Classes

Important Upcoming Dates for September 2020 Class (NC Rural Tech Initiative)

Who can apply?

Code the Dream offers a pathway to careers in technology for people 18+ who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue tech jobs.  Everyone, regardless of background, is welcome to apply, but we strongly encourage people under-represented in the tech industry to apply, including:

- individuals from low-income backgrounds

- people of color

- undocumented and DACAmented young people

- immigrants and refugees

- people from rural communities

- women

Please note, classes are held in English.

Do I have to have coding experience to take a class?

No, but it is recommended!

Code the Dream is a pathway to a career in tech. We have found that students are more likely to experience success if you are committed to pursuing a tech career and have already begun exploring coding. It is helpful for CTD instructors to know if you have pursued any programming learning on your own, even just watching youtube videos. Please describe any of your past experiences in the application.

If you aren't sure whether or not coding is for you, we strongly encourage you to first try out some of the many free resources that are available online:

·  CodeAcademy 

·  The Odin Project

·  GitHub Code Camp

·  MIT OpenCourseWare

What is the cost?

Code the Dream classes are completely free. But we hope you will remember Code the Dream once you land that high-paying tech job later!

What is the application process?

Step 1. Apply! Fill out the Interest Application prior to the deadline (apply here). We will soon be posting an informational video and announce a Live Q&A session. (Follow Code the Dream on Instagram here and Facebook here).

Step 2. Pre-work. Soon after the application deadline, we will send out “Pre-work” which potential students must complete before being accepted into the class. You will have around 1 week in which to begin and complete the Pre-Work (over a 2-3 week period). We estimate that the Pre-Work will take around 10 hours of work.

Step 3. Interview. Following completion of the Prework, remaining applicants will participate in interviews with Code the Dream staff.

Step 4. Selection. Code the Dream staff will make final selection and notify students approximately 2-3 weeks before class begins. Code the Dream classes are very competitive (e.g. 200 applications for 30 slots).

How do you decide who gets in the class?

Code the Dream classes are very competitive. In our October 2019 class, we have over 200 applications for just 35 slots. It is always a difficult decision to select which students are admitted, but here are some examples of the criteria we take into consideration:

• What are the applicant's career goals?
• What is the applicant's experience with and interest in coding?
• Does the applicant have the time to commit to be successful in this class?
• Could this be a life-changing experience for the applicant?
• Is the applicant part of a network that could provide additional support?

When and where are your classes?

Code the Dream holds classes throughout the year. We are based in the Research Triangle Park in Durham, North Carolina, but you don’t have to be! Our classes are now fully remote to be more accessible to students out of state or in other parts of NC. Classes are in English.

Starting in March of 2020, Code the Dream is partnering with Treehouse to provide the video content of many of our online classes.

How long are the classes & what is the time commitment?

Typically, Code the Dream courses last approximately 6 months. The classes are broken down into three sections of about 8 weeks each.

Occasionally, we offer fast track courses for people who already have a computer science or programming background, but these classes are less frequent.

In our online classes, all class material is posted in advance and can be studied at any time during the week. Students are then required to attend at least two "mentoring sessions" per week. Mentor groups are composed of 3-5 students with one mentor who is an experienced programmer. During the live, online video mentor sessions, students are required to be online at the same time to join the group.

Code the Dream uses Slack as our primary communication tool. Students will all be part of a Slack channel in which they can ask questions at any time.

In addition to the 2-3 hours per week in mentor sessions, students can expect anywhere from 5-15 hours of work outside of class per week.

Coding is not easy. It is frustrating and takes a lot of practice, as well as self -motivation to seek out help for the many challenges that will inevitably come. If students seriously commit 15-20 hours every week, we anticipate you will have a good chance success.

What kind of computer and software do I need?

You will need a laptop, and reliable internet access as well.  We don’t require any specific brand or model, nor will you need any special software. As long as you can access the internet, you will be able to access all the class materials. It is preferable if you have a web camera for the small group online sessions, but it is not required.

If you are very committed to learning software development but do not currently have access to a computer or internet access, contact us and we will see if we can work with you to identify options.

How much English is required?

Learning to code means learning coding languages; programming uses words and concepts that will be likely unfamiliar even to people who are native-English speakers!

For now, all of our classes are in English, and the mentor sessions are also in English. Class participants will need an intermediate level of English, however, to learn computer programming, participants probably do not need to be as proficient in English as required in many other industries.

The class videos will be in English, but will have the option for subtitling, and participants can rewind to watch again (unlike in in-person classes!), which may help English language-learners.

The "mentor sessions" are small group meetings over video conference, in which students will be talking and interacting with each other and with an experienced software development mentor. In addition, class participants will regularly interact via Slack chats.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

Code the Dream teaches two popular web development languages and frameworks: Ruby on Rails and React.js.  Ruby on Rails and React.js are widely used in various industries and in companies of all sizes. Noteworthy websites like Hulu and Airbnb were built using Ruby on Rails.  Facebook and The New York Times use React.js to run their sites.

Starting in March of 2020, Code the Dream is partnering with Treehouse for the video content of many of our online classes.

WEB DEVELOPMENT CLASS DESCRIPTION

Our Web Development class will put our students on a strong path to become software developers. We begin by teaching the basics of web development before focusing more in depth on either back end or front end development. CTD classes are moving towards a model in which all students would take this class first before further specializing in front end or back end.

Starting in March of 2020, Code the Dream is partnering with Treehouse for the video content of many of our online classes.

RUBY ON RAILS CLASS DESCRIPTION

We begin by learning and practicing foundational programming concepts using Ruby, a language designed to ‘make programmers happy’.  We also do a deep-dive into many topics including HTML, CSS, SQL and databases, Model-View-Controller design pattern, and version control using Git and GitHub.  By the end of the course, students will be able to spin up a functional Rails application. 

Starting in March of 2020, Code the Dream is partnering with Treehouse for the video content of many of our online classes.

REACT.JS CLASS DESCRIPTION

We start by learning JavaScript, the most commonly used programming language.  We write scripts and build small programs using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Students also learn the more modern ES6 syntax, as well as version control with Git and GitHub.  We go through tutorials and projects to learn the fundamentals of React.js and get some insight into why it is one of the most broadly used libraries today. 

Starting in March of 2020, Code the Dream is partnering with Treehouse for the video content of many of our online classes.

CODE THE DREAM LABS – PAID APPRENTICESHIPS IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

After completing the Code the Dream classes, participants have the opportunity to apply for Code the Dreams Labs, a paid internship in which student developers work on real-world web and mobile development projects supporting nonprofit organizations and small businesses.  You can see some of our projects here.