Code Platoon Feature

GUEST BLOG: FROM MILITARY LIFE TO SOFTWARE PRO: A CHICAGO CODING BOOT CAMP’S IMPACT

/in /by

Today, uncertainty frightens the American population as many find themselves either newly unemployed or at high risk of losing employment due to COVID-19.

Although before the global pandemic, the feelings of uncertainty and insecurity were known all too well by Air Force veteran Gary Coffey and wife Karin Matsuyama when Coffey left the service in 2017. Despite having managed million-dollar projects and having worked as a Linux system administrator while in the Air Force, the only job Coffey could find once leaving was as a mattress salesman.

“It was definitely a big difference going from this job with hard problems to solve,” said Coffey. “To this job that was pretty much sitting in a store all day, trying to talk people into buying mattresses.”

Back then, Coffey was just one of the many underemployed veterans across the United States. In a study by Linkedin, 2017 data showed that veterans were 38% more likely to be underemployed compared to non-veterans. Additionally, current U.S. Department of Labor data shows a 3.5% veteran unemployment rate. And when it comes to military spouses, the unemployment and underemployment rates skyrocket to 30% and 56% respectively according to Blue Star Families.

Noticing this gap and that both Coffey and Matsuyama both wanted to move on to something bigger, Matsuyama researched for ways in which the couple could take steps to find the careers they felt they desired and deserved. Eventually, she came across Code Platoon.

Code Platoon is a nonprofit, 14-week coding boot camp initially created to chip away at high veteran unemployment statistics. Today, the program provides veterans and military spouses with the opportunity to affordably obtain job-ready skills and join one of the most lucrative and growing industries to date. With 82% of graduates gaining employment within 180 days of program completion, students emerge equipped with top-notch training and the network necessary for a transition from military to civilian life as, in most cases, full-stack software developers.

Founder and CEO Rodrigo Levy began Code Platoon with this goal.

“I had an experience with the coding boot camp model and I saw how effective it was in giving in-demand skills to deeply motivated learners in a very compressed time frame,” said Levy. “There was no one out there offering this type of training in a nonprofit scenario, offering strong scholarships with a tie to the veteran community.”

Coffey and Matsuyama are now both alumni of Code Platoon. They are also full-time software developers, almost debt-free and new owners of a three-flat apartment building they plan to rent out as they grow their real estate portfolio. The couple currently works from home due to COVID-19 and will continue to do so for its duration.

The post FROM MILITARY LIFE TO SOFTWARE PRO: A CHICAGO CODING BOOT CAMP’S IMPACT originally appeared on April 10, 2020, on the Medill Reports, Code Platoon thanks Anika Exum and the Editors at Medill Reports for their permission to repost this blog.

Code Platoon Alumnus Robert Jones Gives PSA on CAN TV

/in /by

Code platoon is always eager to find new outlets to share our mission. We are thrilled to announce that this past December, CAN TV featured Code Platoon on their channel.  CAN TV is an independent nonprofit established in 1983 as the public’s space on cable television free of commercials, filters, and censors. They have five local channels where you can see the diversity of people and ideas that reflect Chicago, including voices often excluded from the mainstream media.

Code Platoon alumnus Robert Jones spoke on CAN TV’s “Putting People First” segment. Before Code Platoon, Robert served over five years in the US Navy as a Hospital Corpsman. Robert joined India Platoon in 2019 and excelled in the program. After graduation he went on to intern as a software engineer at ShipBob, Inc.

On CAN TV Robert shared about the employment problems veterans face saying how “unemployment rates for young post-9//11 veterans is well below the labor statics average.” He then shares about Code Platoon’s life-changing program and how it is meeting the needs of post 9/11 veterans. It is an honor to be highlighted as one of the important organizations reflecting the city of Chicago’s collective mission of serving the veteran community. Thanks CAN TV for shining the spotlight on our impacting work!

Click here to see the video

Thank you Robert for being an amazing Code Platoon advocate and congratulations on being our alumni of the month!

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.

top 3 questions

Top 3 Questions Asked by Code Platoon Candidates

/in /by

We get a lot of questions here at Code Platoon about what we do, how people sign up, and what our program is like. But there are a few questions that stand out as being the most common, so we figured addressing those might clear up a few points of confusion.

So here are our Top 3 most commonly asked questions, answered as simply as possible.

“I have no coding experience. Will this prevent me from attending Code Platoon?”

The short answer is no, absolutely not! But let’s offer a little bit more than that as a response.

As many instructors of our program have noted, the number one skill needed to succeed in our program is, interestingly enough, the same skill that was highly valuable in the military: a strong desire and willingness to learn a new skill!

We would rather have an inexperienced person with little skill, but a strong willingness to work hard and learn, than someone who knows everything and is lazy. Coincidentally, so would most of the employers we work with. If you have the work ethic and desire to teach yourself something new, you can do this.

“I’m a recently-separated veteran—how do I pay for Code Platoon?”

That’s one of our most common questions, and there are a few answers, each of which will be provided with further links for more information.

Option one: Our first recommendation is to look into VET-TEC, a pilot program from the VA designed to help veterans learn specialized training in technical schools like ours. Think of it as a GI Bill for coding bootcamps, but better. We are a VET-TEC affiliated program, and it works great for what we do (and it doesn’t take away from your GI Bill).

Option two: If you are attending in person, the GI Bill is still a great way to go.

Option three: Perhaps the trickiest to figure out, but one that is still worth considering, is Voc Rehab (Vocational Rehabilitation through the VA). Schedule an appointment with a Voc Rehab counselor and see if you qualify. We have at least one alumni who successfully used this program.

Option four: If for some reason you do not qualify for any of the above options, we have several scholarships available which very often will cover most, or all, of the tuition – one of which you are sure to qualify for.

“What kind of jobs are available after I complete Code Platoon?”

We train students to be full-stack software developers, which is a decidedly in-demand area of the job market right now. Visit our Outcomes page for more information, but the down-and-dirty facts right now are that the median salary of our graduates within 6 months is about $65,000 per year, and it rises to around $85,000 within two years.

The future looks good for software development, and we prepare you to start a career that takes full advantage of that.

Do you have a question that wasn’t among the top three? Then send it in and we’ll address it with you personally and maybe turn that into a blog post in the near future!

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.

Are you a good fit for Coding Bootcamp?

/in , /by

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.

skillbridge

Code Platoon part of DoD Skillbridge program for transitioning service members

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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

/in /by

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.

kilo platoon

Kilo Platoon Update Blog

/in /by

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!

kilo alumni visit

juliet code platoon code camp

Juliet Platoon Update Blog

/in /by

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!

Juliet_Graduation_December_2019

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. 

table xi lesson

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.

table xi group shot

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!