Ankur Spotlight

Meet Code Platoon’s New Instructor: Ankur Shah

Ankur Shah is the newest instructor to join the Code Platoon team this year, and he is already hard at work training Veterans and military spouses to become software developers. Ankur teaches in our full-time program, where our students experience a 14 week fully immersive, hands-on Coding Bootcamp. As a highly qualified instructor, we are excited to have Ankur as a great asset to the instructional staff.

Ankur received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and computer science from the University of Michigan. His studies taught him how to use innovative and critical thinking to become a critical problem-solver – something he hopes to bring to the Code Platoon classroom.

Ankur also brings real-life software engineering experience to Code Platoon. He worked for more than nine years as a software engineer at Wolverine Trading. His hands-on experience in software engineering will help him better equip students to transition from the military to the civilian workplace. He can answer questions about what employers are looking for from new hires, balancing a programmer’s workload, and what is necessary to succeed in a software engineer’s role.

I think software development can seem intimidating and out of reach for many people not already in the industry,” says Ankur. “But I truly believe that software development can and should be accessible to everyone because software is becoming more and more a part of our daily lives, and correspondingly, a greater part of new job opportunities.” 

That level of dedication has led Ankur to become a part of the Code Platoon family. 

“The fact that Code Platoon focuses on Veterans and their families makes it all the more worthwhile,” Ankur says. He truly believes in Code Platoon’s mission and has a passion for helping the Veteran community, and we know that our students will be in good hands with his guidance.

Welcome to the Code Platoon Family Ankur! 

If you would like to learn more about our Coding Bootcamp, click here.

If you want to donate and support Code Platoon’s instructional team, click here.  

Brenna Koss is Code Platoon’s Development and Operations Coordinator. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Greensboro in Political Science and French. In her free time, Brenna loves to travel and spend time with friends and family. Follow Brenna on LinkedIn.

Beyond Tech

Beyond Tech – Helping transition from the military to the civilian workplace

There are plenty of paths to take for those interested in entering the field of programming. Traditional college, Coding Bootcamps, and internships can all provide the knowledge and skills needed for the in-demand career. Knowing how to do the job and proving to an employer that you are capable are two entirely different arenas. 

Save for a few altruistic or genuinely curious folks, attending an education program of any kind is usually done for advancing career prospects. The struggle for finding meaningful employment can be challenging for those transitioning out of military life. Not being able to translate skills to terms that employers can understand, not meeting particular education requirements for a position, and difficulty adjusting to a civilian workplace. Code Platoon is aware of these facts and can help Veterans and military spouses go from the coding classroom and directly into the programming workforce with our Beyond Tech curriculum. 

“There’s a lot of Coding Bootcamps out there, and they all more or less teach the same thing, the stuff that we teach is not novel, it’s not new,” said Jon Young, Code Platoon’s Education Director. “What we want to be able to do is ensure that whenever you hire a Code Platoon graduate, you know you are bringing on a well-rounded, great employee. 

“The Beyond Tech sessions focus on things that are important to create like a great modern-day employee, and we’re hoping that our students can stand out a little bit more because of that,” Young said.  

Beyond Tech is an informative and engaging eight-part lecture series where Code Platoon students learn some of the unspoken rules and expectations when exploring a new career path. Beyond Tech is included in every Code Platoon Bootcamp program.

The series also addresses the differences between the military working environment and civilian technology companies. Overcoming the internal struggle of imposter syndrome, understanding the importance and advantages of diversity in the workplace, financial literacy, and how to best navigate the job hunt are just a few of the lessons students will be introduced to on top of learning to become a software engineer or developer. Most importantly, Code Platoon is specifically designed for the military community in mind, training with peers who have had similar experiences and taught by instructors who can meet the needs of Veterans, Servicemembers, and military spouses.Gary Coffey

“Code Platoon prepares you from going from the program straight into your new career,” says Gary Coffey, a graduate of Code Platoon currently working as a software engineer at Enova International.

After separating from the Air Force in 2017, Gary spent his first year working at a Mattress Firm on the civilian side. 

“Before Code Platoon, I was barely scraping by, and while the pay is better than what my old retail job was, I can honestly say that the best part of working now is that I don’t have to fake my enthusiasm at work because I genuinely enjoy what I do now,” Gary said.

Gary isn’t alone in his post-graduate success. More than  81% of Code Platoon graduates become Full-Time software engineers or developers within six months of completing the program. The median starting salary for graduates is $65k. 

In addition to the Beyond Tech curriculum, Code Platoon has an extensive network of companies and advocates for hiring Veteran and military spouse programmers. Thanks to these connections, Code Platoon is able to place some of the in-person Chicago-based graduates with local internships. It can help students build their portfolio, resume, and LinkedIn profiles. 

If you are or know of a Veteran or military spouse looking for a career switch, look no further than Code Platoon! Apply today.

Amanda Michelle Gordon is Code Platoon’s Content Marketing Coordinator. She is a U.S. Air Force Veteran and a student of SUNY New Paltz for Journalism and Sociology. In her free time, Amanda enjoys reading, the outdoors, and turning coffee into copy. You can find Amanda on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Career Paths

Top Veteran Career Paths

Have you ever read articles with titles like “Best Jobs for Veterans” or “Top 10 Career Fields After Your Military Service”? I did and came up with a few common themes worth digging into —but from a Veteran perspective, which appears to be the angle missing from many of these articles. 

Staying in step with Code Platoon’s theme of being honest and bringing you the bottom line without a lot of fluff, I’m going to review what seems to be the most common careers suggested for Veterans and offer you, dear reader, a straightforward take on what they mean for choices in your situation. 

After comparing a few Veteran career lists, this one on Business Insider seems to reflect the most common career options, so I’ll base our take on it, even though I’m ultimately addressing a much broader scope. The Business Insider list just works as a solid launching point for this analysis. 

Number one top career paths for Veterans: Healthcare

According to Business Insider, “The healthcare profession allows Veterans to use skills they may have learned in the military and channel them into a rewarding, mission-based, and lucrative careers.”

My initial problem with this statement is that healthcare is about as vast a career category as one can get under one banner. It’s almost like saying “helping people” is a career. While healthcare is indeed noble, there are thousands of different career opportunities in this field.

Do you want to be a medical doctor? A nurse? Administration, technical support, or food services? These require substantially different educational paths to break into, so be aware of the intricacies involved. 

If you are leaving the military with no college, these differences matter a great deal. 

One example, despite it being one of the more challenging undergraduate degrees one could obtain, a person could be a nurse in less than four years. A career in nursing starts with solid pay, good benefits and offers a lot of opportunity for upward mobility if one continues their education. The average salary for a Director of Nursing is over $100K per year. 

Compare this with a medical doctor, which would require 10+ years of schooling and fairly substantial debt but offers a large payoff in the long run.   

While neither of these is “better,” per se—every individual has a different path—the differences must be appreciated, especially considering that both options relate directly to patient care. A career in healthcare marketing or human resources department would have substantially different requirements. A veteran leaving the military would need to be aware of these to focus their path a little better than just “healthcare.”

Number two: Law Enforcement.

Careers in law enforcement are not at the top of any “most common” lists for Veteran careers, it is the one career that is mentioned on every list, so it’s worth covering. 

There are two things to note when discussing law enforcement as a possible career path. First, if you are going into it for the right reasons (more on this with number two), it is a noble career and one that can be rewarding for a very long time. I personally have several friends in this field (and was associated with it myself for a short time), and the stories they have of helping people in a time of need are countless. 

Second, however, it is often quite a different job than what many military Veterans think it is. Relating to the “right reasons” caveat just mentioned, if you believe you’re a good fit for the role of a police officer because you can handle a firearm well and your grappling skills are highly developed, then those are decidedly not the right reasons. 

Being a police officer is not about carrying a gun, looking tacti-cool, and shooting bad guys. Although that may happen, it is the exception to the norm. So, don’t go after this career if “shooting bad guys” is your primary motivation. 

If that is what is driving you, I encourage another option

Number three: Software development.

Of course, you may be thinking that we’re including software development simply because this is what Code Platoon offers a path towards. Regardless, software development legitimately makes every top Veteran career list I’ve found, at least in some form (sometimes they just have “IT professional” as the title). Let’s face it: careers in tech are not only here to stay, but they are also growing rapidly and influencing nearly every imaginable area of commerce.

But at the foundation of every tech job, whether it be cybersecurity, data analytics, or software development, lies a coding language like Python or JavaScript that holds it all together. And those who know how to write the code hold the keys to the kingdom, so to speak. 

I get a lot of questions about whether or not we have courses in areas like cybersecurity or data analytics. Here’s the short answer: no, but it’s much easier to move from code writing into those areas than the other way around, and there are a lot more opportunities open if you start here.

Software development—and the coding necessary to do it—is crucial to our economy moving forward. Just think about the restaurants that were able to weather the proverbial COVID storm—they had apps available that allowed customers to order food remotely, or they were quickly involved with GrubHub or DoorDash (both of which are entirely reliant on up-to-date software).

All tech jobs rely on computer code at some level, so, naturally, those most fluent in coding languages like Python or JavaScript will be continually in-demand. And in-demand means more money and better choices of where to work.

How’s that for stepping up in the world after spending a year or two in the desert?

Greg Drobny is a former Airborne Infantryman, PSYOP Team Chief, political consultant, professional mil blogger, and is Code Platoon’s Student Outreach Coordinator. He holds a BA in history, a Masters of Science in organizational psychology, and is currently pursuing an MA in history. He is married with four children who keep him more than slightly busy and is passionate about helping Veterans find their paths in life and develop the skills needed to pursue their goals.

Mike Platoon Final Projects

Mike Platoon Graduates Showcase their Team Projects

We’re showcasing the final group projects from the recently graduated Mike Platoon. During each Code Platoon Bootcamp, our students form teams to create a capstone project that showcases the coding, development, and teamwork skills learned in the program.

Our first team project from Mike Platoon is Skill-Link. Skill-Link is a career research tool designed to help individuals bridge the gap between their skills and their next career. 

Check out our graduates presenting Skill-Link. 

Next up is Truth or Dare.

Truth or Dare is a multi-purpose web app that emulates the timeless game Truth or Dare with a modern party game twist.

Check out six of our Mike Platoon graduates showcasing their capstone project, Truth or Dare.

The next project is designed for users that want to test their green thumb in a virtual garden and have fun while doing it.

Garden Game was developed by six Mike Platoon members as an online interactive game with a competitive leaderboard and is rated E for everyone.

The final project in our showcase – Travvy – was developed by five Mike Platoon graduates and highlighted their coding, development, and teamwork skills.

Travvy is a budget-friendly travel app that helps users be more travel savvy.

Check out Travvy presented by our Mike Platoon graduates.

My Code Platoon Journey Part 3

My Code Platoon Journey – The Final Countdown

This post is part three  of a series of posts by Cristian Baeza that document his Code Platoon journey from choosing a Bootcamp through his classes as part of the upcoming November Platoon.

Queue ‘The Final Countdown’ by Europe. The start of my Code Platoon cohort is now only weeks away. I write this piece hoping that other Veterans can see how I prepared for the Bootcamp, financially or otherwise, so that they might better prepare for their future endeavors themselves.

Vets, did you know you can use your GI Bill for a graduate degree? Graduate degrees can be much more expensive than bachelor’s degrees, so I decided that saving some of those coveted GI Bill months for a master’s degree would be a rational financial decision. This allowed me to have a safety net plan after graduating from Code Platoon. I would apply to a part-time master’s program and use GI Bill benefits to pay for it. Doing so would allow some BAH as a source of income while I find a full-time job. We can at least thank the pandemic for causing many institutions to shift towards fully online classes.

After being notified of my admittance to Code Platoon at the end of July, I knew I had to start preparing to dedicate three full months to the program come February. After the pandemic began, I was blessed to have been able to keep my job working remotely. That allowed me to pay for my last year of college and help me pay rent. After being admitted to Code Platoon, however, I had to make some budget cuts. Financially, I had to prepare not to have a source of income for the three months the Bootcamp will last. I was glad I applied early since this gave me ample time to save and plan out expenses during the program and the job hunt that comes afterward. 

I also started to research what my life would be like as a software engineer. What would be my daily routine? What would comprise a typical day at work? Startup or larger company? Frontend or backend? Both? Will I even like this field? Python? Java? Go? Go where?? I had so many questions, and luckily YouTube and Google provided a lot of answers.  

Basic coding challenges don’t really give people an idea of what software engineering can be. I wanted to see if this field was something I would enjoy or at least not hate. I invested in a part-time Bootcamp to test the waters. This Bootcamp, called NuCamp, was extremely affordable. It allowed me to learn a lot and get an idea if this is the field for me. Fortunately, it only grew my joy for choosing software development and made me look forward to starting Code Platoon even more. 

Besides applying early, I would also highly recommend being proactive in your quest to seek knowledge in this field. There are countless resources out there that can give you an idea of what jobs are actually like, so don’t be disheartened if you’ve only had exposure to coding challenges and you feel like setting your face on fire. I’m not saying that feeling will go away (it probably won’t), but seeing the possibilities of what you can create can show you the joy and fun this career choice can bring. Or it might not be for you at all. The point is to make a strong effort to find out before you are financially committed to any program.

During this last month, before starting my cohort, I will be studying for my AWS certificate. I will also be working on some portfolio projects and messing around with Electron.js. Please feel free to reach me on LinkedIn with any questions or help in any way. 

Cristian Baeza is a Marine Veteran. Cristian has been accepted to Code Platoon’s November Platoon, which begins in February 2021. Cristian is sharing his Code Platoon Journey through a series of posts documenting his search for a Bootcamp, acceptance to Code Platoon, and his classroom experience throughout the 14-week immersive Bootcamp.

Beer Making Analogy

Software Engineering vs. Software Developing vs. Data Science: an Analysis Using…Beer Making.

We get many questions at Code Platoon about the terms used in the title of this article, often specifically related to whether or not we offer classes in those particular fields. But because we strive to address these inquiries in the most thorough way possible, it only makes sense to provide answers via the military and Veteran community’s favorite cool, refreshing drink.

Beer.

Why beer, you ask? Well, I’m glad you did because you just outed yourself as an imposter. After all, no one in the military or Veteran community would question the power of beer. 

Report yourself as a spy, and may they have mercy upon you. 

For those who passed, let’s move forward. First, it is important to recognize that many terms get used interchangeably due to the nature of the world of technology. So it could very well be the case that someone is using words like “engineering” and “developing” to mean the same thing—like using “lager” and “beer,” for example.

But we can dig into each of these terms using the Brewmeister construct to understand them a bit better to make a more informed decision about which path is right for you.

Let’s start by imagining a relatively wealthy friend of yours who wants to craft a new beer. He employs you, the developer, to first figure out what tastes good to him and determine the style and platform of delivery. 

Does he want a lager, an ale, or a stout, and what should the alcohol content be? And what subtype within one of those styles most suits his taste? Dry Irish, Imperial, Coffee, and Milk are all types of stouts, so figuring out the nuances of each according to desires and needs all fall under the purview of a developer’s role.

Note that we’ve already gone beyond the typical military desires of “cold” and “a lot” for descriptors, so more technical knowledge is needed. 

Now let’s say that the flavor is dialed in, and the moneyman who sought the new beer is pleased with what was developed but wants to bring it to a larger audience and capitalize on this fresh, great taste you have discovered. It’s time to bring in the engineer.

Does the new brew meet quality standards? Is it consistently flavored between bottles 5 and 500? Can that be maintained for 5,000 more, and does that consistency meet all legal, safety, and ethical requirements for consumer protection purposes?

These are all areas of focus for the engineer, whose job is to ensure these standards are met—and met consistently. 

But what if your wealthy friend wants to take your new brand to a truly unique level? Then you will need to understand how it is received across a bigger and broader spectrum. 

In taste tests, how well is received by people when compared to other brands? And is there a way we can break this down by demographics—for example, does your new beer resonate more with officers or enlisted personnel? Does the likability skew more towards younger or older consumers? Male or female? Does the brand imagery hold more appeal to one group over another, or is it attractive across a broader spectrum?

To make sense of all these answers, including collecting them and categorizing them—you’ll need to employ a data scientist. It is their job to extrapolate and understand the facts about what the product does and to whom.

Bringing this analogy back to its original purpose (as if there were a bigger purpose than beer!), we can see how this applies to the software by merely replacing “new beer” with “new app” or “new software.” In light of that, it is easy to see how development and engineering have a lot of overlap, but the data scientist is in a bit of a different category. 

Code Platoon offers a full-stack curriculum that gives students the fundamental understanding of code writing that will form a foundation for either software development or software engineering—they can come up with a style of beer out of thin air, or they can make a new beer more consistent and palatable to a broader audience. And although this will help create tools to assist in the data analysis process, that field is moving more into the arena of statistics and statistical evaluation. 

If you are wondering why Code Platoon does not offer classes in data science, the answer is simply that our focus is on a full-stack curriculum geared towards software and coding. Our suggestion to those interested in data science in addition to what we do is to take a class or two on statistics and statistical analysis and pair that with the knowledge of Python you’ll learn at Code Platoon (data scientists tend to use Python). Economics and business analytics-themed courses would be a great addition to what a full-stack curriculum has brought you.

 Only you can decide which is the right path for you, of course. Understanding that these skills do somewhat overlap and understanding the code that underlies all of it will do nothing but help in any area.

 To put it in the theme of the current topic, beer creators can also compare with others how their brew tastes, and there is nothing to stop them from learning how to analyze how other people react to it. Because who doesn’t like a well-rounded approach to that classic libation?

Greg Drobny is a former Airborne Infantryman, PSYOP Team Chief, political consultant, professional mil blogger, and is Code Platoon’s Student Outreach Coordinator. He holds a BA in history, a Masters of Science in organizational psychology and is currently pursuing an MA in history. He is married with four children who keep him more than slightly busy and is passionate about helping Veterans find their paths in life and develop the skills needed to pursue their goals.

My Code Platoon Journey

My Journey to Code Platoon -Preparing for November Platoon

This post is part two of a series of posts by Cristian Baeza that document his Code Platoon journey from choosing a Bootcamp through his classes as part of the upcoming November Platoon.

With November Platoon starting on February 1st, Code Platoon provided a month-long prework that is common among coding bootcamps. Code Platoon’s prework, however, offers a different structure from other programs. 

First, this prework is only available to those enrolled in the program. Not to be confused with the Bootcamp Prep Course that anyone can attend (that I would highly recommend). During Thanksgiving week, I attended the initial prework Zoom meeting where a Code Platoon instructor explained how the next month would work. Along with access to the prework, everyone in my cohort received access to a private Slack channel. The channel essentially allowed the cohort to meet, discuss, and help each other out two months before the program even began. 

Having done the month-long Bootcamp Prep Course in July, the prework was a great refresher on algorithm challenges. Each week we had to complete three coding challenges and a graded assessment. I felt like this was a small number of challenges, but it allowed me to be proactive and spend time on other resources. I didn’t find them overly complicated, but some of the graded assessment questions were much harder, yet fun, to solve.

Additionally, each week had additional resources available to be better prepared. The prework provided a copy of Eloquent JavaScript (a great book) to review, and it got us started on our algorithm and data structures certificate on Freecodecamp.com (another great resource). There were also two scheduled “check-in” meetings during the month of the prework. In these meetings, I would meet with two of my future classmates and talk to a Code Platoon instructor. He asked us how we are doing and encouraged us to ask any questions that we might have about the prework or our upcoming cohort. 

The prework ran for about five weeks. The schedule would leave all of January without prework, but Code Platoon’s program gave us the study guide and resources to obtain an Amazon Web Services certification. I find this to be a huge plus, and the ability to get this certification, along with the Agile certification, is one of the main reasons I chose  Code Platoon.

The prework might have lacked in quantity of coding challenges. Still, it made up for it by connecting the whole cohort in the Slack channel, providing resources to obtain the AWS cert, and meeting with the instructors to answer any questions. The instructors were always willing to connect and answer any questions I had about the coding challenges or software development in general (shoutout to Ankur!). Any certification to pad our resumes is a fantastic opportunity to be competitive when applying for jobs in the future. Code Platoon certainly has provided that opportunity with this prework. 

Cristian Baeza is a Marine Veteran. Cristian has been accepted to Code Platoon’s November Platoon, which begins in February 2021. Cristian is sharing his Code Platoon Journey through a series of posts documenting his search for a Bootcamp, acceptance to Code Platoon, and his classroom experience throughout the 14-week immersive Bootcamp.

Intern Experience

The Intern Experience: Learning with Mike Platoon

At the end of August 2020, we accepted offers to be Code Platoon’s TA interns for their fall 2020 cohort, Mike Platoon.

As students studying Computer Science and Software Engineering, we spent previous semesters taking traditional CS/SE courses. Like our counterparts studying other subjects, we believed we would be able to find internships that would allow us to apply our in-class learnings to real-life challenges. 

We were wrong. 

After spending hours reading applicant qualifications for software development roles, we were bombarded with words like “front-end developer,” “backend developer,” “SQL,” “JavaScript,” and “React.” We came face-to-face with the reality that despite the fundamentals our CS/SE curriculums focused on, we were not adept in using these current industry technologies and languages. After seeing the Code Platoon TA intern opportunity open up that allowed for the dynamic of learning these skills and teaching, the decision to apply quickly followed.

Throughout the program, we sat through the lectures with all the students from the Mike Platoon cohort, studying a curriculum that focused on developing relevant skills for the full-stack development role. Utilizing off-hours and weekends, we were able to stay a couple of days ahead of the other students, which allowed us to serve as teaching assistants for the debugging process and gave us the ability to answer lingering questions. 

Although our time with the coding Bootcamp advanced our coding skills, we also gained much from the Beyond Tech sessions and Career Prep sessions, which covered topics ranging from mock interviews to salary negotiations and diversity in the workplace. Beyond Tech gave us a more realistic glimpse into the tech industry as a whole and what we can expect going in. The information gained from these “soft skills” sessions included some of our biggest takeaways, with information applicable to more than just a tech industry career.

If we could go back to the beginning of October and speak to ourselves and the students, we would advise them to continue asking questions. Everyone starts at a different place. Some students come in with a host of knowledge already, and some are starting from scratch. The key is to keep practicing what you’ve learned. If you’re confused about what you’re learning, ask questions. The internet and everyone in your cohort — both your instructional team and your classmates — is here to help you.

We are glad to have been allowed to work with fantastic people from Mike Platoon. We have learned so much from the journey. We know that the journey does not stop here and are excited to see what the future holds. It has been a pleasure working with everyone!

Merry Shen is a T.A. for Code Platoon’s 13th cohort, Mike Platoon. She is a rising Sophomore at the University of Michigan studying Computer Science and Mathematics. Follow Merry on LinkedIn

Alyssa Arce is a T.A. for Code Platoon’s 13th cohort, Mike Platoon. She is currently studying Software Engineering and Sustainability at Arizona State University. Follow Alyssa on LinkedIn or find her on Instagram.

Alumni in Action

Alumni in Action – Justin Savage, Software Developer

JPMorgan Chase is a leader in investment banking and financial services and the workplace of Code Platoon alumni Justin Savage, Kilo Platoon 2020. Justin interned with the company and now works there full-time as a software developer. As a developer, Justin analyzes what JPMorgan Chase’s users are looking for and develops software to meet those needs. Here’s a look at what he does in his own words.

“As a software developer, I collaborate with other engineers to determine and execute a plan to build new software features,” Justin said. “These features meet the overall need of a software service or, in other words, meet requirements for the users of that service.

“Developers design, test, and develop software for their company,” he said. “We also recommend upgrades for existing programs and systems. My team often works in two-week sprints to incrementally build out an entire system.” 

But the process for the teams creating the software doesn’t end once the system is built.

“We’re also part of making sure the software integrates seamlessly with the software of other teams,” Justin said. “Those responsibilities might typically fall to a QA or ‘development operations’ team at another company.

“My day at Chase starts with a daily stand-up, where each member of the team shares their priorities for the day,” he said. “After the stand-up, most of the developers head off to work individually on their tasks. That doesn’t mean we work alone. Throughout the day, we collaborate with other team members to address common issues or test out code.”

And Chase prioritizes culture in the workplace. “They provide a lot of opportunities to socialize with coworkers both on our team and throughout the department.”

Are you interested in becoming a software developer like Justin? Read up on the curriculum for our Bootcamp to see if Code Platoon is right for you.

Brynne Ramella is a full-time writer with a focus on technology and entertainment. She’s thrilled to use her talents to work with a great organization like Code Platoon. She spends most of her free time with her cat Marley.

 

Black and Hispanic Scholarships

Black and Hispanic Scholarship

Over the last few years, the conversation of equity has become front and center for many institutions, Code Platoon included. As a Coding Bootcamp tailored to serve Veterans and military spouses, Code Platoon attracts people from all walks of life. It is dedicated to providing a unique programming education with viable financial options to bring students closer to their next profession as software developers.

Thanks to the generosity of donors and corporate sponsors, Code Platoon has provided generous scholarships to many students, creating an affordable and attainable opportunity. Code Platoon will be offering a Black and Hispanic Scholarship to enrolled students to further diversity in the technology field.

Stack Overflow, a site for professional programmers to ask and share insights on the industry of programming conducted a global survey in 2019 to gauge who made up the field and what issues workers faced. In terms of demographics only, 3.6% of respondents stated their ethnicity as Black or of African descent. Those who responded coming from a Hispanic or Latin background was at 7.1%. 

Currently, unemployment numbers are difficult to pin down due to the uncertainty in the job market caused by the Coronavirus. However, in a recent study done the VA found that minority Veterans have a 44 percent higher risk of unemployment than non-minority Veterans. We know that our minority students face these challenges, and we believe that our Coding Bootcamp can help overcome these odds as 81% of our graduates find Full-Time employment as developers six months after completing the program. 

Given the unique experiences that the military can provide, employers have begun to recognize the Veterans’ values in the workforce. Ability to adapt, exposure to leadership, and a strong work ethic are just a few of the reasons Vets make great employees, and that mindset should be extended to the minority Veteran population, and chances are it will be embraced more over time as the service branches, and the country as a whole, become more diverse.

“Code Platoon has always been a mission-driven nonprofit, with a goal to help Veterans and spouses. Within this population, we know there is a greater need to support Black and Hispanic students, who are underrepresented in technology. This scholarship will help with access, equity, and creating more opportunities for those that need them the most.” says Rod Levy, ED and Founder of Code Platoon. 

While Code Platoon is a small Coding Bootcamp creating this scholarship is aimed at making an impact and continuing to diversify the programming field while also empowering Veterans and military spouses into sustainable careers. 

To apply for this scholarship, interested students will just indicate on their application and the admissions team will follow up with them. This financial assistance could not be made possible without the aid of donors and supporters of Code Platoon. As a nonprofit, Code Platoon is fortunate to have stakeholders who believe in our mission and are invested in diversifying technology jobs. 

Amanda Michelle Gordon is one of Code Platoon’s summer interns, serving in the Content and Marketing department. She is a U.S. Air Force Veteran and a student of SUNY New Paltz for Journalism and Sociology. In her free time, Amanda enjoys reading, the outdoors, and turning coffee into copy. You can find Amanda on LinkedIn and Twitter.