Likes & Launch

Bethany & Jon welcome a full house to the Beyond Coding Classroom.

Last night I sat in on one of the Beyond Coding’s classes hosted at Stack Exchange. An innovative new program to help bridge the knowledge gap between learning to program and finding a job as a programmer. The best part of the event was getting to witness the evolution from idea to execution. 

A few months ago I learned about the program from Bethany, Marketing Manger of Stack Overflow Careers at Stack Exchange. Bethany was thinking about how to put action against many issues she cared about. She’s been an active voice at Stack and in the USV Portfolio on creating diverse and inclusive work environments. She’s professionally and personally passionate about helping people find a rewarding career in programming. On top of that, she’s a proud New Yorker who recognized that investing in the ecosystem early is the best way to support the future of a Tech community here in NYC. 

Bethany had a vision and she’s made it happen. She’s been hard at work with countless others to get this program off the ground for this summer. 

Today, Beyond Coding sets out to equip emerging computer programmers in New York City with professional skills needed to help them succeed in their first job working with code. The program launched June 11th, as a direct response to the City’s Tech Talent Pipeline efforts to grow NYC’s local tech ecosystem. Beyond Coding is free to participants due to the support of a joint partnership among six companies in New York City’s startup ecosystem: Crest CC, Foursquare, Kickstarter, Tumblr, Trello, and Stack Overflow. Full disclosure, you’ll recognize 4 out of the 6 are part of the USV Portfolio. 

As you see in the photo above, there was no shortage of interest. The program received so many applications that they needed to split the attendees into two cohorts. The curriculum is the same for each class but the split was mostly decided by their current education path. The program last night was filled with college students and recent graduates, most between the ages of 20 to 25. The second cohort is composed of students switching careers, who hover between the ages of 30 to 45. Students in both cohorts represent all neighborhoods, ethnicities, genders and beyond. Everyone is there to do the work, learn from others and collaborate. 

The courses focus on learning the necessary skills to land a job in the next 6-18 months. Everything from learning about data and it’s importance in any tech job, to building a github and Linkedin profile to be visible in the talent market. Some of these steps may seem like a no-brainer to those already in the industry, but when you’re an outsider with few peers working in the industry, it’s all new. This environment of interactive learning, collaboration, turning in homework assignments on time, and providing feedback to peers is a learning experience too. Each component adds to making these talented developers workforce ready. 

Last night’s course focused on learning how to learn. A lot of software engineering jobs aren’t just looking at the skills you have, they are looking for your ability to acquire new skills. Jon did a great job helping students discover their own motivations, learning styles and passions through an engaging lecture that included group participation, sharing with peers, videos and stories of his career in tech. The three hour course had everyone participating and collaborating in a way that few classrooms do. 

Individuals working on their own assessments before they share with their peers. 

Participants recording their stories, motivations and learning styles. 

I was impressed with the course, but even more so by the students. I took part in a peer discussion with two engineers entering their senior year of a computer science degree. A young woman and man who both realized the way they got interested in computer programming was through video game cheats and making edits to their Xanga blogs. They didn’t know it was programming, it was just looking up how to write commands to make the site or game do what they wanted. They both grew up with computers as far back as they could remember. That sentiment surprised me as I reflected on my own experiences. I had learned how to hack to get my video games to work but my family didn’t have a family PC until at least 3rd grade. What a difference a decade makes in access. It will be great to see the impact these early start engineers has on the future of the web, the problems solved by software, and the potential for fun. 

I’d bet on everyone in that room. If you’re a startup hiring for great entry level engineering talent, you can too. Sign up to participate in the hiring fair at the end of the summer on their website. 

To learn more about the program, check out the Beyond Coding website: https://www.beyondcoding.io/

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