly recommend checking out BAVC!

Wonderful workshops for job seekers and those just needing to redefine and RE-​BRAND themselves!
Hardly Strictly Networking with Arya was soooo informative. Dale Carnegie would highly approve of the techniques and strategies illuminated in this workshop.
And you can beat the fee! :)) I am so grateful to BAVC!
Great organization, great people, doing great things!

I agreed with all the negative feedbacks about TechSF through BAVC.
I decided to move on and seek other resources rather than wasting time in this organization.
Simply move on.

I cannot in good conscience give BAVC a good review. I went into the training programs with high hopes, but unfortunately I was let down at every step of the process.
Orientation was bad. The staff member who was running it seemed more interested in rapidly going through their powerpoint slide presentation and leaving soon as possible, than actually listening and helping students. They looked annoyed whenever any of us had a question. Some people stayed after staff left, and talked amongst themselves about they were going to look for training elsewhere. I wished I had listened.
Never in my life have I experienced such bureaucracy and red-​tape. It was harder trying to take some classes at BAVC than it was getting an actual job interview. It took weeks for staff to get back to me, and the classes were a let down. They simply breakneck rush through the programs in 2 days. There is no homework, and I seriously doubt you can become knowledgeable in just 2 days. I will seriously have look somewhere else.
Listen to the other negative reviews here.

In an era where so many platforms are encouraging people to work harder, earn less, and fear the changing face of work, BAVC is doing a beautiful job in supporting those who work in the arts and in tech to thrive expressively! At a free Peer Portfolio Review session last night, I got great feedback and got to contribute to other people’s desire to develop their career passions and capabilities. May this organization and the social movement it represents continue to grow and flourish.

I’ve heard that in order to be successful, you should surround yourself with people that want you to succeed. I’m grateful for the passionate team at BAVC. Through their classes I’ve been able to fill some holes in my skill set and have come away with a whole new perspective on my career in video production.

The Bay Area Video Coalition has provided me with invaluable support and resources. I first started going to BAVC when I was a student in the Next Generations program. I had studied filmmaking in the past, but felt my audio skills needed to be improved. Thanks to my teacher Ian Davis I learned a tremendous amount about all phases of audio production while developing and polishing original songs and effects. After graduating from the program I was able to land more freelance gigs in creative work I was interested in.
Soon after graduating from the Next Generations program the company I worked for filed for bankruptcy and I lost my job. Immediately I contacted BAVC and they were there to help me through my transition. I was accepted into Tech SF, where I was assigned a counselor and registered in several classes and workshops.
The workshops ranged from developing networking skills to honing your portfolio and website. I was able to receive tremendous feedback and advice about my progress. The classes were phenomenal as well. Through Tech SF I have been introduced to programming and graphic design, which are skills that are extremely important to have amongst the Bay Area tech industry.
More valuable than anything, however, has been my relationship with my Tech SF advisor Arya Zarrinkelk. When I was applying to jobs he helped me solidify my applications and took extra time to read through all my cover letters. As I started getting interviews Arya was there every step of the way, setting time aside to do mock interviews and much needed pep talks. When I landed my new job I called Arya immediately to get advice on how to negotiate my salary. I had never been in that situation because all the jobs I have had in the past were hourly based.
I know for a fact I would not have been considered for my current position if it were not for the training, and even more so the support I received from BAVC. I am extremely grateful to BAVC for helping me develop and shape my career.

I learned of BAVC from a woman I met at a tech conference who was going through the Graphic Design bootcamp. From the moment I had contact with Natalie Teter, Vince Caminiti, Jaynell Bryant, to the continual guidance sessions with my assigned career specialist, Arya Zarrinkelk, the experience has been just stellar. The program is well-​organized and all of the staff highly professional, helpful, and skilled at what they do. The people that I have been fortunate to work with, especially Arya, have all gone above and beyond. Thank you!

If you’re going through techsf and not paying, have at it. If not, don’t bother. It’s basically a very expensive info dump. You plow through classes at break neck speeds and get nothing out of it. DON’T PAY.
There are equally expensive but more valuable programs out there. Don’t be a sucker like me.

I recently completed the Tech SF Motion Graphics Bootcamp and found it very helpful in developing my design skills. It is a very competitive industry and I have encountered many people that were unwilling/​uninterested in helping to answer questions. My instructor went above and beyond by staying after class to share his motion graphic knowledge. I learned so many new techniques in his class and I can’t wait to put them to use! I would recommend the TechSF program at BAVC to anyone serous about developing their skills as a designer.
Also, BAVC has a group of Career Specialists that have been an invaluable asset in my strategic job search, and in my professional and personal growth. My Career Specialist has been very responsive to all of my questions and concerns and has been great at giving me feedback on my resume, cover letters and portfolio website. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to complete the Tech SF Motion Graphics Bootcamp at BAVC and I look forward to strengthening the skills and relationships I have developed through the program.

Took a «Leveraging LinkedIn» class yesterday with Arya Z. Not only did I learn even more about the power of LinkedIn, but Arya was also a truly awesome instructor who made the class very interactive and fun. LinkedIn is not only a great job searching tool, it’s also a great way to professionally connect with people around the globe, and to maintain those connections throughout your lifetime. You all ROCK!

I spoke with the person at the city who is heading up this project, and he said that yes, they have a very solid on-​going relationship with BAVC and that yes, they do a very good job of working with the local tech community to do placement assistance. He denied and possibility of an issue with the lack of placement and that the person at BAVC was doing a fine job before a very cold-​shouldered blow-​off.
Then why do they not have an 85−90% placement rate like the other tech bootcamps? Especially since it is about getting people work?
One of the people I exchanged emails with — the same guy who was snotty before, also claimed that almost everyone from my class had found jobs except for me, which 1) implies there is something wrong with me since I have not, and 2) is just not true — the last I heard from my class mates, one was actually hired as a TEACHER (not a developer) by BAVC, two are still at their jobs they had when they started, two were still looking, 2 dropped from the class because they found jobs right when class started, and I don’t know about the other one.
Despite the «concern» in the response below — and an email exchange with Mindy in which she expressed her concern over my review, I have received no follow up from BAVC.

This is a review for their customer service and their processes for TechSF, a program to help the unemployed. This is not directly targeting the staff, who I am sure are just following protocol and are the messengers in this god-​forsaken process. They are actually decent people. I think the muddiness of this program begins with the structure and management. Fish stinks from the head down and government funding must be a horrendous undertaking to facilitate, but that should be no excuse.
First off, if you are submitting an application, don’t believe that they will call you within «five days» as it says on their website. It took me several applications, phone calls, orientation, EDD sessions, messages, submissions, re-​submissions, and a back and forth between their staff for them to even call me back. So make that about 9 months until they get back to you. By then, you’ve already have your sights set on other organizations that might want to help you succeed. Heck by then, you might have already found a job in the field or related field faster than TechSF can say hello.
Second, I received a letter that didn’t quite make sense as they really didn’t tell me if I was accepted or denied into their TechSF program. All they said that was clear as daylight was to attend several of their workshops. Now dig this, they sent me more emails pumping their free workshops for months. And it took them 9 months to contact me about their program.
Third, I finally call them to get an elaboration on the cryptic letter and get a message saying that I «am not presenting myself as an expert in my field.» And that I should take these workshops and follow their advice and maybe, just maybe they will reconsider in 6 months to perhaps accept another application again.
Riiiiiiiight. Um, that is why people come in for training, to get better, to learn, to make the right steps to become the expert. This makes ZERO sense to me.
I am so glad I don’t fit in with these folks because I think I can spend my time effectively elsewhere. Just my two cents and experience. TechSF may work for you, and if you want to hold your breath them, practice holding it for a very long time.
PS I am employed now working in my new field. Thanks for making jump through all your useless, grant earning hoops to make me wait for absolutely nothing.

I opened an account on Unilocal to write a review on BAVC.
I ran into BAVC while doing a Google search to learn more about the tech industry. I’m changing fields and I am planning to switch into the tech industry. I noticed that BAVC offers a lot of free career development workshops for those who are already in the tech field and wants to expand their knowledge and for those who are new to the tech field and looking to gain knowledge. FYI, BAVC also offers tech training.
I HIGHLY recommend the free career development workshops. It’s free and very informative, make use of the valuable resources we have in San Francisco! I attended the Hardly Strictly Networking workshop. I enjoyed it and learned a lot. Arya, the presenter, was very informative, engaging, knowledgeable, and witty. He gave us very valuable tips to network and even gave us a step-​by-​step guide and gave us plenty of resources to strengthen our networking skills. Arya knows his stuff and is kind and helpful.
So far, I’ve only attended one workshop from BAVC, but I know I’ll be back soon. I signed up for future workshops coming up. Go sign– up and don’t miss out on such a valuable resource!
Update: I recently attended the Linked-​In 101 workshop. Once again, I enjoyed the workshop greatly and went home with new knowledge and insights. I learned so much more about Linked-​In and how to use it to my advantage as a professional research and branding tool. Arya inspired me to go through a Linked-​In makeover :)

If you’ve got the money and the time, this is a super great crash course facility. I paid around $ 300 for a day course of intermediate final cut pro. The building is upstairs, there is an elevator you can take, if stairs are out of the question. My class was in a room filled with computers, that had a mirrored monitors of the teacher’s computer. That made it easy to follow along with what he was doing. The class was super long, I was a little overwhelmed with how much I had to take in, thank God for asprin. But it was a good class and I walked away with a good amount of knowledge.

I just finished the four-​day intensive DSLR Bootcamp (my first experience with BAVC). If you’re interested in getting a good DSLR video foundation (from camera operation to pre-​production to production to editing), take this class! It’s hands-​on, collaborative, informative and fun. The instructor, Sade Huron, catered to all of our different skill levels and provided individualized support and instruction.
I cannot recommend Sade enough! She challenged us to find solutions, answered all of our questions in depth and gave us concrete, honest feedback. It was immediately clear that she had many years of experience both teaching and creating videos.
Indeed the class is expensive, but given my time constraints, it was totally worth it and I plan on taking DSLR Cinematography sometime in the near future.

I love BAVC! I have been taking classes for the last year (for free through my employer!) and they’ve been great, relevant, exciting and up-​to-​the-​minute. Recommended!

Just finished Video Production Bootcamp, a 4-​day intensive for beginners, and the experience was simply amazing. I ate plenty of internal humble pie yet was powerfully motivated and inspired to find the creativity lurking inside me. After many years outside the classroom, it’s wonderful to find my brain hasn’t fully decayed!
Instructor Sade Huron was a knowledgable, patient and superb teacher, constantly challenging and utterly open to every question. The small class size (7) was the right size for both individual and group exercises. The pro-​level equipment we had use of was precisely what we needed, both to learn the right approach to the various tasks of video production and to practice applicable skills.
I was impressed with the excellent facility and state-​of-​the-​art computer equipment; the cameras were maybe not bleeding-​edge but definitely pro standard. (I now have an acute case of tripod envy.) A great bonus in a nonprofit organization!
As another reviewer suggested, show up on time, properly caffeinated and ready to learn, and you’ll get filled to overflowing with important info that will start building (or enrich) your skills foundation.
For me, 4 days doesn’t make an expert… but it began to wipe away some bad habits and give me a bit of judgement to practice going forward. I was lucky enough to come to BAVC through my employer, but it’s a valuable investment in the future even if it’s on your own dime. Lots of dimes, actually, but remember that you get what you pay for, and the value at BAVC is through the roof. Plus, Coffee Bar is across the street (and, if you must, a huge and comfy Starbux is downstairs).
So, to sum up: BAVC has the fuel, the neighborhood, the skills. I need say no more.
Thanks, BAVC!

This place can’t be any better than they are. Everything from the people, the class structures, the equipment is top of the line. If you are in need of quick, boot-​camp style training on anything graphics, web, or video related, I highly recommend BAVC. Most are 1 – 2 day classes that go over all the basics and leave you some free time to explore the items that are key to you.
I came here through their ETP (employee training program) so it was free for my employer. Thx California! If you can get the classes done free through their ETP, then awesome, but if not it’s worth the money.
Being that I was the webmaster and did all the art (t-​shirts, posters, street signs, etc.) for my company and was self taught, I knew I needed some formal training. I took HTML, CSS, Photoshop, and Illustrator here and was so grateful for all that I learned.
I was worried that since I was self taught I’d either A– be bored because I already knew how to do everything, or B– I’d be lost because I had been doing everything backwards. But I was neither. With small class sizes the individual attention is phenomenal and I was able to get a customized teaching experience.
If you are unemployed, there are some discounts (look up on their site for details) you can use for the tuition, and since the job market is so tough, upping your skills can’t hurt right? In fact if my company was hiring and I saw BAVC courses on their education, I’d definitely have them come for an interview.
Plus there’s some great lunch spots near by, so you can grab a sandwich or sushi, or coffee and chill out for your lunch break. :-)