Are you a good fit for Coding Bootcamp?

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Many people are considering jobs in the high tech industry. And to get there, rather than pursuing traditional computer science degrees, more and more people are enrolling in Coding Bootcamps – intensive courses in programming, design, and data science.

Immersive Coding Bootcamps give students the opportunity to learn by doing in a collaborative environment. Many hours are spent coding and applying the principles taught in the lectures; working on teams to solve complex code challenges that simulate real-world work experience.  This type of environment has resulted in some coding bootcamps having demonstrated placement rates comparable to top four-year colleges.

But are these programs right for you? We’ve come up with three “Are you ready..” questions for you to ask yourself and three “Right fit” questions to ask about a Bootcamp to determine if a program works for you.

Three “Are you ready…” Questions to ask yourself if a Bootcamp is a good fit for you.

  1. Are you ready for an accelerated, high-intensity learning experience? If the idea of learning the intricacies of Full-stack development for 10 to 12 hours a day for 15 weeks sounds a bit crazy, that’s because it is. You have to be mentally prepared to challenge yourself in a Full-time learning environment. (Sound a little intimidating? Consider Evening and Weekend options.)
  2. Are you ready to make a commitment to coding?  There will be moments when it’s going to be much easier to give up than to continue. If in the back of your mind you’re thinking, “It is not that serious,” you may have already sabotaged yourself.
  3. Are you ready to learn with others? One of the best reasons to attend a Coding Bootcamp is that you get to learn and network with a bunch of committed people who are also smart, hard-working, and dedicated to becoming skilled software developers. A huge benefit to the Coding Bootcamp model is that many employers will require you to pair program, or at the very least collaborate with other team members to complete projects and resolve issues, so a collaborative education will prepare you well for the workplace.

Three “Right fit” questions to ask about a Bootcamp program.

  1. Do they provide internships and career placement assistance? Many Coding Bootcamps do not, or their placement assistance is weak and lacks connections with employers – most particularly connections within the IT department and HR/hiring managers of employers.
  2. Is the Course Curriculum the right fit for your career needs and what employers are looking for? You want to ensure that when you are done you have the skills employers are seeking. Comprehensive Bootcamps focus on Full-stack development. Most sophisticated web applications can be thought of as being composed of two parts: the front-end, and the back-end. The front-end of the stack revolves around what the end-user sees, which is the web page. HTML, CSS, and Javascript are some of the important technologies which are used to build and manipulate web pages. React.js is a very powerful library for working on the front-end. The back-end of the stack is where data gets stored, manipulated, and analyzed. Our tools-of-the-trade for backend development is Python and SQL.
  3. Is the Bootcamp the right fit for you? A good Bootcamp will pre-screen you and require you to pass an assessment to determine your readiness level for success in their program. Otherwise, you could end up in a program that is far too intense and “above your head”; a terrible situation to find yourself in given the cost in both time and money.

Being able to answer these questions is a great start to deciding if a Coding Bootcamp is a good fit for you.

Code Platoon was created to connect members of the Veteran community with career opportunities in the technology field while helping to facilitate the transition into civilian life.  Code Platoon teaches Veterans and military spouses marketable skills that leverage core competencies, transforming them into software developers through an immersive, hands­-on, educational process and paid internship program. Over 80% of people who attend a Code Platoon Bootcamp find a job within six months with an average salary increase of $25k.

Traditional boot camps cost $10,000 or more. Code Platoon’s sponsors and corporate partners help to make this an affordable option for veterans and military spouses through scholarships. Code Platoon also is also GI Bill and VET TEC approved for eligible applicants. Code Platoon is a Department of Defense approved Skillbridge program, in accordance with DODI 1322.29 and NAVADMIN 222/15.

Jim Hennessey is Code Platoon’s Director of Marketing. Jim brings a strong background in no-profit marketing and start-up enterprises to the mission of Code Platoon. Jim is a graduate of Clemson University and currently lives in Chicago. Follow Jim on LinkedIn.

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Code Platoon part of DoD Skillbridge program for transitioning service members

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Code Platoon is a Department of Defense approved Skillbridge program, in accordance with DODI 1322.29 and NAVADMIN 222/15.

Code Platoon provides transitioning service members with an opportunity to develop in-demand job skills while still serving. Specifically, service members who participate via SkillBridge can use their last 6 months of active duty to participate in Code Platoon’s Full-time Coding Bootcamp.

In addition to the accelerated, high intensity, 14-week Coding Bootcamp with small classes focused on hands-on experience, Code Platoon offers a variety of career enhancement opportunities. These include career planning and job search strategies and skills-building, with resume writing and interview techniques. Code Platoon also provides interaction with tech industry leaders and a competitive internship program with our hiring partners.

The Skillbridge program is open to military service members who are within six months of separation or retirement. Participants take part in the Code Platoon Full-time remote program or may attend In Person with command approval. This means you’ll be able to take the program from wherever you live now or attend a live setting at our Chicago classroom.

Code Platoon provides a special full scholarship for the remote program for students who attend through SkillBridge. Partial Scholarships or the GI Bill can be used for the In-person program.

Eligibility:

The Code Platoon Skillbridge program is open to military service members who are within six months of separation or retirement. It is also open to recently transitioned veterans.

ACTIVE DUTY SERVICE MEMBERS MUST:

  • Secure command approval to participate.
  • Complete the Code Platoon Step One application. During the application process, list yourself as active duty and select that you are interested in the SkillBridge scholarship.
  • Complete  Part Two of the Code Platoon application.
  • For those interested in attending in-person, work with the VA for GI Bill approval and command approval.
  • If you have any questions or need additional information, please email info@codplatoon.org.

Disclaimer: The Department of Defense and service branches do not endorse any company, sponsor or their products or services.

Jim Hennessey is Code Platoon’s Director of Marketing. Jim brings a strong background in no-profit marketing and start-up enterprises to the mission of Code Platoon. Jim is a graduate of Clemson University and currently lives in Chicago. Follow Jim on LinkedIn.

Making good at coding bootcamp

Making Good at a Coding Bootcamp: An instructor’s view on traits of the successful Bootcampers

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You have probably heard the phrase “coding Bootcamp”. Maybe, since you’re on the Code Platoon website, you’re already thinking of enrolling in one yourself. There’s never been a better time to do so; web development is one of the fastest-growing fields in the world, and Bootcamps are an effective and relatively low-cost way of breaking in. However, that doesn’t mean Bootcamps are the best fit for everybody.

My name is Noa Heinrich. I graduated from Dev Bootcamp in the Spring of 2016. I later went on to be an instructor, first at the Flatiron School, and now Code Platoon. I have been through the Bootcamp experience as a student and helped many others through it as an instructor.

The most successful students I’ve encountered have always embodied the following three traits. Without at least one of them, you might just find yourself burning out before you graduate.

The first and most important trait is resilience. They are called coding Bootcamps for a reason. As a student, you will be learning and working all day, every day, for months. The Code Platoon Bootcamp spans 14 intensive weeks of study.  You’ll go to bed and dream about coding, and then wake up the next day to do it all over again. It isn’t an experience for the faint of heart.

Another essential trait for succeeding in a Bootcamp is a growth mindset, as opposed to a fixed mindset. A person with a fixed mindset says “I’m not a coder”, while a person with a growth mindset says “I haven’t learned to code yet”. It is the focused belief that you are capable of growing and evolving, rather than accepting your limits as they already are.

Finally, a successful bootcamper needs to be able to play well with others. Most tech companies expect their employees to work as part of flexible teams. So paired programming and group projects are normal for every Bootcamp.  You will be working alongside a small group of people every day, and if you’re unpleasant to your classmates, you’ll find that your experience will not go well.

If you read this blog and thought “hey, that sounds like me”, then good news: you’d probably be a great candidate for a coding Bootcamp! But if you’re unsure – don’t worry, you’re in great company, as many of the most successful graduates felt the same way as they were filling out their application. The coding Bootcamp experience will be the most difficult experience you’ll ever love, but it’s definitely worth it.

Noa Heinrich authored this guest blog post. Noa is an instructor at Code Platoon and has worked as an instructor at the Flatiron School and Power Up Tech Academy. She is also a host of the weekly gaming podcast, Tabletop Potluck. Follow Noa on LinkedIn.

Rich Epsy - Ensnare

Providing Local Networking Resources to Code Platoon Students

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One thing that distinguishes Code Platoon’s Bootcamp program from others is the opportunity our in-person students have to be part of a highly-competitive internship program. All of our in-person graduates will compete for coveted internships with some of our major Chicago-area corporate partners. Roughly two-thirds of graduates will be placed in a paid internship.

During the month of March, our Kilo Platoon students had the opportunity to meet and network with technology leaders from two of our internship partners – Ensnare and JP Morgan Chase & Co. to learn about internship opportunities.

Ensnare is an emerging security technology company. The company is a patent-pending, next-generation IoT security solution designed to deliver community safety by capturing the digital fingerprint of assailants and providing essential forensic data leading to the detection, capture, prosecution, and conviction of violent crime perpetrators.

Rich Espy (pictured), co-founder of Ensnare, and several of the company’s developers met with Kilo Platoon at their Near West Side offices. They shared their unique approach to agile development and provided a pre-launch glimpse of the technology they will be deploying. Ensnare will provide one member of Kilo Platoon an internship opportunity at the conclusion of the 14-week class.

In addition to his work at Ensnare, Rich is also a member of the Code Platoon Board and served as an intelligence officer for the United States Marine Corps.

The Platoon also had an afternoon of networking and presentations from the technology team at JP Morgan Chase. The company provides merchant services worldwide and has more than 50,000 technology employees at 18 worksites around the world. Internships for Code Platoon students at JP Morgan Chase can lead to full-time roles as part of the company’s Military Pathways Program for Veterans.

Iggy Kahn- Chase

Iggy Kahn (pictured) a Managing Director in the Chase Merchant Services group led the company’s presentation to Kilo Platoon. He was joined by several technology leaders and developers, including previous Code Platoon graduates currently working at Chase. Iggy is a Veteran U.S. naval flight officer who flew 76 combat missions and earned three air medals. He also serves on the Board of Code Platoon.

For more information on the Code Platoon internship program, visit https://www.codeplatoon.org/the-program/internships/

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.

Code Platoon COVID19 Update

Code Platoon and the COVID-19 virus

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Like most Americans, Code Platoon is navigating uncharted waters as we adapt to restrictions designed to lessen the spread of COVID-19 virus. From social distancing to remote workplaces; increased use of remote video to new approaches to delivering information and education – we are adapting to a new reality.

With the spread of COVID-19, Code Platoon has set up a comprehensive plan to make sure current students can continue their Coding instruction utilizing remote strategies with the full support of our instructors and program staff. Despite the crisis, our programs are continuing in the safest manner possible.

Our small team is currently working remotely due to the virus, but thanks to video conferencing, messaging platforms and cloud-based services we remain connected to our students and the classroom on a regular basis.

Our ability to stay plugged into the current Kilo Platoon and the soon to commence Alpha Evening and Weekend Platoon during the COVID-19 pandemic is powered by the generous support of our partners and sponsors including Instacart. Instacart is a technology company that operates as same-day grocery delivery and pick-up service in the U.S. and Canada.

Over the last few weeks, consumers have relied on Instacart as an essential service provider to get the groceries, household goods and personal healthcare items they need. As consumer demand has increased, the Instacart shopper community has stepped up as household heroes for families across the country.

Code Platoon has relies on grants from corporate partners including Instacart to ensure that our classroom and operations are powered by the latest technology. These grants are especially useful in providing funding for video conferencing equipment and services.

Without the support of our partners, Code Platoon may have lagged in its ability to respond and adapt to the restrictions caused by the COVID-19 virus. Instead, their generous gifts have allowed for the seamless transition of our support team to move to a remote working model, while not missing a moment of important interaction with our classroom.

Follow Code Platoon on Facebook and Twitter for updates on COVID-19 efforts. We encourage our Code Platoon community to stay healthy and safe during these challenging times.

Jim Hennessey is Code Platoon’s Director of Marketing. Jim brings a strong background in no-profit marketing and start-up enterprises to the mission of Code Platoon. Jim is a graduate of Clemson University and currently lives in Chicago. Follow Jim on LinkedIn.

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Kilo Platoon Update Blog

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Stay up to date with Kilo Platoon through the coding boot camp journey and beyond!

Kilo Platoon starts their coding journey

On January 6, 2020 Code Platoon proudly welcomed 23 new students to our Kilo cohort. During their first week of class, Kilo students heard from our alumni on best practices, both in and out of the classroom, as they start their journey with Code Platoon. In addition, the new student reception, hosted by Code Platoon at our classroom, provided an opportunity for students, staff, volunteers, and alumni to meet each other during the first week of class. This networking opportunity is just one of many that Kilo students will have as they embark on their training with Code Platoon. 

Kilo cohort is comprised of 12 in-person students and 11 remote students. Veterans of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Army National Guard, and Air Force have combined forces to complete our first cohort of 2020. These students will begin their software development careers alongside our two full-time instructors, Tom Prete, Marine veteran, and Noa Heinrich, an AmeriCorps graduate with a passion for our mission. 

Noa is “looking forward to joining this wonderful community at Code Platoon. I can’t wait to see just how far my students will go as they learn more about software development and find careers in the growing technology sector.”

Over the course of the program, these students will spend 60-80 hours a week together, participating in lectures and events, completing coding challenges, and learning best practices in Python and AWS, among other skills. They will grow together and culminate their Code Platoon experience with group projects. Group projects are presented at graduation on April 17, 2020.

Join us in welcoming Kilo platoon and wishing them well on their coding journey!

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Juliet Platoon Update Blog

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Juliet Platoon is Code Platoon’s 10th cohort of students, and this is where we’ll track their journey from start to finish, and for some alumni, even beyond!

Juliet Platoon Starts Internships

Monday January 13, 2019 marks the beginning of Juliet Platoon’s internships! Seven of our most recent graduates will embark on their new careers with our corporate sponsors including: DRW, Chicago Trading Company, 8th Light, and Grainger.

The week following graduation, also known as Interview Week, included four to five interviews for each student, allowing them direct access into these companies and an opportunity to learn about the different roles available to them. The Code Platoon team helped students prepare for these interviews through mock interviews, whiteboarding practice, and group interview sessions with industry leaders. Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped our students prepare! 

Over the next three to five months, our newest alumni will extend their learning through full-time paid internships at their host companies. This experience will continue to help our students grow into well rounded software development professionals. 

Join us in wishing them luck in their new professional roles!

Juliet Platoon celebrates graduation

Juliet Platoon, our 10th class, graduated on Friday December 13, 2019 at 2:30pm at JP Morgan Chase. Thirteen students graduated, with 9 students utilizing their VA benefits and 4 students receiving scholarships from Code Platoon. Four of the five branches of service were represented, with 7 Soldiers, 3 Marines, 2 Sailors, and 1 Airman completing our program and embarking on careers in software development.  

Executive Director Rod Levy commented, “All 13 students of Juliet cohort showed great grit and determination over the last 14 weeks, with highlights including innovative personal projects, incredible networking opportunities, and a commitment to ensuring every fellow student, in-person and remote, achieved their greatest amount of success. New for Juliet was the addition of VET TEC, an innovative program offered by The Department of Veteran Affairs that helps more veterans find training opportunities in software development. The addition of VET TEC helped Juliet become our largest class to date.”

Juliet cohort graduates will continue their journeys with paid software development internships and apprenticeships exclusively offered to Code Platoon alumni to further their coding careers. The internships available for Juliet include Chicago Trading Company, DRW, Narrative Science, 8th Light, and Grainger.

Juliet_Introduction

Newly minted Code Platoon alumni, Michael Blaha, recounted his time at Code Platoon, “Code Platoon is not only a program that instructs you how to become a software engineer, but it also connects you to a large network of professionals that can guide you into and through the industry. One of the advantages to the Code Platoon environment is that you get to do this while connecting with a family of veterans that are participating with you.”

Thank you to our newest corporate sponsor, JP Morgan Chase, for hosting Code Platoon! Located on the 56th floor of Chase Tower, guests of Code Platoon took in breathtaking views of the city and enjoyed the celebration and reception. In 2020, JP Morgan Chase will host Code Platoon graduates for internships and help provide opportunities for networking in the field. Iggy Khan, a JP Morgan Chase Managing Director and Code Platoon Executive Board Member noted, “It was inspiring to meet the students. Their graduation presentations demonstrated the incredible skill they attained over the past several months of training. I am sure their future employers can’t wait for them to join. I wish each of them the best of luck with their new careers.”

Congratulations, Juliet Platoon!

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Javascript React event for Juliet Platoon

At Code Platoon, we think it’s important to expose students early to the fact that they’ll encounter more than one programming language in their careers as developers.

We specifically teach Python and Javascript at Code Platoon. After the first half of the program, where the students focus on Python and the full-stack Django framework, they move on to Javascript and the front-end React framework. As a new software developer, switching between two different computer languages can be difficult, but switching between two different languages AND frameworks simultaneously can be downright mentally debilitating.

However, the students were fortunate to have the guidance and React expertise of Quinn Stephens, a Developer at Table XI, to introduce and teach Javascript’s React framework. Quinn covered the core ethos of React and walked them through the main concepts, Functional and Class based components, State and Props, and the Lifecycle methods to build their first React Application.

After the React workshop, the students were enthusiastically confident in their ability to tackle more complex React concepts like Hooks, a recent addition to React, and refactor their code and future challenges to accommodate Hooks. Now the students have the ability to create a full-stack applications using Django and now, thanks to Quinn Stephens and Table XI, React.

It’s always a delightful feeling seeing students empowered to take on challenges and problems with the tools they learned in the 14 weeks at Code Platoon. Thank you to Quinn Stephens of Table XI for continuing to support Code Platoon and our students.

Juliet Platoon visits Table XI

At Code Platoon, our students are introduced to concepts outside of traditional programming instruction. Our most recent cohort, the student’s of Juliet Platoon, had the pleasure of participating in an Agile training workshop hosted by Mark Yoon, John Newfry, and Gayle Silverman of Table XI. During the workshop, students learned Agile processes and how to structure and deliver a project using Lego bricks. 

table xi coding

First, the students broke off into two teams of four and had to work together to meet the requirements of a project that was requested by their client, John Newfry & Gayle Silverman. Their project? To build a vehicle that can handle the terrain and species of another planet. The workshop’s lead instructor, Mark Yoon, taught the students the Agile process of Iterations and the elements of an Iteration. 

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Throughout the workshop the students were tested in asking the right questions, working together, and delivering a successful project to the client. Through each iteration the students learned, evolved their strategy, and accelerated their velocity; successfully meeting the requirements of their client.

table xi instruction

The students left the workshop with a better understanding of how to work in teams and with clients, while most notably learning the importance of failing quickly. 

Thank you to Mark Yoon, John Newfry, and Gayle Silverman and the rest of the team at Table XI for continuing to support Code Platoon and our students.

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Juliet Platoon starts its coding boot camp journey – 8/29/2019

On August 29, 2019 Code Platoon proudly welcomed 15 new students to our Juliet cohort. The new student reception, hosted by Braintree Payments at Chicago’s famed Merchandise Mart, provided an opportunity for students, staff, volunteers, and alumni to meet each other before class starts. This networking opportunity is just one of many opportunities Juliet students will have as they embark on their training with Code Platoon. 

Juliet cohort is comprised of 10 in-person students and 5 remote students.  Veterans of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force have combined forces to complete our third and final cohort of 2019. These students will begin their software development careers alongside two new instructors, Tom Prete, Marine veteran, and Mike Lee, Navy veteran. 

Mike, who is also a graduate of Code Platoon (Bravo cohort in 2017) is “looking forward to teaching this new group of students and helping them grow into professionals in the technology sector. I am excited to share my experience, both as a student at Code Platoon and professional, to help each student grow to their fullest capacity.” 

Over the course of the program, these students will spend 60-80 hours a week together, participating in lectures and events, completing coding challenges, and learning best practices in Python and AWS, among other skills. They will grow together and culminate their Code Platoon experience with group projects. Group projects are presented at graduation on December 13, 2019.

Join us in welcoming Juliet platoon and wishing them well on their coding journey!

 

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Celebrate Code Platoon 2019 guests show generous support for the mission

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Celebrate Code Platoon 2019 was held on November 14 from 6:00-10:00pm in Chicago. We were graciously hosted by Nacional 27. With over 170 friends of Code Platoon in attendance, we celebrated our fourth year of serving veterans and military spouses and helping them find careers as software development professionals. 

Executive Director, Rodrigo Levy, hosted the program portion of the evening, where he reminded our guests that 36 veterans and military spouses will graduate Code Platoon in 2019, bringing our total alumni base to 85. We are particularly proud that we helped those veterans and spouses who need help the most: 85% of our graduates were enlisted, which means they don’t necessarily have a college degree or any college at all. We have helped address veteran unemployment, and not to put too fine a point on it, veteran underemployment. The median income of our graduates when they enter Code Platoon is $33,000; when they leave it’s $65,000 and on their way to much more. And they get to enter a career that won’t disappear in 5 or 10 years, and has virtually no limits.

DRW, Partner of the Year, 2019

Brig. General (Ret.) Stephen Curda, PhD, Executive Director of Illinois Joining Forces, gave the keynote address, highlighting the unique position Code Platoon has in helping our nation’s heroes find full time careers in the growing technology field. Our 2019 Partner of the Year, DRW, is an exemplary company, who is answering the call to help our veterans and military spouses by providing paid internships upon graduation. We proudly shared this video with our guests to highlight DRW’s commitment to Code Platoon. 

Code Platoon Alumni, 2019

The program ended with our second annual alumni video, featuring recent graduates and their experience with Code Platoon. Our alumni then came to life, hosting our first annual paddle raise, where guests could pledge their support for Code Platoon by raising their paddle and contributing funding directly to our students! We are proud to say that we were able to raise over $45,000 through the paddle raise. Thank you to our Friends of Code Platoon!

Celebrate Code Platoon 2019 was a success, in large part, thanks to our event sponsors including DRW, G2, Motorola Solutions, Hyde Park Venture Partners, SEI, OCA Ventures, Jill and David Greer, and David and Peggy Rogers. These sponsors, along with our guests, helped to raise over $93,000 for our program! These contributions will be 100% invested into our program, helping more veterans and military spouses find our program and start a new career in software development. 

For those that couldn’t join us at Celebrate Code Platoon 2019, it’s not too late to support our 2020 classes of veterans and military spouses. Please visit our donations page to donate today! 

We are humbled by the generosity of our supporters and excited for our 2020 classes!

code camp alumni video 2019
code camp alumni video 2019

DRW Video Transcript

Hank Moon:                  My name is Hank Moon and I graduated from India Platoon.

Holly Burd:                   I’m Holly Burd and I was in India Platoon.

Seth Thompson:            My name is Seth Thompson. I’m the CIO at DRW. I was one of the early adopters of code platoons program. The whole cause jelled well with our firm and what we believe in and with what I believe in around educating the underserved, and we continued to try interns and work with the program and mentor. And I’ve hired at least five of six of the interns so far. It’s just been a blessing all the way around.

Holly Burd:                   Now that I’m an alumni of Code Platoon, I am working at DRW. I also get to work with a handful of other Code Platoon graduates. It’s great because knowing where they come from and where they are now, seeing that roadmap is something I could kind of emulate and look forward to myself.

Hank Moon:                  I am currently a software engineer intern at DRW. It’s still very surreal to me that I get to work at such amazing company. When I left the military I was currently working with a very tight knit team, we were almost like family, and I get that sense of family at DRW

Seth Thompson:            For DRW we’re very strong believers in supporting the armed forces and in supporting our veterans. It’s just great. I mean, we’re putting people to work in an underserved community. In a job market that needs more candidates.

Seth Thompson:            One of the reasons why hiring out a Code Platoon makes a lot of sense, is you’re finding mature engineers who are junior, who are wanting to grow in many different directions, and you can then help steer them in those directions, and have them grow inside your firm. You’re going to get people with loyalty, with discipline, and with the ability to learn.

Code Platoon Alumni 2019 Video Transcript

Anthony E.:                   I was a cryptologic linguist in the Army. I was an Arabic linguist.

Christian Baker:            I was in the Navy as a nuclear reactor operator.

Hank Moon:                  In the Air Force I was doing inflight refueling.

Katherine R.:                 Started exploring the military option, and the one that I stumbled upon that I felt most comfortable with was a linguist job. So cryptologic linguist.

Holly Burd:                   So I joined the Marine Corps when I was 19 I became an Arabic linguist and deployed to Iraq. Then when I came back, I learned Pashto. And I went and translated in Afghanistan as well.

Anthony E.:                   So Code Platoon, I was actually in the first cohort that accepted the GI Bill. So the timing was just like, if it were any earlier, it wouldn’t have worked. If it were later, it wouldn’t have worked. It just, it was pretty much perfect.

Hank Moon:                  I became frustrated going through the normal path and not studying constantly what I wanted to do. I felt like I was wasting my time at that point. When I came to Code Platoon, I was right in it. I was doing what I loved every single day for three months. And it was fantastic.

Christian Baker:            I was very sure that I wanted to go to a coding boot camp. I didn’t know about Code Platoon at the time. But then on Course Report I found Code Platoon. I started reading reviews and they were all very positive. And what I liked is that not only did everyone enjoy the program itself, but they had really good results with placement. That was kind of the end goal, is to to learn as much as you could in three months but also get a job. There’s no better place to do that than Code Platoon.

Anthony E.:                   One of the things that I liked the most about Code Platoon was being in a classroom full of veterans. There were so many like long days where I was just coding from like sunup to sundown. And I just don’t know how sustainable that is if you’re doing it in a vacuum. But having colleagues, who became friends, in that same environment, embracing the suck together, that really makes it not just bearable but fun. And I think that I really appreciated that.

Katherine R.:                 I don’t think I would’ve gotten through a program like this without going through it with veterans. We didn’t leave anybody behind. That we all had strengths in certain categories, and people stepped up to the plate, when they excelled in something, to help pull the other members of their cohort along.

Hank Moon:                  As much as I love coding, my favorite part of Code Platoon was the Beyond Tech talks that we would do with John. He was really able to shed light on the process of landing a job, negotiating once you have an offer. It was just really important that we got that information. And I didn’t realize how important that was going into Code Platoon.

Christian Baker:            My favorite part of Code Platoon was the individual and group projects. Because we finally were able to apply what we had been learning throughout the whole program to make some sort of product that we thought of. You really finally get to see the benefit of everything that you learned.

Holly Burd:                   Definitely my favorite part of the program is the instructors. The curriculum is designed to really push you and test you every day. So you never feel like you’re wasting a moment. You just keep learning and learning and learning. It’s super powerful.

Hank Moon:                  The curriculum for Code Platoon was structured in a way that transitioning into a job was very easy.

Anthony E.:                   The apprenticeship program, for sure, it was like the best value add that Code Platoon had. Where I just felt like so many of those barriers to entry were smoothed out by the apprenticeship program. And it’s been, I think that was a great experience and obviously it’s made a lot of really cool things possible for me now.

Christian Baker:            Everyone from our cohort has a job and is successful and it’s only been two months. There’s no other program out there that exists that is specifically aimed at helping veterans get into this industry.

Holly Burd:                   Now that I’m an alumni of Code Platoon, I am working at DRW. I also get to work with a handful of other Code Platoon graduates. It’s great because knowing where they come from and where they are now, seeing that roadmap is something I could kind of emulate and look forward to myself. I’m so grateful. Everything that Rod and John and you do, super life changing but you know that.

Gary Coffey and Karin Matsuyama, Alumni of the Month, October 2019

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Gary Coffey was an incredibly hard working veteran who is also one of the most genuine and easygoing veterans we have had to walk through our doors. Karin was an extremely talented developer whose personal project was so impressive, we thought it was a 3 person group project.

– Rod Levy, Executive Director

 

From Mattress Firm to Finance Firm

In the Air Force, Gary Coffey did amazing things.  He was responsible for the technology that trained pilots. He downloaded and analyzed B2 bomber data. He debugged software programs.

But when his service was over and he came home, the best job he could get was selling mattresses. It was hardly the high-tech work he was accustomed to.

“Sales didn’t suit me,” said Coffey.

According to Coffey, he craved the challenge of solving complex problems but didn’t know how to translate his worldly military experience to the civilian world of work.

Gary is not alone. While veteran unemployment has improved, underemployment remains an issue. 30% of veterans are underemployed, a rate 15.6 higher than non-veterans, according to analysis conducted by Ziprecruiter in 2017.

Searching Google for IT training programs, Gary’s wife learned about Code Platoon, and he was interested because it was a coding academy specifically for veterans. Once he looked he deeper, he found that he could even use the G.I. Bill to pay for the training. After graduating the Code Platoon program and landing an internship with one of Code Platoon’s sponsoring companies, Gary boosted his salary by $25,000 a year.

“I’m inspired again,” said Coffey, who works as a software engineer for finance firm Enova.

Read more about Gary’s own thoughts on his journey into coding by clicking here.

Couples Who Code Together, Stay Together

Military spouse unemployment is considered a national security issue among military leadership. According to brand new data from the Department of Defense, military spouses are unemployed at 24%, which is six times greater than the national average. To combat military spouse unemployment, Code Platoon recently opened up the program to military spouses.

After first telling her husband about the program, Karin Matsuyama is now also going through it. Gary says that watching his wife learn to code gives him insight into how she goes about solving challenges. Coding is a new language they share, one that is rare. The experience is deepening their bond and securing their financial future.

While Karin can’t apply G.I. Bill® funds to the program like Gary did, she did qualify for Code Platoon’s Women in Technology scholarship worth $10,000.

“The GI Bill and the Women in Technology Scholarship put the program within reach,” said Gary.

The story of Gary and Karin’s journey was also featured on CBS News.

Karin brought strong technical skills to India cohort. Her thoughtful approach to problem solving was a positive influence on her fellow students and helped push the whole class forward week after week. We are grateful to have both Karin and her husband, Gary, as Code Platoon alumni working in the Chicago tech community.

– Jon Young, Director of Education

milspouse coders hackathon

Milspouse coders use hackathons to break into the tech space

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This article is a guest blog by milspouse coder Kerri-Leigh Grady

I’ll never forget the look of horror on a neighbor’s face when I told her I was participating in a hackathon.

She gasped, and her eyes darted around a bit, like she was waiting for us both to be cuffed and dragged off. Her concern was understandable since we were both military spouses who lived on a military base, down the street from the brig, and to the uninitiated, hackathons sound like a hard pass for law-abiding citizens.

It took some convincing before she understood that the “hack” wasn’t nefarious, but more like the super popular life hacks on Facebook. The difficulty wasn’t surprising. It always takes some convincing for people who’ve never heard the word “hackathon” before to get comfortable.

Hackathons and tech jobs shouldn’t sound discouraging to milspouses, though. The tech industry, with a growing population of distributed workforces and remote-ready jobs, paves a solid path away from the drastic unemployment and underemployment numbers we see in the milspouse community and offers numerous opportunities for milspouses who don’t want to sacrifice another job to a PCS.

Hacking a path into the tech industry

At MilSpouse Coders, we are shining a light on the opportunities for spouses in tech by hosting an annual hackathon. In 2018, our modest but successful one-day hackathon took place in Virginia Beach, and the winning team designed a product that would allow military families to scan boxes during a PCS and know exactly where Grandma’s treasured silver pitcher is, from end to end. 

Other projects included an app that maps out military lodging and local sights during a road-trip PCS, a database that tracks special knowledge in a membership group, and an Alexa skill that reports on military news of interest. 

Details for the 2019 hackathon

For 2019, our hackathon is hosted by Microsoft’s Military Spouse Training Academy on the Microsoft campus in Redmond. While the in-person event is open to anyone, regardless of military affiliation, we know military life makes travel hard, so we’ve opened the ability for vets and family members to join remotely.

Last year, Code Platoon offered a popular code-along to participants who were curious but didn’t feel like they were knowledgeable enough to participate, and we’re very excited that they have generously offered to lead another code-along this year. Those who coded with us last year can learn something new this year, as the project—and even the language—will be different.

Here’s the great news: you don’t have to be a coder to participate, and you don’t have to code to have a tech career. Projects need project managers, product owners, testers, user experience specialists, marketing professionals, and more. In other words, hackathons are a life hack for military spouses seeking a portable, flexible career. 

No matter your skillset, you bring value to a software product, and hackathons are an excellent place to learn what you can bring to the industry.

You, too, can hack a career that will survive military life.

Click the link to read more about the upcoming 2019 hackathon or to sign up for the event.