Podcasts about Dev Bootcamp

Ariel Fogel is a software engineer with an enduring soft spot in his heart for Ruby and Rails. Since graduating from Dev Bootcamp, he has found himself driven by finding ways to improve the quality of education for coders and non-coders alike. Brittany and Ariel discuss how engineers can level up in how they learn. Show Notes: Ariel's Personal Site (https://fogel.dev) Agency of Learning (https://agencyoflearning.com) Ariel on Github (https://github.com/afogel) Ariel on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielfogel/) Remote Ruby: Hackathon - Strada - Rails World (https://remoteruby.com/238) daisyUI — Tailwind CSS Components (https://daisyui.com/) activerecord-hackery/ransack: Object-based searching (https://github.com/activerecord-hackery/ransack) joshmn /ahoy_captain (https://github.com/joshmn/ahoy_captain) Rails Hackathon (https://railshackathon.com/) Introducing the Rails Luminary Awards: Nominations Now Open (https://rubyonrails.org/2023/8/8/introducing-rails-luminaries) Sponsored By: Honeybadger (https://www.honeybadger.io/) If you want to simplify your stack, and lower your bills, it's time to check out Honeybager. Honeybadger combines all of those services into one easy to use platform—it's everything you need to keep production healthy and your customers happy. Get started today in as little as 5 minutes at Honeybadger.io (https://www.honeybadger.io/) with plans starting at free! FastRuby.io (https://www.fastruby.io/monthly-rails-maintenance?utm_source=rorpodcast&utm_medium=paidplacement&utm_campaign=monthlymaintanence&utm_term=&utm_content=textonly) Don't lose 25% of your efficiency to technical debt. Sign up for FastRuby's tech debt remediation service, Bonsai and gradually upgrade core dependencies and refactor costly files — starting at $2k/month

It's time for instructional design and ed-tech history with Jesse Farmer! Jesse is the co-founder, Chief Product Officer, and academics lead of Dev Bootcamp - one of the earliest, most influential, and successful coding bootcamps - the bootcamp that started it all!Shownotes:Dev BootcampHipcampJesse Farmer's Mastodon account

Johanna Mikkola is the Co-Founder and CEO of Wyncode Academy, recently acquired by BrainStation, whose project-based programs have helped over 100,000 professionals launch new careers in the tech industry. Chad talks with Johanna about creating a digital skills training bootcamp, the hiring and training market and challenges, and prioritizing inclusion and diversity in the student population. BrainStation (https://brainstation.io/) Follow BrainStation on Twitter (https://twitter.com/brainstation), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/BrainStation), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/brainstation/), or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/school/brainstation/). Follow Johanna on Twitter (https://twitter.com/JoMikkola) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/johanna-mikkola/). Follow thoughtbot on Twitter (https://twitter.com/thoughtbot) or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/150727/). Become a Sponsor (https://thoughtbot.com/sponsorship) of Giant Robots! Transcript: CHAD: This is the Giant Robots Smashing Into Other Giant Robots Podcast, where we explore the design, development, and business of great products. And with me today is Jo Mikkola, the Co-Founder, and CEO of Wyncode Academy, recently acquired by BrainStation, whose project-based programs have helped over 100,000 professionals launch new careers in the tech industry. Jo, thank you for joining me. JOHANNA: So excited to be here. Thank you. CHAD: I actually think that the weather we're calling from today might not be so different. It's very warm and sunny, and everything in Boston. So I'm pretty happy today. How are things where you are? JOHANNA: That's great. We're coming to you live from the 305 in Miami, and it's turning into summertime here, which means it's pretty hot and sticky. But I'm originally from Finland, so I can't complain. CHAD: [laughs] JOHANNA: The novelty after eight years of living here has not worn off on me. I do enjoy the sunshine and the palm trees. CHAD: That's great. So we'll definitely circle back and talk about Miami and the tech industry there and everything. But before we do that, I'm curious; you have recently been acquired by BrainStation. Let's rewind a little bit to getting started with Wyncode and what brought you to creating a digital skills training bootcamp. JOHANNA: It's been quite the journey. It all started back in 2013, and at the time living in Toronto. I, at that point, had been working at the National Hockey League in Toronto for eight years and had just joined the management there on the hockey operations officiating team, which was an amazing chapter of my professional journey, and I love all the individuals that I worked with there. But I got to a point in that career where I didn't quite know what the next step would be professionally, and I was looking at getting an MBA. But at the same time, while I was working at the NHL, I was helping lead an internal software build project. And it kept coming to the forefront for me that wow, hockey is being disrupted by technology or technology is being very integrated into something I thought, you know, I didn't think I would see that happen. And at the same time, my co-founder, who's also my husband, we're both from Finland. His name is Juha. He was an entrepreneur in the e-commerce sporting goods space, and he actually had joined a coding bootcamp in Toronto, an early one. And as he was going through the process, we were both kind of at this inflection point professionally about what we were going to do. And so everything he was learning, the transformation of individuals he was witnessing first-hand, him experiencing that himself, and me being a non-technical business person leading a technical project at the NHL, we were like, wow, we're on the cusp of some serious change in the world, and we want to be part of that wave. So we were like, where can we go and be first to market to provide this life-changing, career-changing education and, in turn, really dive into not only education but also the technology space? And ultimately, we landed on Miami. We had actually looked at Austin, Texas, and Los Angeles as options as well. But we arrived here in Miami, and it was very like a Hollywood thing. We were sitting at the coolest cafe in Miami at the time. We were here on Christmas holiday. And we, on a napkin, started writing ideas and brainstorming. You know, founders get very excited about logos and brainstorming names, or at least I do. CHAD: [laughs] JOHANNA: And it all came together really quickly. That was December 2013. We attended a startup meet-up here. We met four key players in this ecosystem, some of which are major drivers today, like the Knight Foundation and Endeavor. We heard their vision, and what they were doing, and how much funding was being put at the time into building a tech ecosystem in Miami. And we were like, wow, we want in. So we went from concept to launch in three months' time. And it was a pretty exciting ride. I mean, so much happened in that time [laughs], and obviously, the acquisition came early last year. And so we've kind of seen it go full circle. And for me professionally, I went from being a startup founder working very regionally, being somewhat nationally known but being a strong regional player, to being a global player overnight with BrainStation. So that also has been really exciting. CHAD: At thoughtbot, we helped create a web development bootcamp around the same time actually. JOHANNA: Love that. CHAD: And that was for Kaplan, and they ended up purchasing Dev Bootcamp and then shutting it down. So I have some experience, and not only that, but thoughtbot has hired a lot of people from bootcamps into our apprentice program. JOHANNA: Love that. CHAD: So, from a hiring and training perspective, I think it's great. From a business perspective, it seems to have been a very challenging market. How did you weather that? JOHANNA: Oh yeah. I mean persistence, unwavering commitment to the people we worked with, and the people we were helping gain these skills to change their careers. And like with any startup, there are moments where it's like, wow, you know, this is a big challenge. How are we going to overcome this? But we've always had the mentality of if there is a will, there is a way. And don't get me wrong, it doesn't always work out. But fortunately, now that I have hindsight, I can say that that mentality resulted in where we are today, and it was very positive. And I have the really fortunate position of looking back on those stressful moments and seeing the lessons now, which is such a gift and maybe also alludes to me being old, I don't know. [laughter] But it really was a great journey. And I mean, the challenges started in the beginning for us, which is turns out it was a federal offense to operate without a license in the state of Florida, you know, lots of details to talk about there. But come full circle, we ended up being the first coding bootcamp to be licensed by a State Department of Education in the entire country. So even though other people were operating in their states, it was different statutes, different legal requirements. And so, we were the first to be licensed. And as a result, we actually helped advise some of those other big names that we all see in the coding landscape to explain how it worked for us. And shout out to the Florida Department of Education and Commission for Independent Education for working with us to make it all come together. But it started off with a very exciting beginning getting that letter, which was essentially telling us to shut down before we had even begun. [laughter] And it all worked out. And we have a great relationship with them. And we learned a lot there. And I will say just in the coding landscape, what ended up happening and what's happened with a lot of for-profit education is there was a huge opportunity, and there still is. People really genuinely need these skills. They really need this vocational training, and the companies hiring really need this talent, as you know firsthand. And so a lot of people jumped in and saw that there was money to be made because professionals and maybe also people who can afford it...there are a lot of financing companies that came in. And so the thing that started wavering is the quality in terms of the training. And that's one of the things that you just, you know, one of the things we were unwilling to compromise at Wyncode and also why BrainStation, I like to say, is our soulmate because they feel the same way. To go from zero to software engineer or zero to UX designer (We also teach data science and digital marketing.), it really takes high-quality education, high-quality educators, and a high-quality network to do that at the level that we want to do that. And then the other thing that a lot of people fell into is this desire to scale really quickly, so take in too many students which quality goes down, open too many locations, quality goes down. And to be the best, you got to learn from the best, and that means learning from software engineers, product designers, individuals who are really highly sought after right now. So, in the same way that software companies are facing talent issues, for us, that was also a key piece for us to solve and work out. We're really fortunate that in the space of education, this is such rewarding work. We build such amazing relationships with the people coming through the programs and, in turn, are contributing so much to our local ecosystems that it hasn't been that hard to attract amazing talent to be our educators because it is so rewarding. They're getting an opportunity to apply their craft to something they love and really shape the minds of future technologists. And it's just a wonderful thing to watch and be part of, so really fortunate to be in that space. CHAD: Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's one of the things that has made the space challenging is you come into it with the desire to have that really high quality, but there's a cost to that. And if you don't scale the number of students, you might have trouble covering that cost. How did you balance that? JOHANNA: In the early days of Wyncode, it was easy because we were self-funded, and we were growing organically. So we were quite conservative about how we scaled and how many people we took on, and we stayed very true to that. And honestly, we stayed very focused on the state of Florida. So at one point, we actually had three locations; we had Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami, and we scaled them down to have a large HQ in Miami. Because we saw that when the team was together, and the community was together, the overall experience from network to learning was better because we were self-funded. And then, later, when we had partners who were committed to quality, we were able to make decisions for the sake of quality instead of profitability. And then now with BrainStation, I mean, BrainStation is an incredible company. It's been around for ten years. It has been very successful. And right now, what we've been able to do is invest. BrainStation is in a position where we're investing in different pilots to see what things will make learning even better than it already is, although I will say it's at a really high quality right now. And so we're in a fortunate position where, of course, it still needs to make sense. The unit economics needs to make sense. But we're also doing everything we can to continually iterate and make it a great environment for people to learn in. And I think that has come with taking the approach that we're in a long-term marathon. We're not in a sprint with what we're building right now. And I think a lot of the companies in this space that ran into issues were really sprinting to a certain scale, which is a way of operating that we haven't operated. CHAD: Well, so based on what you've said so far, I can make certain assumptions about how you answer this next question. JOHANNA: [laughs] CHAD: But I think it's an important topic, and so I want to make sure even if it's obvious that we talk about it and that's how to bring in students, how to scale the business while still prioritizing inclusion and diversity in the student population, in your organization. What sort of attention did you put on that? JOHANNA: Yeah, so this is a really key one. I mean, in the early days of Wyncode, we were able to do things in a different way than we are now with BrainStation. But I would say Miami is naturally a very diverse and international ecosystem. And so, from the beginning, we really wanted to see that reflected in the people who were in our programs because I knew that would, in the long term, provide so much value to building a great ecosystem. And so, in the beginning, we partnered...we worked very hard to partner with The Knight Foundation to launch what was called The Future Leaders of Tech Fellowship. This is an example of something we did with different groups throughout all the years and continue to do today, but I'll use Knight as the example, which essentially was a full-ride scholarship for underrepresented individuals in technology. So the first iteration we ran of that was a full-ride scholarship because we thought that was the main barrier. Then we realized that a lot of these individuals who hadn't had the means before and didn't necessarily have the educational training needed a little extra training, and they needed to start working right away. So what we created was a pre-program for them. It was a full-ride scholarship, and then it was a guaranteed three-month paid internship at a tech company. And of all the people who went through that program, the majority transitioned, with the exception of two, transitioned into full-time salaried roles. And those are incredible stories that are truly life-changing. But I think the important thing there and what we learned over time is people need support, financial and educational, and they need time. So obviously, in an accelerated learning program, you want things to go as quickly as possible but through the help of partners and making it work for certain communities, we were able to do that. We also partnered with the YMW...it's the Women's...YMCA for women. I cannot remember the acronym right now. CHAD: WYMCA. JOHANNA: Thank you. Thank you. We provided a program in-house for them specifically. CHAD: No, it would be the YWCA. [laughter] JOHANNA: Yeah. CHAD: Sorry to interrupt you. JOHANNA: I'm sorry. I'm not doing you all a good service here. But it's an amazing organization here in Miami. And that was geared specifically towards women from disadvantaged backgrounds, giving them the education they needed. And with that group, we had actually a 70% success rate, which was wonderful. Those are individuals who had no options for any type of white-collar position, many of whom we still keep in touch with today. So, in the beginning, with diversity and inclusion, we were doing things at a smaller scale, very specialized, and very catered to make sure that they were successful in the hope of eventually building more momentum to do this. And the work very much continues. So BrainStation, larger company, we have a lot more firepower in terms of what we're able to do. So we've partnered with companies like Ernst & Young, Shutterstock, Microsoft with our Impact Scholarship, which is also full-ride scholarships for the underrepresented communities in technology, and that's been really successful as well. And, again, education is really rewarding, but it's also really rewarding to see, in particular, those success stories. CHAD: Yeah, one of the things when I speak at bootcamps or when I talk to apprentices who are joining us, I often reinforce or remind them that they bring something to the table, which is really special. I started programming when I was in middle school. I went to school for computer science. Aside from a brief stint as a dishwasher and a checkout person at a grocery store, this is all I've ever done. And I recognize that that has pros and cons. Like, I just don't have the same perspective and diversity of experience, let alone actual demographic diversity that many of our team members bring to the table. And there's something special in that, whether it be from your experience working in another industry like hospitality or something like that. You bring a perspective. There are so many hospitality startups, for example, that would love to bring a new developer onto their team who actually has industry experience. It makes it very powerful for people. JOHANNA: Yeah, absolutely. And I think oftentimes, people in anything when you're transitioning a career, there's maybe a little bit of imposter syndrome or a lack of confidence. And I see oftentimes not only minority groups but everyone shying away from their previous professional backgrounds. But technology is built for us, for humans who are very diverse in background experience and the products and services that we need. And so we really try to emphasize at Wyncode and at BrainStation to lean into your past profession. Because if you can bring that through and really focus on the things you learn there, you can provide so much firepower to what you're building with technology, and it's super important. And I will say healthtech is big in South Florida. And so we have had various people with some type of health background, whether they were an assistant or worked in a medical office, or we've had a few doctors go through the program. They were, as you can imagine, really sought after for the healthtech companies because not only do they bring technology skills, but they have this understanding that no one else does. So it's really unique. CHAD: You're part of the tech industry now. [laughter] How has that diversity of background...you mentioned at the beginning, at the top of the episode that you were originally at the NHL, to starting to lead software projects there. How have you leveraged that for yourself and for your business? JOHANNA: Oh yeah, 100%. So we do an exercise at BrainStation where you have a chart, and you plot out your past professions, and you look at the things that you learned, and the mistakes you made, and the things you didn't like, to start to build a thread of what are things carrying over? And for me, the thing that has come to the forefront is technology or not...and I feel like anyone investing is also saying this all the time, and maybe founders say it too. But it always comes down to people and relationships and how you are listening and taking in the information to then digest it and deliver something. And so, I think my ability to connect with people and mobilize people around common goals is something that has been a common thread throughout my career. It's interesting. I'll say some of the best things I learned as a founder came from engineers, the first being agile. Like, we weren't operating like an agile company in the beginning because we weren't a software company. And our very first hire was a guy named Ed Toro, an MIT graduate. Shout out to Ed. It's actually his birthday. CHAD: [laughs] JOHANNA: Incredible, incredible engineer originally from Boston. He was our lead educator for software for so long. And he just brought so much knowledge to us about how software is built and works. And we integrated that into how we operated as business people and organized the company. I mean, it's amazing. I actually don't remember what it's like to not be organized in that manner anymore. Although I can tell you going from the NHL to Wyncode was a huge jump because NHL, even though we were using and leveraging technology, was still organized very traditionally. And so I'll give you a simple thing, some software teams...I know a lot of software engineers appreciate transparency. So, in addition to organizing in a very agile method in terms of how we operated the business, we also pivoted to be extremely transparent as a team as well in terms of how the company is doing, which is something that is not common in a multibillion-dollar industry like the NHL. Although you see that more and more with tech companies, which is interesting. CHAD: How long ago did you join up with BrainStation? JOHANNA: So we were introduced to the founders and owners of BrainStation really because they were potentially looking at coming to Florida. And a mutual friend, a mutual business person, had said, "Hey, you know, if you guys are looking at Florida, probably you guys should meet Jo and Juha. They built something called Wyncode. You're going to get to know them anyway." And so I would say a little bit over a year and a half ago, we started chatting. And we realized that we had a lot in common in terms of how we had built the businesses, where we wanted to see the business go. And the rest isn't history because we're a year and a half in. CHAD: [laughs] JOHANNA: So you know what happened. It all worked out. It's really great but also really excited for the future. Because now with the BrainStation acquisition comes a lot of firepower in terms of experience on the team, much larger team, capital, reach of team. We have students in over 100 countries. So I'm very excited for what we're going to do in the future as well because we can have so much more impact, and that is really exciting as well. Mid-Roll Ad: I wanted to tell you all about something I've been working on quietly for the past year or so, and that's AgencyU. AgencyU is a membership-based program where I work one-on-one with a small group of agency founders and leaders toward their business goals. We do one-on-one coaching sessions and also monthly group meetings. We start with goal setting, advice, and problem-solving based on my experiences over the last 18 years of running thoughtbot. As we progress as a group, we all get to know each other more. And many of the AgencyU members are now working on client projects together and even referring work to each other. Whether you're struggling to grow an agency, taking it to the next level and having growing pains, or a solo founder who just needs someone to talk to, in my 18 years of leading and growing thoughtbot, I've seen and learned from a lot of different situations, and I'd be happy to work with you. Learn more and sign up today at thoughtbot.com/agencyu. That's A-G-E-N-C-Y, the letter U. CHAD: You mentioned before you had a very Florida-specific focus previously. Is part of this next stage to be working across BrainStation and really working more globally? JOHANNA: Yeah, so working regionally with a focus on South Florida but with the know-how and the resources of a global team for sure. And being on the senior leadership team here, I am still 100% focused on Florida, but I get to have perspective from all the other markets. We have five campuses in New York, Toronto, Vancouver, London, and now Miami. So that's very interesting. And I have to say, when we were running Wyncode, we were always like, man, I wonder, how it's going in New York? CHAD: [laughs] JOHANNA: Or I wonder how it's going in Vancouver. Well, now I know. So it is really interesting because it also gives you not only a perspective in terms of bootcamps and how that's going but also a perspective on those ecosystems and how the tech companies there are growing and hiring. Because we're at that really interesting spot where we always know everyone's closed a round of funding because they go on a hiring spree. And then we see the bigger companies who are continually hiring. So we always kind of have a little bit of a pulse on what's going on in all of the ecosystems. And also really, before, we were primarily American students in the southeast, but now as BrainStation, I mean, it's global. So seeing how different everyone is but also still so similar in terms of their end goals and collaborative, it's really special. And yeah, it's been great. CHAD: So you have the campuses, the geographic locations, and then you have the global students. Are they in different silos, or do the two groups of students interact with each other at all? JOHANNA: Yeah, great question. So we do execute our..., and we call them diploma programs for the bootcamp programs, both online and in person. So as you can imagine, students in over 100 countries we're executing in all the time zones because of online delivery. But much of that, if they're outside of the geographic region of one of our campuses, they're likely an online student. CHAD: Are they being taught by an instructor in one of the campuses, or is it a separate thing? JOHANNA: Yeah, our educators are located in our campuses geographically. CHAD: How did the pandemic change or not change the experience of students, and what you needed to offer? JOHANNA: Wyncode, at the time, we were still Wyncode when the pandemic hit. I'll never forget having an all-hands meeting in our conference room and being like, hey...it was a Thursday. We're like, come Monday; we're going fully remote. We weren't a remote educator at that time. Everybody needs special permissions and licenses to also have remote teaching, which most governments made exceptions for because of the pandemic. So we were all good there. But we were thinking at the time, oh, maybe it'll be a month. Well, two years later, we're just about to have our grand reopening of the space in Miami. Our other campuses have already opened. And it was pretty exciting. When the pandemic hit, there was definitely an oh no moment. Like, people paused their enrollments, understandably. That was March. But as we got into early summer, we actually saw enrollment skyrocket. So huge success was pivoting to go remote. We were very fortunate that we had a pretty seasoned senior team on our software and UX side. And they had been through the world of remote learning and just being on tech, you know, Yahoo, Google. They had worked at Yahoo, Google, so they knew remote, and they were able to help us and bring that expertise. So the transition to remote was easy. And then we got all these students. And actually, that started a wave which has continued to this day of really people having an appetite for online learning and continuing to want to pivot careers into technology, both out of individuals' interests for technology but also because of the demand. So the pandemic was terrible. Business-wise for sure, there have been challenges, but there have, I would say, been a lot more successes and opportunities as a result of the pandemic. And for me personally as an entrepreneur, the pandemic got us, you know, we were doing well and having a lot of success, so the pandemic also got us on the radar for BrainStation. We started that conversation, and that was really exciting. And, again, here we are as a global educator now. CHAD: I've talked to a lot of people and seen it in our applications as well, like, it was really two things: people losing their jobs because of the pandemic and then getting that opportunity to take a look around and say, you know what? I'm not going back to that industry, and I want to learn to code. And then a lot of other people saying, you know, sort of the great resignation kind of stuff saying like, I want to change and actively switching as well. And you can see it in our applications the number of switchers, the number of people who have taken the last year, year and a half to do a remote bootcamp and make a career transition. It was always high. It's even higher now. JOHANNA: Yeah, totally agree, like, very respective of what we see as well. And we've had a great relationship with CareerSource South Florida as well. And they fund workforce transformation. And so initially in the pandemic...we're not seeing those layoffs now, but initially, a lot of those people who were getting laid off many of them were able to qualify for CareerSource as well, which also really fueled people's ability to take part in this education. And South Florida is interesting. I think 65% of the workforce before the pandemic...a lot has changed. Tech has moved in, a lot of big names have moved in. But before the pandemic, 65% of people professionally here were working in hospitality or real estate so it was definitely a big pivot for some people to go into the direction of technology. CHAD: That's great to hear that they were able to be helped by that because that can be a big impediment to this. I believe that the cost of an average bootcamp for what you actually get and for the impact it can have on your salary or your compensation is worth it. But if you can't afford the tuition, then it's a non-starter. JOHANNA: Yeah, yeah, exactly. And then it goes without saying, but there are some people...there are a lot of opportunities. There are a lot of jobs. There are a lot of ways to get in, but it doesn't mean that it's for everyone. And I think for us, some of the work that's required to get into the program in our admissions process and our advisors who spend a lot of time with people considering this are also helping people guide this thought process of what they go into and what they're going to do to decide if it's the right direction for them. And I think ultimately, the large majority who come in have done good research and good work and have really thought it through, and it's a good fit. But again, it's not for everyone. So it goes without saying it's good to go online, do some coding. Download Figma if you're going to go into UX. Tinker around with some stuff. Ask some people, go to some meetups, and then start looking into the education piece. CHAD: Yeah. Are there ways in which you're exploring how either through partnerships or that kind of thing like it sounds like you've done to make it more accessible to people? JOHANNA: Yeah, so we put, again, Wyncode and BrainStation now puts a lot of importance on building a diverse, inclusive environment. And the most important thing is just collaborating also with organizations in our various regions that serve communities that are underrepresented in tech so that we can provide certain pathways to this. And one of the key things that we're doing with our Impact Scholarships, I think we've committed over $1.2 million just as BrainStation to giving those pathways. The other thing that we're piloting right now is what we're calling Tuition Free. So we piloted in London. Miami is the only other city we're testing it with in-person learning, not online, but it being completely tuition-free for the individual coming into the program, which we're calling a trainee. And then working with some amazing partners here in South Florida, in London who essentially, if they opt to hire someone for the program, are going to be paying a percentage training fee for hiring that individual. So we're really excited to be piloting what's called a reverse model. But more so, training people in a very specific skill set that companies need, eliminating financial barriers as much as possible, and then also providing a very robust, rapid pathway for this incredible talent to then join companies. And maybe we'll do a synopsis in about a year, and I'll let you know how it all went. CHAD: [laughs] That'd be great. That'd be great. So a common thread throughout this conversation has been Miami, and it's come on my radar recently in terms of the ecosystem there and how it's expanded and grown significantly over the last several years. You mentioned you picked up and moved there because you identified it as a great market. What has it been like for you? JOHANNA: It's been a whirlwind. I mean, #Miamitechisonfire, literally. CHAD: [laughs] JOHANNA: It's a pretty exciting time to be here. I got to say, when we moved in 2014, our campus was and still is based in Wynwood, which is a wonderful creative space but also mixed in with tech companies. CHAD: Is that why it's called what it's called, Wyncode? JOHANNA: Yeah, that's right. [laughs] Wyncode and Wynwood, yep. So the landlords knew they really had all the leverage, right? But we have had, and I've always had, an amazing space here. And when we first opened, the biggest complaint we got from people who took the program was there were not enough places to eat. And for anyone who's listening who's from Miami and spent time in Wynwood, that sounds crazy because now all the hottest restaurants are here in Wynwood. And that's happened in the span of, you know, I know we've been here for eight years, but that's happened like in the last five years. So a lot has changed. Wynwood is kind of an analogy to what's happened in the rest of Miami. It was kind of like a little bit quiet and slow, known for hospitality, awesome partying, real estate, not really known for all of this other stuff. The pandemic, again, was horrible from a business standpoint, terrible for some people, amazing for others. It was amazing for Miami. The state of Florida remained relatively open throughout the pandemic. So that attracted people here. The tax situation, no income tax, has also been very appealing, particularly for anyone who's made a lot of money in tech and crypto, in particular from Miami. And then we have this incredible Mayor, Mayor Francis Suarez, who, long before what's happening now, has been an advocate and supporter of the tech ecosystem and startup founders here, which I've personally had experience with. He's been amazing. You know, in Silicon Valley, there was some social media going on for anyone who saw it on Twitter, and he tweeted back, and he said, "Hey, Miami would love to have you, guys. How can we help?" And so there's this tagline in Miami which is how can we help? Trying to be an ecosystem that's here to help that's open to all. And that's been going on now for almost two years. And as a result, there's been a huge number of people in technology in particular who have moved here, both big names like Jon Oringer, Founder of Shutterstock, Keith Rabois, Founders Fund. There are so many people to name down to founders who are like; I'm starting a new startup. I don't want to do it in New York or Silicon Valley. I want to do it in Miami. So that's really exciting. I can tell you; there's more going on here than I could...before I could keep an Easy Calendar, I knew everyone. I knew what events were going on when and now it's just...there are multiple events, meetups, multiple companies to meet. So it's really, really an exciting time. I think Mayor Francis Suarez has said this, too but definitely making a play to be the capital of crypto. So there's a lot going on in the crypto space here, a lot going on in Web3. Like Web3 being at the beginning, this is still at the beginning. This is a moment that we're hoping to turn into a movement, and I think it's really, really exciting. I don't think everyone is going to stay here. I don't think Miami is going to be the next Silicon Valley or New York. It has its own character. It has its own vibe. It has its own way of functioning, and that's what it is. Its original kind of environment is also what's attracting people. So it's an evolution right now. It's going to change. The people who have come here and who have been here are all in the process of evolving to what the next chapter of Miami tech is. But it's definitely an exciting time. It was a place for me where I came to professionally reinvent myself as well and really be a part of building an ecosystem. And that's very much true today for anybody who is coming here. And I think that type of opportunity is really, really exciting. There's definitely an energy, yeah. CHAD: The state of Florida has passed laws like the Woke Act recently, which can present a challenge to employers strictly speaking. You're not allowed to ask certain questions around diversity or inclusion in interviews now. And that can be uncomfortable or difficult to do business in or to say, "Hey, we're the most welcoming company. Come here. Come to Miami." Is that something that's, you know, I'm not there. So is it a challenge on the ground, or does it not really affect people day-to-day? JOHANNA: I mean, that's a really good question. I would say I haven't encountered it personally or even on the professional side with how we've been hiring. So it's hard to say from my perspective. I think certainly there are some things going on in Florida that Florida and California are very different. I myself I'm not an American. I'm not as involved in the politics. But it'll be interesting to see what happens in the future and how these things shape. I will say that employers have a lot of power because they're the ones who are bringing in a lot of money into a state. They're hiring people. And so some of the responsibility is also on the companies and employers who are in their respective areas to advocate for the things that they want to see. And one of those things is diversity, inclusion, which not everybody has made that a number one priority. And the one thing that I've said in the past is creating an inclusive and diverse ecosystem is the opportunity I think that Miami has because it is a less established tech ecosystem. The canvas isn't fully painted over, so we have an opportunity to be unique and be different and to try to avoid maybe some of the biases that have existed in other tech ecosystems. But at this point, while there has been progress made and there are some amazing individuals doing amazing things like Leigh-Ann Buchanan leading Tech Equity Miami and JPMorgan Chase coming in to support that in a really big way and Knight Foundation, we're still at a state where the minorities are advocating for the minorities. And that's something I hope to one, personally contribute to changing but as an ecosystem as a whole hope to see that happen. Because, like I said, Miami is attracting people for a certain reason, and that's great. And I think if we could build a diverse ecosystem, that would also attract certain people and retain certain people. And I am a firm believer, and, I mean, there are also stats to back it up, but the best products are built by the most diverse teams. So it goes without saying that the most diverse ecosystem is going to result in the best companies, best environment, et cetera. And I think that's the big opportunity for Miami, but we still have a lot of work to do to get there. CHAD: Yeah. Well, if folks want to follow along with you or get in touch with you or learn more about BrainStation, where are all the places that they can do that? JOHANNA: Yeah. I would love to connect with everyone. On LinkedIn, we have all of our respective social handles just at BrainStation. Even our Wyncode handles are still alive, so that's great. My parting words would be if you know someone amazing, a professional who wants to pivot careers and learn in person, now is an amazing opportunity to apply to BrainStation for incredible education and network. And I'm really looking forward to seeing amazing professionals come through the program. CHAD: And I assume if you're in a position where you're hiring talent that you should also check out BrainStation. JOHANNA: Yes, thank you, Chad. We 100% the thing we take the most pride in is connecting this amazing talent with awesome companies. I always like to tell everyone to keep a very wide lens on the type of talent you're hiring for your technology teams because some of the best individuals have very non-traditional tech backgrounds but bring so, so much to the table. Our team does a lot of work in terms of once we get to know a partner, which I would love for you all to reach out and join; we do a lot of work to make sure that we are connecting curated talent to companies. And if you go to brainstation.io/hiring-partners, you'll be able to sign up there. CHAD: Wonderful. Jo, thank you so much for joining me. I really appreciate it. JOHANNA: Great. Thank you so much. Great to be on. CHAD: You can subscribe to the show and find notes and a transcript for this episode at giantrobots.fm. If you have questions or comments, email us at hosts@giantrobots.fm. And you can find me on Twitter at @cpytel. This podcast is brought to you by thoughtbot and produced and edited by Mandy Moore. Thanks so much for listening, and see you next time. ANNOUNCER: This podcast was brought to you by thoughtbot. thoughtbot is your expert design and development partner. Let's make your product and team a success. Special Guest: Johanna Mikkola.

 Topics discussed: Launch School founding Mastery-based Learning Async vs Live Programs Future of Bootcamps  Job placement vs personalized education Building a sustainable business Bootstrapping vs VS Bootcamps are not dying; however, they are adapting. We discuss what it will take for bootcamps to thrive over the next decade.Twitter:https://twitter.com/cgleehttps://twitter.com/jfarmerRelevant links:Reshaping Education Podcast Keep up with us: Ish Baid, Founder & CEO of VirtuallyWill Mannon, Course Director of Forte Academy

About Bie Bie Aweh is a sought-after brand strategist and talent developer focused on equity and inclusion strategy which fuels her work today at DoorDash as the Senior People Growth Manager for Women/Non-binary and underrepresented talent development. With nearly a decade of experience in coaching adult learners, designing and facilitating training,  building sustainable partnerships between institutions and employers, fostering long-term professional relationships through meaningful networking opportunities, and driving social change by providing career pathways for underrepresented minorities. Previously she worked as Director of Learning & Development at uBiome, a biotechnology company with technology to sequence the human microbiome and prior to that she was a career developer at Dev Bootcamp where she built the employer partner program to work with more than 70 technology startups throughout the U.S and coached students to ensure they found meaningful employment in the innovation industry. She was also a founding team member of HBCU.vc and began her career in higher education, holding positions with UC Berkeley and Occidental College.Connect with Bie AwehTwitterLinkedinSome topics we cover in this episode:The importance of setting boundaries and bringing others along on your journeyDefining what your value is and how you add value in how you show up Shooting your shot and how that lead to partnering with LinkedInNatural Hair & Being “Professional”Practical advice on how to find a mentor Elevate Programme - co-founding a diversity and inclusion programme at DoorDash that actually works. The programme is focused on retaining and promoting high-potential women of colour into senior positions Why she struggles to celebrate accomplishments and how she is working on changing.The difference between a“Safe Space” and “Brave Space” Having a high quality to voice ratio Definition of LeadershipConnect with meWebsite: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_AgbelusiEmail: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SPREAD THE WORD. LEAVE A RATING, REVIEW, AND FEEDBACKYou can do this on Apple podcast or on StitcherYour ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners.I appreciate you and your support!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed?Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

About Bie Bie Aweh is a sought-after brand strategist and talent developer focused on equity and inclusion strategy which fuels her work today at DoorDash as the Senior People Growth Manager for Women/Non-binary and underrepresented talent development. With nearly a decade of experience in coaching adult learners, designing and facilitating training, building sustainable partnerships between institutions and employers, fostering long-term professional relationships through meaningful networking opportunities, and driving social change by providing career pathways for underrepresented minorities. Previously she worked as Director of Learning & Development at uBiome, a biotechnology company with technology to sequence the human microbiome and prior to that she was a career developer at Dev Bootcamp where she built the employer partner program to work with more than 70 technology startups throughout the U.S and coached students to ensure they found meaningful employment in the innovation industry. She was also a founding team member of HBCU.vc and began her career in higher education, holding positions with UC Berkeley and Occidental College. Connect with Bie Aweh Twitter Linkedin Some topics we cover in this episode: The importance of setting boundaries and bringing others along on your journey Defining what your value is and how you add value in how you show up Shooting your shot and how that lead to partnering with LinkedIn Natural Hair & Being Professional Practical advice on how to find a mentor Elevate Programme - co-founding a diversity and inclusion programme at DoorDash that actually works. The programme is focused on retaining and promoting high-potential women of colour into senior positions Why she struggles to celebrate accomplishments and how she is working on changing. The difference between aSafe Space and Brave Space Having a high quality to voice ratio Definition of Leadership Connect with me Website: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_Agbelusi Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPREAD THE WORD. LEAVE A RATING, REVIEW, AND FEEDBACKYou can do this on Apple podcast or on Stitcher Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. I appreciate you and your support! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed? Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

About Bie Bie Aweh is a sought-after brand strategist and talent developer focused on equity and inclusion strategy which fuels her work today at DoorDash as the Senior People Growth Manager for Women/Non-binary and underrepresented talent development. With nearly a decade of experience in coaching adult learners, designing and facilitating training,  building sustainable partnerships between institutions and employers, fostering long-term professional relationships through meaningful networking opportunities, and driving social change by providing career pathways for underrepresented minorities. Previously she worked as Director of Learning & Development at uBiome, a biotechnology company with technology to sequence the human microbiome and prior to that she was a career developer at Dev Bootcamp where she built the employer partner program to work with more than 70 technology startups throughout the U.S and coached students to ensure they found meaningful employment in the innovation industry. She was also a founding team member of HBCU.vc and began her career in higher education, holding positions with UC Berkeley and Occidental College. Connect with Bie Aweh Twitter Linkedin Some topics we cover in this episode: The importance of setting boundaries and bringing others along on your journey Defining what your value is and how you add value in how you show up  Shooting your shot and how that lead to partnering with LinkedIn Natural Hair & Being “Professional” Practical advice on how to find a mentor  Elevate Programme - co-founding a diversity and inclusion programme at DoorDash that actually works. The programme is focused on retaining and promoting high-potential women of colour into senior positions  Why she struggles to celebrate accomplishments and how she is working on changing. The difference between a“Safe Space” and “Brave Space”  Having a high quality to voice ratio  Definition of Leadership Connect with me Website: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/ Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/sopeagbelusi/ LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sopeagbelusi/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sope_Agbelusi Email: hello@mindsetshift.co.uk  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPREAD THE WORD. LEAVE A RATING, REVIEW, AND FEEDBACKYou can do this on Apple podcast or on Stitcher Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. I appreciate you and your support! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Have a question, comment or a topic you want to be discussed? Send me a voice message: https://mindsetshift.co.uk/#ask-me-anything

Topics discussed:- Founding the first coding bootcamp- The coding bootcamp revolution- Why MOOCs failed- How Jesse thinks about the student experienceRelevant links:- Jesse's Twitter- Reshaping Education PodcastKeep up with us:Ish Baid, Founder & CEO of VirtuallyWill Mannon, Course Director of Forte Academy

This week we welcome Elliott Garms to the podcast. Elliott's career in talent acquisition dates back to childhood, when he helped run his father's executive search business out of the family basement. Much has changed since these early days of manually inputting paper resumes into a then-new-fangled system called an ATS; Elliott went on to found or co-found numerous tech recruiting ventures, including Tech in the Middle, HubFunnel, Dev Bootcamp, HumanConnections.io, and most recently, humanpredictions, a comprehensive database of tech talent that leverages public data to help clients find tech talent outside of LinkedIn.Topics include: the importance of bringing timing to sourcing, public vs. private “signaling” as it relates to recruiting, why high demand talent is often less likely to maintain up-to-date public profiles, how activity on platforms like GitHub can reveal an impending career switch, the natural connection between predictive sourcing and candidate nurturing, the importance of relationship building, the issue of job-hopping, and the rise of remote work and its implications for tech recruiting.

Elliot grew up in a family of recruiters and started working in the industry when he was 16 years old. His entire career has been spent in tech recruiting. In addition to running his own tech recruiting business for many years, Elliot has also lead tech recruiting at Groupon as well as co-founding Dev Bootcamp in Chicago, which was acquired by Kaplan. Elliot's take on tech in the recruiting industry: computers can never replace people in a human-centric business, but they can help when used to solve the right problems.

Even before #COVID19 and the Remote Learning crises, the Learn team and I were working to develop better tools for parents to discover, curate, and manage extraordinary experiences for their families. Now with #COVID and #PandemicPods, we're giving parents the tools to organize their families in their pursuit of extraordinary learning. Michael Staton is a lifelong educator, colearner, and entrepreneur. Beginning as a public school teacher, Michael redesigned his classroom around getting typical high-school students ready for the academic rigors of college. Now a Partner at Learn Capital, he spent over a decade as an education entrepreneur and investor, backing innovators like Coursera, Outschool, Photomath, MakeSchool, Minerva, Clever, and NearPod. He was also helpful to the founding of Million Lives Fund, Reach Capital, Higher Ed Live, UnCollege, YearOn and Dev Bootcamp. He was co-founder and CEO of Uversity, which changed the way colleges do admissions and enrollment management. https://www.colearn.com https://www.pandemicpods.org

Morgan talks about how to keep imposter syndrome at bay while seeking a job and working in tech. To find more resources and submit your questions to the podcast, visit www.effectivelyhuman.tech

Dave Hoover, coder, CEO, and co-founder of Dev Bootcamp, talks about how developer bootcamps are evolving and why the best companies invest in their current employees. In this episode Dave and I talk about: How his company built an internal Python bootcamp for an IoT company How to build the curriculum for an internal developer bootcamp Why internal bootcamps help companies "level up" employees Upskilling employees is less costly than hiring new talent You can listen to episodes of Dynamic Developer on a variety of podcast platforms, including: Spotify: https://tek.io/34Vo2mT Stitcher: https://tek.io/2KkwjHG Apple Podcasts: https://tek.io/2xQUSt5 Google Play: https://tek.io/3btMluL Follow Bill Detwiler: https://twitter.com/billdetwiler Watch more TechRepublic videos: https://www.youtube.com/techrepublic TechRepublic on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TechRepublic/ TechRepublic on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechRepublic/ TechRepublic on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techrepublic/ TechRepublic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techrepublic/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Dynamic Developer​, we talk with Dave Hoover about how you learn the skills to become a developer, and how companies build dev teams with the right skills for today and tomorrow. Dave is not only founder and CEO of Red Squirrel, a custom software development firm, he is also a coder, author, and co-founder of Dev Bootcamp. In this episode we cover: How Dave went from a family therapist to a software developer Why life skills can help you stand out as a developer Why companies should focus on growing talented developers instead of competing for developer talent Apprenticeship vs. internship: What's the difference? Spotify: https://tek.io/34Vo2mT Stitcher: https://tek.io/2KkwjHG Apple Podcasts: https://tek.io/2xQUSt5 Google Play: https://tek.io/3btMluL Follow Bill Detwiler: https://twitter.com/billdetwiler Watch more TechRepublic videos: https://www.youtube.com/techrepublic TechRepublic on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TechRepublic/ TechRepublic on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TechRepublic/ TechRepublic on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/techrepublic/ TechRepublic on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/techrepublic/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paulette Luftig is a Senior Software Engineer, two-time team lead, and manager at Mavenlink. She is a former counselor and small business owner who transitioned into tech after attending Dev Bootcamp in 2014. In addition to coding, Paulette enjoys coaching others to develop their leadership skills.   Amanda is a Senior Software Engineer, team lead, and manager at Mavenlink. She has a Master’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering and a Bachelor’s Degree in Web Design and Engineering. A true unicorn of tech, Amanda has a broad and valuable range of skills, and is always willing to tackle any project, from designing a team logo to migrating an app to run on Kubernetes.

Jamie & Lauren talk today about her path to attending a coding bootcamp after feeling frustrated with the traditional 4-year college path that so many are encouraged to take. She calls for a rethinking of the way we push that route onto young adults as the expected route and encourages us all to consider exploring our interests and passions to help discover what we will be good at but more importantly, what will bring us joy. In 2014, Jamie attended a program called Dev Bootcamp and went on to be an educator and instructor at many different bootcamp and coding programs such as the Flatiron School, the Latin High School in Chicago, General Assembly, Kode with Klossy, and even was Lauren’s instructor at Ada Developers Academy here in Seattle!Because this podcast is dedicated to interviewing those who for example, have graduated from programs such as these, we thought it would be fun to chat with someone from the perspective of the person teaching these programs and understand her own unique path to tech. This episode with Jamie is not one to miss! Links: Coding newbie: https://www.codenewbie.org/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiepilgrim/Twitter: https://twitter.com/pilgrimmemoirs Github: http://github.com/pilgrimmemoirsJamie's Website http://www.illbringthedonuts.com/

This week, Mike, Dan, and Brandon welcome Tarlin Ray, co-founder of Kaplan Labs and former president of Dev Bootcamp. We talk generational learning and the future of work. What's the biggest issue facing managers and new workers? What does GenZ need to succeed in the work place? How important is open communication and feedback? Listen in to find out. 

Today we're talking with Jesse Farmer from CodeUnion. Jesse's story starts like many startup founders who made their way to San Francisco to take on the world. While his first venture didn't really go anywhere, Jesse went onto build Everlane to 25,000 subscribers during its pre-launch. He was also a Co-founder of Dev Bootcamp before launching a remote learning model for aspiring coders called CodeUnion. Click here for show notes and transcript. Leave some feedback: Who should I interview next? Please let me know on Twitter or in the comments below. Did you enjoy this episode? If so, leave a short review here. Subscribe to Growth Everywhere on iTunes. Get the non-iTunes RSS feed Connect with Eric Siu: Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @ericosiu

On todays episode we discuss the recent closures of dev bootcamps and their effects on the software development industry as a whole. “My impression of bootcamps is overwhelmingly positive, because it got me to where I am today” - Emma Castor, Software Engineer at Zeal Article Featured: http://www.sfchronicle.com/business/networth/article/Dev-Bootcamp-couldn-t-tough-out-industry-11297909.php Supplement Reading: https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-07-20-another-major-coding-bootcamp-iron-yard-announces-closure http://www.postandcourier.com/business/greenville-based-code-school-the-iron-yard-to-shut-down/article_3d009f9c-6d80-11e7-b277-67124d213d08.html http://windowsitpro.com/software-development/dev-bootcamp-coding-school-closing-after-5-years Leave a review and get stickers! 1. Go to our page on ITunes and leave a review 2. Take a screenshot of your review and email it to podcast@codingzeal.com 3. If you're one of the first 100 people, we'll get your mailing address and send you your stickers! Brought to you by Zeal

Kelvin Lightner is a software engineer apprentice at Intuit and a graduate of Dev Bootcamp. Prior to tech, Kelvin has a double major in Legal Studies and Economics from UC Berkeley and he worked as a consultant at Deloitte. A true lover of logic, he jumped from management consulting to tech with this strong belief that the end does not justify the means. Kevin has drawn great support from #YesWeCode, an organization that helps people from underrepresented backgrounds break into the tech space.

Erica Prenga is currently an Experience Developer at Adobe. Aware that she had a different learning style, she decided to quit college after her fourth year of studying graphic design until she ultimately figured that going to a coding bootcamp was what she wanted to do and how she wanted to learn. Erica is a Dev Bootcamp graduate and in this episode, she shares how she approached her job hunt differently as well as a couple of negotiating techniques, which people wouldn’t have normally done. Erica is big on having confidence in what you’re capable of doing and understanding your value so you don’t end up selling yourself short.

From a chef to restaurateur to Math teacher to software engineer, Mannah Kallon has a pretty crazy and nontraditional background. That makes him an asset on anyone's team. He earned degrees in Psychology and Philosophy from the University of Michigan and got his Master's in Education from Fordham University. Mannah was teaching kids in Harlem when he decided to move to the West Coast and learn how to code through Dev Bootcamp. Today, Mannah’s shares a handful of insights that you too can apply to your own life whether you want to break into tech or simply want to follow your passion! You don’t want to miss this one.

Meet Fab Mackojc While doing a corporate internship during university Fab happened to read a book called The 4-Hour Workweek which completely changed his perspective on the world and made him realise that a life working 9-5 was by no means mandatory for future success and happiness. He chose to turn down the grad job offered to him and not do any more tertiary education after graduating, a move which surprised a lot of his friends and family. He worked for a few tech startups before eventually deciding to go overseas and do an intensive programming course called Dev Bootcamp. After a few months learning web development Fab decided to move to San Francisco to work as a software engineer for Groupon. This job eventually gave him the opportunity to working remotely and travel the world. Even with all the great perks though Fab realised that life as a web developer wasn't one that suited his strengths and personality so he decided to move back home to Melbourne and focus on his own projects. He is about to release an effective cure for jet lag called Jetmojo and is the host and creator of The Journey podcast where he interviews millennials with unconventional career paths.

For Michael Jay Walker, his career was more likely driven by the motivation to do what people thought he couldn't do, fearlessly working his way up the marketing ladder until a decision to take a passionate leap into the tech space. Michael got his MBA at Ross School of Business and took on executive marketing roles for large corporations such as Ford Motor Company, Kraft Foods, PepsiCo, EA, and Mattel. 25 years later, he went out to co-found a mobile app startup and served as a Chief Marketing Officer and Operations Officer at a few other tech companies. He then decided to learn how to code at Dev Bootcamp until he was later asked to join the team as a Chief Academic Officer and Campus Director in San Francisco.

Kush Patel is the Founder of App Academy, which is considered to be the MIT of coding bootcamps. Prior to breaking into startup, Kush previously worked at hedge funds until he finally decided to pursue his passion for learning how to code through and joined the first coding class of Dev Bootcamp. Seeing the huge gap between the amount of software engineers produced each year and the amount of software engineers needed in Silicon Valley and through the US, Kush, alongside co-founder Ned Ruggeri, saw great opportunity in the bootcamp space, thus the birth of App Academy.

Since graduating from Dev Bootcamp, Tom Goldenberg has thought critically about his experience during (and after) the bootcamp, and shared two articles on Medium with advice for other coding bootcamp grads. We caught up with Tom to hear about his new job, what it’s like to interview at Google, and his newly-launched mobile development tutorial called buildreactnative.com

When your skills don't match the skills listed in the job description, what can you do? A newer option for entry level candidates and career changers are educational boot camps. These programs jam the skills you need to get the job into a short full-time course to get you up to speed quickly. Many of them also offer help with job placements once the course is complete. IT pros who are looking to move into a different functional technology area are using such courses to add new skills they need for new opportunities. And entry level candidates who don't have the technology background are attending such programs to add those skills, too. To get more insight on these educational boot camps for IT and development job seekers, we sat down with Tarlin Ray, chief operating officer of DevBootcamp, in this InformationWeek podcast. Music for this episode is "Think Tank" by David Hyde. Expert Voice's theme is "Parasite" by Lamprey.

In today's episode, we'll be talking about remaining flexible and wearing multiple "thinking hats." Developer Tea is proudly supported by Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive coding program that transforms beginners into full-stack web developers. Head over to devbootcamp.com/developertea to learn more.

Dan talks about what it takes to become a dentist and dermatologist, espresso, caring about your profession, and the failure that will follow when you only do work that's 'good enough'. Links for this episode:Why Espressos in America are not Good? — MediumBrought to you by: Squarespace (Visit Squarespace.com/quit and use the code QUIT for a free trial and 10% off your first purchase.) Dev Bootcamp (Thinking about becoming a software developer? Visit DevBootcamp.com/Quit to learn more.) Linode (Visit Linode.com/Quit and use promo code 'quit20' for $20 credit).

This week on the Boagworld Show we discuss staying motivated during the daily grind with Leigh Howells… not that I am implying Leigh Howells makes work a daily grind… um… perhaps I should record this. Boagworld is proudly supported by Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive coding program that transforms beginners into full-stack web developers. Head over to devbootcamp.com/boagworld to learn more. We are also sponsored by FreeAgent, accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, recommended by 99.5% of its users, including me.

This week on the Boagworld Show we are joined by Jon Hicks to talk about his experiences of working as an employee compared to being an independent contractor. Boagworld is proudly supported by Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive coding program that transforms beginners into full-stack web developers. Head over to devbootcamp.com/boagworld to learn more. We are also sponsored by FreeAgent, accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, recommended by 99.5% of its users, including me.

We talk Ember on the desktop, the world debut of Turing School's Javascript curriculum, React vs Ember (they teach both), how to train hordes of highly skilled devs in a brutal 7-month program, and how famous is too famous for Real World Ember.

Dan talks about first impressions, body language, and answers listener email. Links for this episode:Fool.com: Stock Market Investing Advice | ResearchAnalysis of Bill Clinton's Interview on UFOs with Jimmy KimmelAnalysis of President Obama's Interview on UFOs with Jimmy KimmelAn Introduction to Mindfulness MeditationHow To Start a Meditation PracticeMeditation GearDan Benjamin is creating Podcasts and videosBrought to you by: Bushel (Your first three devices are free forever, and each additional device is just $2 per month with no contracts or commitments. Visit the link to learn more). Dev Bootcamp (Thinking about becoming a software developer? Visit DevBootcamp.com/Quit to learn more.) Linode (Visit Linode.com/Quit and use promo code 'quit20' for $20 credit).

In today's episode, we're talking about a fundamental skill for building client relationships: active listening. Developer Tea is proudly supported by Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive coding program that transforms beginners into full-stack web developers. Head over to devbootcamp.com/developertea to learn more.

This week on the Boagworld Show we are joined by Ryan Taylor from No Divide. He joins us to share his journey of finding a job that made him truly passionate. Boagworld is proudly supported by Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive coding program that transforms beginners into full-stack web developers. Head over to devbootcamp.com/boagworld to learn more. We are also sponsored by FreeAgent, accounting software for small businesses and freelancers, recommended by 99.5% of its users, including me.

We talk dev bootcamps, how architecture design school is like programming, how sales can help you be a better programmer, and the importance of mentorship.

In today's episode, I talk about turbulence, and a new approach to responding to difficulties you encounter. Developer Tea is proudly supported by Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive coding program that transforms beginners into full-stack web developers. Head over to devbootcamp.com/developertea to learn more.

Dan talks about being specific vs general, miscommunication, misunderstandings, lazy writing, and his step back from Twitter. Links for this episode:Amazon.com: Dell Ultra HD 4k Monitor P2715Q 27-Inch Screen LED-Lit Monitor: Computers & AccessoriesBrought to you by: Squarespace (Visit Squarespace.com/quit and use the code QUIT for a free trial and 10% off your first purchase.) Dev Bootcamp (Thinking about becoming a software developer? Visit DevBootcamp.com/Quit to learn more.)

The Boagworld show is back. In this first show of the season we going to be joined by Leigh Howells to introduce what is a departure from our normal subject material. That's because in this season we're going to be discussing passions, success and motivation. Boagworld is proudly supported by Dev Bootcamp, the original immersive coding program that transforms beginners to full stack web developers. Head over to Dev Bootcamp to learn more. We are also supported by Proposify a simple way to deliver winning proposals to your clients and I have to say a personal favourite of mine.

Check out RailsClips and Angular Remote Conf!   02:46 - Leon Gersing Introduction Twitter GitHhub Blog Dev Bootcamp [Talk] Leon Gersing: Keep Software Weird 03:24 - “Augmenting Your Reality” 07:06 - Emotional Goals and Quantifying Happiness Hacking Happy by Dusty Phillips 13:49 - Quantification 15:32 - Reacting to Data 17:49 - Recognizing Patterns and Trends Journaling and Meditation 21:58 - FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) 26:20 - The Software Development Mindset Teams Should Play More Encouraging Easter Eggs Following Trails 31:55 - The Ruby Community, Whimsy, and Creating Realities why's (poignant) guide to Ruby: in color by why the lucky stiff 40:41 - Leon’s Role at Dev Bootcamp 42:16 - Wisdom; Not Authority 44:14 - Recommended Reading Aldous Huxley The Perennial Philosophy: An Interpretation of the Great Mystics, East and West Jean Baudrillard Simulacra and Simulation (The Body, In Theory: Histories of Cultural Materialism) America Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown   Picks Dollywood's Splash Country Water Adventures Park (Avdi) Normality (Avdi) Jessica Kerr: Meritocracy @ PolyConf 2015 (Jessica) Periscope (Chuck) The Eventual Millionaire Podcast (Chuck) Entreprogrammers Retreat 2015  (Chuck) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (Leon) Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown (Leon) Shel Silverstein - Freakin At The Freakers Ball (Leon) The Circle by Dave Eggers (Leon)

Check out RailsClips and Angular Remote Conf!   02:46 - Leon Gersing Introduction Twitter GitHhub Blog Dev Bootcamp [Talk] Leon Gersing: Keep Software Weird 03:24 - “Augmenting Your Reality” 07:06 - Emotional Goals and Quantifying Happiness Hacking Happy by Dusty Phillips 13:49 - Quantification 15:32 - Reacting to Data 17:49 - Recognizing Patterns and Trends Journaling and Meditation 21:58 - FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) 26:20 - The Software Development Mindset Teams Should Play More Encouraging Easter Eggs Following Trails 31:55 - The Ruby Community, Whimsy, and Creating Realities why's (poignant) guide to Ruby: in color by why the lucky stiff 40:41 - Leon’s Role at Dev Bootcamp 42:16 - Wisdom; Not Authority 44:14 - Recommended Reading Aldous Huxley The Perennial Philosophy: An Interpretation of the Great Mystics, East and West Jean Baudrillard Simulacra and Simulation (The Body, In Theory: Histories of Cultural Materialism) America Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown   Picks Dollywood's Splash Country Water Adventures Park (Avdi) Normality (Avdi) Jessica Kerr: Meritocracy @ PolyConf 2015 (Jessica) Periscope (Chuck) The Eventual Millionaire Podcast (Chuck) Entreprogrammers Retreat 2015  (Chuck) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (Leon) Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown (Leon) Shel Silverstein - Freakin At The Freakers Ball (Leon) The Circle by Dave Eggers (Leon)

Check out RailsClips and Angular Remote Conf!   02:46 - Leon Gersing Introduction Twitter GitHhub Blog Dev Bootcamp [Talk] Leon Gersing: Keep Software Weird 03:24 - “Augmenting Your Reality” 07:06 - Emotional Goals and Quantifying Happiness Hacking Happy by Dusty Phillips 13:49 - Quantification 15:32 - Reacting to Data 17:49 - Recognizing Patterns and Trends Journaling and Meditation 21:58 - FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) 26:20 - The Software Development Mindset Teams Should Play More Encouraging Easter Eggs Following Trails 31:55 - The Ruby Community, Whimsy, and Creating Realities why's (poignant) guide to Ruby: in color by why the lucky stiff 40:41 - Leon’s Role at Dev Bootcamp 42:16 - Wisdom; Not Authority 44:14 - Recommended Reading Aldous Huxley The Perennial Philosophy: An Interpretation of the Great Mystics, East and West Jean Baudrillard Simulacra and Simulation (The Body, In Theory: Histories of Cultural Materialism) America Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown   Picks Dollywood's Splash Country Water Adventures Park (Avdi) Normality (Avdi) Jessica Kerr: Meritocracy @ PolyConf 2015 (Jessica) Periscope (Chuck) The Eventual Millionaire Podcast (Chuck) Entreprogrammers Retreat 2015  (Chuck) Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain (Leon) Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown (Leon) Shel Silverstein - Freakin At The Freakers Ball (Leon) The Circle by Dave Eggers (Leon)

Last week, Forbes writer George Anders put out an article entitled, "That 'Useless' Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech's Hottest Ticket." After reading the article, we here at EdSurge thought to ourselves... gee, what should edtech companies really consider when hiring new blood? To find out that answer and more (including whether or not Anders' feelings negate the relevance of tech training programs like Dev Bootcamp), we brought Anders into the EdSurge office to get his thoughts beyond the article. Listen up, CEOs and administrators--you might just want to hire that Romance Languages major.

Dave Hoover on coding bootcamps and how immersive learning environments are helping to fix the developer talent shortage. Plus: should you learn to code?

Adarsh talks Jessie Young, who started her professional life as a political volunteer, worked in marketing, and became a developer after attending a technical bootcamp. PDA Edward "Ted" Kennedy Brookline, MA Sermo RailsBridge "Head First HTML with CSS" by Elisabeth Robson, Eric Freeman (not Kathy Sierra as I had thought) "Learn to Program" by Chris Pine Hungry Academy Dev Bootcamp Pivotal Labs

On this episode of the Blacks In Technology #BITTechTalk podcast as we discuss Dev bootcamps. What are they? Are they worth the money? These are some of the questions we’ll answer as we speak with our guest, Krista Williams, a dev bootcamp graduate, and Maurice Rabb, a dev bootcamp instructor.Krista is currently a software engineer at Zipcar. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in Linguistics in 2010. While working at a language services agency during her first two years after graduating, she began intrigued by the idea of learning to program and changing careers. After learning more about web development and starting to study coding in her spare time, she decided to pursue a career in web development and began her journey by attending an immersive bootcamp, MakerSquare, in Austin, TX during the summer of 2013.Over the past 25 years, Maurice has worked in a wide variety of programming languages, favoring pure dynamic languages such as JavaScript, Smalltalk, and Ruby. He has expertise in domain modeling, design patterns and framework development, and has the rare knack for communicating complex concepts to engineers, business people, and customers alike. As a young man, Maurice earned a BS in product design and an MS in engineering.After working corporate engineering positions at GM, Motorola, and Lockheed, Maurice returned to Chicago to start a company, Stono Technologies, LLC with his brother Christopher, developing a couple of software patents along the way. Post internet bubble, after a stint in management consult, he moved into academia. Over the past 9 years, he’s taught software engineering at the University of Illinois, at Columbia College Chicago, and now at Dev Bootcamp.Maurice is passionate about demystifying technology, and making computing more accessible to underrepresented groups. Maurice loves traveling, tinkering, playing boardgames, going on adventures with his 7-year-old daughter, and being the building super (aka Bookman) at his extended family compound.

On this episode of the Blacks In Technology #BITTechTalk podcast as we discuss Dev bootcamps. What are they? Are they worth the money? These are some of the questions we’ll answer as we speak with our guest, Krista Williams, a dev bootcamp graduate, and Maurice Rabb, a dev bootcamp instructor. Krista is currently a software engineer at Zipcar. She received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in Linguistics in 2010. While working at a language services agency during her first two years after graduating, she began intrigued by the idea of learning to program and changing careers. After learning more about web development and starting to study coding in her spare time, she decided to pursue a career in web development and began her journey by attending an immersive bootcamp, MakerSquare, in Austin, TX during the summer of 2013. Over the past 25 years, Maurice has worked in a wide variety of programming languages, favoring pure dynamic languages such as JavaScript, Smalltalk, and Ruby. He has expertise in domain modeling, design patterns and framework development, and has the rare knack for communicating complex concepts to engineers, business people, and customers alike. As a young man, Maurice earned a BS in product design and an MS in engineering. After working corporate engineering positions at GM, Motorola, and Lockheed, Maurice returned to Chicago to start a company, Stono Technologies, LLC with his brother Christopher, developing a couple of software patents along the way. Post internet bubble, after a stint in management consult, he moved into academia. Over the past 9 years, he’s taught software engineering at the University of Illinois, at Columbia College Chicago, and now at Dev Bootcamp. Maurice is passionate about demystifying technology, and making computing more accessible to underrepresented groups. Maurice loves traveling, tinkering, playing boardgames, going on adventures with his 7-year-old daughter, and being the building super (aka Bookman) at his extended family compound.

In this episode, Ben Orenstein is joined by 17 year old Jack Kaufman, author of The Found a Business Book. Ben and Jack discuss Jack's inspiration for the book and how he got all his interviews, the other opportunities it's led too, the common themes he uncovered in his interviews, the differences between those who got funding and bootstrappers, working on the book while in highschool, marketing he's doing, his plans for the future, the issue with college computer science programs, his fears about the future, and much more. The Found a Business Book mixergy.com The Side Project Book Jack's guest post for Forbes.com Haverford College pillsoftware.com Michael Hartl's Rails Totorial Learn Prime apprentice.io Dev Bootcamp Follow @thoughtbot, @r00k, and @kaufman_jack on twitter.