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.
Finding the Ability to Transform: Shawn from St. Louis
After having several different careers, ranging from serving in the United States Army to working in the film industry, Shawn was looking for a chance to reinvent his career.
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…
Decoding Tech: A Jargon Cheat Sheet
Breaking into the tech industry is no small task. Even the language that everyone throws around to describe their positions can seem completely foreign to a newbie, and that’s ok! We’ve helped you out with this little tech cheat sheet: a helpful list of definitions about our position categories and competencies.
Mentorship Always Mattered
Mentorship has always been a cornerstone of technical teams. LaunchCode’s apprenticeships are one way to create those opportunities. Let these five experienced engineers tell you about how mentorship played out in their early careers and how they seek to foster it on their teams today.
Cashier to Coder: Gail in St. Louis
Moving Out of a Job and Into a Career A year ago, I was a supermarket cashier with a bachelor’s degree in English. Today I’m a programmer for Express Scripts — a Fortune 22 company. An educational nonprofit called LaunchCode changed my life. LaunchCode provides learning resources and job opportunities in technology, all at…
Learning Something New: Carly in St. Louis
A Simple Challenge Turned into a Career You often hear that programmers are drawn to coding because it comes naturally to them. LaunchCoder Carly smashes that mold: she began coding to push herself intellectually because the logic didn’t come naturally to her. Now, Carly’s a software developer at Boundless. How did you first hear about…
An Affordable Answer to the Tech Talent Gap
Most options we rely on to train tomorrow’s tech workers have a crucial flaw. They cost money. Today’s workforce has a massive tech talent deficit that impedes growth and leaves regional economies unprepared to compete. Near-term solutions have focused on higher education strategies and new training models like for-profit coding bootcamps. Those are important components…
Sunmi Finds Programming
This course teaches necessary logic technique and patterns, also opening doors for students to find opportunities for a better tomorrow.
Candidate Profile: Learn About Bill
LC101 exceeded my expectations…being able to take an in-person course was tremendously beneficial for me.
Express Scripts & LaunchCode Tech Talent Partnership
Express Scripts needed to hire about two dozen Pega developers in St. Louis, but programmers who are proficient in that platform are in short supply. Fortunately, St. Louis is also the headquarters of LaunchCode.
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…
Rethinking Problem Solving: Katy in St. Louis
Finding the Right Time for Takeoff Katy first heard about LaunchCode from an announcement for the first CS50x course at the Central Library in St. Louis. The timing wasn’t right for her to become a LaunchCoder then, but she signed up to stay updated about future classes. When she received an email about the Winter…
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…
Employer Partner: Sherpa
There’s A Dollop Of LaunchCode In Sherpa’s Secret Sauce David Smith and Alexandra Fisher, co-founders of Sherpa, a senior living CRM platform that helps providers follow an empathetic process, tell us about their company and how LaunchCode has become an integral partner in making their company and mission successful. LaunchCode: Tell us…
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?…
Interview With Shane
Student-Turned-Teaching Fellow Shane Tells Us All About His LaunchCode Experience Tell us a little bit about your background and how you came to LaunchCode. I received a B.S. in Electronics Engineering Technology from DeVry University in 2012 but was unable to find anything that really used my degree. I worked as an Electronics Bench Technician…
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