From Living Paycheck-To-Paycheck to Landing a Rewarding Career in Tech When scrolling Facebook, I don’t generally expect to come across something that is going to alter the course of my life. Memes, cat videos, and Instant Pot recipes, sure. But life changing? Not so much. And yet, one otherwise ordinary evening in 2016, life-changing is…
Becoming A Microsoft Programmer
How a Curious Coder Made the Transition to Programming at a Major Technology Company The Beginning: Building My Coding Skills My journey with LaunchCode began with their online skills test and ended with a job as a web developer at Microsoft. I had spent the better part of my twenties teaching English abroad in China,…
Writer to Coder: Jeff in Kansas City
After getting a BA in English Lit, Jeff supplemented his writing career with various middle-man business jobs, but he grew tired of a job in which he wasn’t a creator. The draw of a career in which he was able to build and create brought Jeff to LaunchCode. Now, Jeff is a writer again, but this time he writes code.
Top 5 Tips for Hosting an Apprentice
Whether you’re just starting to consider bringing an apprentice onto your team, or you’re a couple months into having an apprentice, we’ll walk you through some best practices to make sure the program is a great experience for both your organization and your apprentice.
Following a Passion: Jiho in Kansas City
How did you hear about LaunchCode? A year before hearing about LaunchCode, I took some online courses on data science. I managed to get through some of it, but I was struggling to keep up with the programming portion. I never really had a solid grasp of Python or JavaScript, so when I found out…
Sunmi Finds Programming
This course teaches necessary logic technique and patterns, also opening doors for students to find opportunities for a better tomorrow.
7 Reasons Why You Need a Junior Talent Pipeline
7 Reasons Why You Need a Junior Talent Pipeline In the last year, I have spoken with over 100 companies about their experiences working with new-to-tech talent. I’ve heard the best success stories and some of the worst. Through it all, there’s a solid agreement that keeping a junior talent pipeline is critical, and here’s…
The Melody of Code
The Sound of Code is Music to Their Ears At first glance, it may be hard to find the relationship between coding and art — but the connections are certainly there! We talked about the relationship between art and code with three musicians from LaunchCode – Kansas City, here is what they had to say:…
Launched & Landed: Shaun in Miami
From Vet & Journalist to Student to Apprentice to HIRED! Tell us a little bit about your background. I’m an Air Force veteran with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, and prior to finding LaunchCode, I was working as a business journalist for a local newspaper. I heard about LaunchCode while reading and writing for the…
Coding As … Art?
Make All. The. Things. At first glance, it may be hard to find the relationship between coding and art — the dominant tech culture and perceived mathiness don’t necessarily scream “creatives apply here”. But talking with LaunchCoders who are also artists in Kansas City, known for its booming arts community, we found the connections are…
Apprentice to Developer: Mamata in KC
Making It In America Mamata, LaunchCoder & Software Developer Tell us a little bit about how you got here. I love to play with code. I do Java, Groovy, Android coding and also love different mathematical algorithm implementation. I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering from India. I worked as a…
Apprentice Interview: Chris in Miami
Always Working Towards A Career in Tech Tell us a little bit about your background. I worked in retail beginning in 2012 when I was 17 (very happy to be out of the retail industry now!). I heard of LaunchCode while in Wyncode in 2016. I also go to Broward College part-time working on my associates…
Top 6 Networking Tips
Knock Their Socks Off For some, networking can feel like walking a tightrope, with frayed nerves and awkward moments. Finding a balance between being outgoing enough to be memorable, but also putting others at ease, all while communicating how wonderful you are can feel a bit overwhelming. While networking maybe a painful experience for some,…
Your Guide to a Stand-Out Resume
Great Resumes Lead To Great Interviews Part 1: Resumes & Rhetoric Part 2: Showing Off Your Skills & Project Experience Part 3: Sharing your Accomplishments and Education! Part 4: Getting to Work and Building that Resume! Part 1: Resumes and Rhetoric Resumes are key to landing the perfect job, but it’s no…
Student-Teacher-Apprentice, Ryan
All-Around Perspective Ryan began his journey with LaunchCode in early 2016 as a student. After graduation he joined our team of Teaching Fellows for the next cohort of students in LC101 St. Louis, and has since begun an apprenticeship placement. Having spent time in all the main facets of LaunchCode, Ryan gives us his perspective on how everything went. Tell…
CoderGirl Story: Lilly
What a Difference a Year Makes Here at LaunchCode, we get inspired by all the amazing stories of our students, apprentices, mentors and teaching fellows every day. They’re the reason each of us comes to work every morning. This is Lilly’s story, with a little foreword from one of her biggest fans: “Lilly has been with…
Mentorship Matters with Citrix
Mentoring Makes A Difference Did you know that mentoring has a positive impact on both the mentee and the mentor? Turns out, it’s great for everyone involved! Mentoring gives everyone involved the opportunity to learn something more — a deeper understanding of the organization, enhanced skill recognition, improved job satisfaction, and so many more benefits! At LaunchCode, we’re continually impressed…
Why Conferences Are Key
Seize The Opportunities Whether you are a job seeker or a hiring manager, new-to-tech or a seasoned developer, conferences can make you a stronger thinker, business person, and developer. Community To begin with, conferences are a great way to meet other people who are interested in topics that you are interested in as well as learn more…
Meet Cody (You’re Going To Love Him)
Portland Apprenticeship Candidate How did you hear about LaunchCode? I heard about LaunchCode through Udacity. It was suggested by the career advisors as a great opportunity to break into the industry. I felt that if there was even a slim chance I would be accepted that I should apply. What motivated you to sign up?…
How To Have A Successful Project
Tips For Completing Your First Project To land a technical job, you should first complete a decent sized programming project to serve as tangible proof that you have the required skills. Unfortunately, this can be difficult and where great candidates often get stuck. Even after studying alone online or in a classroom environment, building your…
5 Personal PR Tips For A Career In Tech
Be Your Own PR Rep Congratulations, you’ve been placed into a tech apprenticeship with LaunchCode! Now what? Learning doesn’t stop when class ends and you land that apprenticeship — it’s only just begun. Welcome to your new career in tech. Here are some ways to make your professional journey a little easier. Think Of Yourself…
LaunchCoder Q & A with Louis
How did you hear about LaunchCode? I saw a large poster in a window inside a St. Louis mall. After looking into LaunchCode.org, I found out more and went to the intro lecture given by Chris and a recent graduate who was interviewing for a job. Then I filled out the application process and was…
LaunchCoder Q & A with Kevin
How did you hear about LaunchCode? I heard about LaunchCode from June Mercer, a Computer Science professor at the St. Louis Community College — Meramec Campus. Tell us about your background. I have 7 years of experience providing customer service in a variety of settings and graduated with an Associate of Applied Science, Database Management,…
LaunchCoder Q&A With Jeff & Jane
Jane, from Kansas City, and Jeff, from St. Louis, met in the middle of their two hometowns during college at the University of Missouri-Columbia. A few years and many adventures later, Jeff saw an online posting for LaunchCode Kansas City’s free CS50x course in the Spring of 2016. The course was free and only six…
Ace Your Tech Interview
Top Tips For Your Tech Interview You’ve landed the interview — great job! Whether you are diving into the job hunt for the first time or returning to the drawing board after years as a developer, tech interviews can still seem incredibly daunting. You have put in all of the hard work, but the uncertainty…
LaunchCoder Q & A: Sean
Meet A Student Tell us a little bit about your background. Despite having worked in the web for almost 20 years, as a designer, interactive art director and UX designer, I remained largely ignorant of what was happening “under the hood”. This class has really helped me understand the bigger, or more accurately, the smaller,…
Oliver’s Story
LaunchCoder Interview What motivated you to sign up? I was looking for a better way to learn coding. I had done a several online tutorials and courses on my own but wanted something a bit more structured. I went to a meetup and Matt Mawhinney took a few minutes to introduce us to LaunchCode. When…
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