Kin + Carta is a digital transformation firm organized around three services: a tech-centric management consultancy, a next-gen software engineering studio, and a digital marketing agency. This year, Kin + Carta joined the Code Platoon family as an Apprenticeship Partner.

Apprenticeship Partners employ the top graduates from each In-Person cohort for a three to six-month paid apprenticeship in a developer-orientated role. As part of the program, Kin + Carta welcomed Mike Platoon graduate Augie Karisch to their team earlier this year.

Recently, the company sat down with Augie to learn more about his experience and shared that in a post on the company’s blog, Inside Kin + Carta. This blog post is presented with permission from Kin + Carta. Thank you to Amy Parker and Kin + Carta for being part of Code Platoon’s mission to help Veterans and military spouses transition to careers in tech.

 

This year Kin + Carta was proud to sponsor our first Code Platoon cohort.

Code Platoon is an organization that helps veterans and military spouses acquire the skills to be software engineers. They do this by providing technical training and career placement over a 14-week immersive, hands-on, educational process. In addition, the program digs into specialized full-stack development training and “beyond tech” training like team building, mental toughness, diversity & inclusion, personal finance, negotiation & job searching.

Through the sponsorship, we could virtually meet many of the students from Code Platoon’s cohort, share insights into technology consulting, and hire an intern!

We are proud to introduce you to Augie Karisch, the engineer from Code Platoon who’s been a team member within our Digital Products & Services Capability since March. We’ve appreciated the experience and insight he’s brought to our teams, and we have been so impressed by how he dove headfirst into all that Kin + Carta (& our clients!) have to offer.

Hear from Augie as he shares more insight into Code Platoon, Kin + Carta, & the veteran experience. You’ll love what he has to say!

How did you decide to transition into Software Engineering?

In my previous role, I was a manager on a team building a website for use by my company’s customer-facing employees. During this project, I discovered two primary reasons that I wanted to learn more about software engineering.

First, while I enjoyed working on the business side of that project, I often found myself constrained by my limited understanding of the technical work our engineers were doing. I felt like I could be a more effective part of the product team by improving my technical knowledge.

Second, I was inspired by those engineers’ ability to read a user story or hear an idea for a new feature or design element and then make that vision a reality. I wanted to be able to do that!

Besides this specific professional experience, I’ve always loved building things, and I have tons of my own ideas for businesses and products. So I wanted to develop the skills necessary to put those interests and ideas into action.

What was it about Code Platoon’s program that stood out to you?

Code Platoon is designed for military veterans by professional software engineers at top tech companies. That was why I initially looked into the program.

One thing that jumped out to me about Code Platoon was that they work hard to develop strong relationships with companies like Kin + Carta, where graduates have the opportunity to intern. The availability of internships–even though they weren’t guaranteed–made the endeavor feel less risky. The internship program is just one of many forms of career support that Code Platoon provides to its students during and after the program.

I also appreciated that Code Platoon is a nonprofit organization. It felt like our motivations were closely aligned–as a mission-driven organization, they simply wanted to help me get the skills to succeed as a software engineer.

Since its founding several years ago, I had been following Code Platoon, always telling myself that one day I’d apply. It was a tough decision to leave the great job I had at the time. Still, a combination of my desire to learn to code and the availability of a fantastic VA program that sponsors technical education for veterans (VET TEC) pushed me to take the leap. It’s been a great decision so far.

Tell us about the coolest project you’ve worked on as a software engineer thus far.

I worked on a couple of really exciting projects during Code Platoon. One was an audio journaling app that I had been thinking about for a long time, and I finally found myself with the skills necessary to build it. Another group project was where we designed and built a website that would suggest potential travel destinations and let users book flights based on their budget, desired temperature, and other criteria. Again, I was lucky to be on a very talented and collaborative team who made the process fun, along with outstanding Code Platoon guidance and mentorship.

But, I think the coolest project I’ve worked on so far is my current project at Kin + Carta. I am working alongside incredibly talented and supportive teammates to build a brand new customer-facing product for an exciting and impactful client. There is nothing like a real-world project for learning and professional growth, and I feel like I’m making leaps and bounds every day. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to work with and learn from this team.

When deciding where to intern, what stood out the most to you about Kin + Carta?

Kin + Carta was my top choice for an internship for several reasons. First, I wanted the opportunity to work on customer-facing products, and I knew that Kin + Carta leads high-profile projects for its clients, many of which directly impact their customers. Second, in thinking about the first step towards a long-term career in tech, I was especially interested in the consulting model. Third, I saw an opportunity for exposure to a variety of clients, products, and technologies. The breadth of technical and industry exposure available at Kin + Carta sounded exciting to me. Finally, as someone with a diverse background that includes operations leadership, product management, and general strategy work, I was excited to be in a dynamic environment where there were several different business models, client relationships, products, and lines of business all running simultaneously, constantly changing and impacting the firm in different ways. I saw this all happening at Kin + Carta, and it seemed like an exciting and energetic place to grow my career in tech.

I spoke with a handful of people from the firm before I interviewed, and I found them all to be extremely smart, welcoming, encouraging, and happy with their jobs. This seemed like a good indicator of the culture and environment that I was seeking. The same positivity and optimism have proven to be the typical attitude among my coworkers.

Finally, Kin + Carta was growing quickly when I was interviewing, which is another sign of a healthy company with lots of career opportunities. The growth has continued since I’ve been here, and the list of brand-name clients is incredible (and even getting longer). I was fortunate enough to be invited to intern at Kin + Carta, and it’s been a fantastic experience so far.

You’ve completed the Bootcamp & internship programs totally virtually—what’s that been like?

At first, I was disappointed that I wouldn’t be learning in person–I’ve been through a lot of schooling, and this was my first remote experience. But, I felt like Code Platoon did a good job ensuring that we got the same high-quality education that we would have had in person. The instructors, TA’s, and administrators were very hands-on and supportive. They also leverage various tools and services to ensure students can communicate easily with instructors and one another. This allowed us to access and quickly absorb the material. In addition, during the cohort, I met a handful of classmates for an outdoor, socially distanced happy hour. I made close personal connections with several classmates, both in Chicago and elsewhere.

The remote internship has been a similarly new experience for me. It is strange to have worked with my team for several weeks now and never met them in person. I’m pretty sociable, so I like the spontaneity and energy of an in-person workplace. Through this experience, I have learned to appreciate the convenience and flexibility of a home office. Kin + Carta provides the tools we need to stay connected and collaborate digitally. Most importantly, my teammates and the other people I’ve met across the firm are incredibly generous with their time and have been willing to meet for [virtual] coffee or help with technical questions whenever I have asked.

How has your experience as a veteran translated to working at Kin + Carta?

As an officer in the military, you learn to enter a new environment, get up to speed very quickly, and then support a mission in whatever way you are needed, whether or not you were trained for that exact scenario. That resourcefulness and flexibility have served me well so far at Kin + Carta. I expect it to continue to be valuable as I eventually move to new clients, new teams, and new roles within the firm.

Another aspect of the military that translates well is the experience of working with lots of different kinds of people. One of my favorite parts of the military was that I had coworkers from every corner of the country and even the world, from many different backgrounds. I learned something every day just by being open to new perspectives. The same is true of Kin + Carta (and Code Platoon), where I have teammates in several states and across Latin America. I learned early in the military that great ideas and excellent work can come from anyone. I have also seen that borne out at Kin + Carta, where title and years of experience are secondary to ideas and results.

What advice do you have for transitioning service members and veterans thinking about a career in technology?

People don’t always realize that there are many non-technical and semi-technical roles in the tech industry. You don’t just have to be a software engineer (although that is a great choice!), and you don’t have to do the same thing you did in the military. I would encourage transitioning service members to make a list of their personal and professional strengths and take the time to match those skills and interests to jobs and companies by perusing job postings, company websites, LinkedIn profiles, etc. There are jobs in tech for every strength and interest. I am not an engineer or a technician by background–I have a liberal arts degree and an MBA. I just wanted to combine my love for building things with my interest in functional and efficient digital experiences. Tech and coding have been a great way for me to pursue those interests professionally, and you need to find the field(s) that lets you follow your interests.

You should definitely be networking with people in industries and roles that interest you. Create a professional LinkedIn profile and send short, professional direct messages to veterans in jobs and industries that you like. Ask them if they have 10-15 minutes to talk on the phone about their career path and their transition out of the military. Many people will make time for you, and you will learn a lot about their company and the industry they work within, and how to network like a civilian. Many big companies have whole teams dedicated to military and veteran recruiting; follow these recruiters on LinkedIn and keep an eye on their posts. The more familiar you get with different companies and roles, the more you’ll be able to target your search for the perfect opportunity, whether that’s a job, an education, or some other path. You can start by reaching out to me!

I also recommend that you learn as much as possible about your VA benefits. You may be surprised at what they cover, and there are ways to maximize your benefits, like understanding when the VA’s fiscal year starts and how to combine benefits with those from your state or your school. I used a VA program called VET TEC to fund my education at Code Platoon. Many of my classmates were still on active duty and using a program called DoD SkillBridge. Be sure to do some of your own research and networking to ensure you’re aware of the opportunities available and relevant to you.

The transition out of the military can be challenging. The culture shock of reentering the civilian world and the balance between your strong military identity and your new civilian reality takes time to figure out. Here are a few government and nonprofit resources that I have found helpful and that I know others have used as well. Google them, join their webinars, contact them, and see what they have to offer: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Service2School, Code Platoon, Road Home Program, Hiring Our Heroes (Kin + Carta does a HoH fellowship—read more here!), American Corporate Partners, your state and city VA departments (separate from national VA), not-for-profit colleges and universities in your area, and your fellow veterans.

What is a “hackathon”? To the uninitiated (like my team was), the term comes off as slightly intimidating. What will we be hacking? Foreign elections? Were we going to create and disperse competitive phishing emails? The word always paints a picture in my head of a bunch of greasy, red-eyed programmers sitting around furiously clicking away at a keyboard until someone does something that I assume is good. Then, everyone gets up and claps, and said person walks off into the sunset, a hero. Honestly, this was relatively close to what happened with our team, Vaxx Overflow™, just on Zoom.

It was the closing of week 8 in Code Platoon, meaning we were in the crawl, walk, run phase of learning how to develop full-stack applications from scratch. I would put most of us at the level of an embryo that just developed a detectable heartbeat. Brenden Schumacher, a member of Code Platoon’s November cohort, put out a beacon to assemble a team to participate in this year’s Fall-In Veteran’s Hackathon. 

I won’t get into the details of how the six-person team was created but try to imagine a montage similar to the formation of The Avengers, including the adoption of a talented UI/UX designer named Michael Stedman, whom we met just before kickoff. 

The hackathon weekend began with a ceremonial beer shared among the team and a bunch of ideas being tossed around until eventually, one stuck – a platform for Covid-19 vaccine providers to recycle canceled vaccine appointments by tapping into a database of eager Covid-19 vaccine seekers. People looking for a vaccine are prioritized by health, age, and location. Then, if an appointment is canceled, the approved individual can claim it at a moment’s notice. With that, the first order of business with any successful app is a great name, cue Vaxx Overflow™.

With the idea in hand, we got to work. 

Surprisingly, and without much prompting, everyone gravitated toward some facet of the VO’s development. The app was built with Django on the backend and React on the frontend, including a functioning text notification system. Luckily for us, we had gotten our hands dirty with Django for a couple of weeks and just wrapped up our first week on React, so you could call us pros by this point. 

The flow and visual design of the app was designed almost entirely by our MVP, Stedman, and the backend and frontend programming was split between different members of the group. Eventually, we came to a final product that met every requirement we set out to hit. In addition, the app featured a provider interface, and a patient interface, both of which are easy to navigate and nice to look at! But we weren’t finished yet, as this was a competition. 

Next up was a presentation of the app to a panel of judges (See video below). With 12 teams in total competing in the Fall-In Hackathon, we had to make sure we didn’t have any hiccups if we wanted to stand a chance. 

Now, I am new to this feeling, but I think it’s common among developers. The one where you finish some app or feature and you go to push it off to the next phase, and it feels like you finished constructing a house of cards. But then, you think, “Ok, if I just step back slowly and don’t breathe on it too hard, everything will be fine. It will all work out ok”. That was the feeling we all had leading up to the presentation. 

I had notes written to guide me from beginning to end, and for about an hour leading up to the presentation, we obsessively clicked through the app and checked it for any bugs or issues. Everything looked good! But this is the real world, and the presentation ended up being a barrage of ‘likes’ and ‘ums’ and 30 seconds (which felt like an eternity) lost to navigating around a broken link that we somehow missed during our final preparation. 

We waited through the rest of the presentations and gauged our competition. When all was said and done, the judges unveiled the winners, and to our surprise, it showed Vaxx Overflow in 1st place! So what had started with a beer and a good idea ended with a new friend (shout out to Stedman), some new skills, and $1000 prize money…and another ceremonial closing beer. 

Over a gritty two days, a group of Veterans scattered all over the country participated in a hackathon only HALF-WAY through a coding Bootcamp and managed to create a functioning application with an actual use case, AND WON! Not only does this speak to the level of talent coming out of Code Platoon, but the quality of education in software engineering that anyone can get from the program. I implore any Veteran or military spouse to apply themselves and join Code Platoon today!

Michael Orland is an Army veteran, nurse, and mechanical engineer transitioning into a career in software engineering. He is a member of the November Platoon cohort at Code Platoon.

Some career transitions make more of a logical evolution than others. Going from a dietician to a registered nurse has its obvious connections, or moving from working on oil rigs to installing solar panels. It’s pretty apparent to most employers that military members hold a slew of transferable skills that can make them stand out in nearly any field of work.

But what do making music and programming have in common? According to Kyle Nagel, an Army Band member who is training with Code Platoon’s November Platoon, both disciplines require grit and perseverance.

“I think that one of the big crossovers between making music and creating code is that both of them start hard, and they kind of stay hard for a long time,” Kyle said. “They don’t become easy quickly. And so it’s really easy to give up on them or to doubt yourself on succeeding.” 

“In the beginning, I knew it was going to be hard, but I committed to the program, trusting in the process that it will become easy at some point. There is a benefit to having done other things that have that difficult component to them, acknowledging that I’m going to suck at this for a long time. But eventually, I won’t suck at it.” 

Just as no one becomes a rockstar overnight, becoming a software engineer takes time and dedication to the craft. Kyle knew that before going in. What he didn’t know was where to begin. 

Kyle took it upon himself to research his options. He discovered Code Platoon on Course Report. After further digging, he found a way to pay for Code Platoon that would not tap into his education benefits – the Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program. 

Skillbridge allows service members In the last 180 days of their service contract to participate in an apprenticeship, internship, or specific industry training – with no cost – to prepare for their civilian career. 

“A lot of Army service members are unaware of the Skillbridge program,” Kyle said. “I wanted to be able to pass my education benefits to my daughter, so I was looking for options that allowed me to avoid digging into my G.I. Bill.” 

Kyle was accepted into other coding programs, including the Army’s Career Skills Program. But after some thorough research, he concluded that Code Platoon was his best option. 

“Code Platoon gives you the support of others who had a military background instead of just getting thrown back into civilian life. Serving in the military changes you and requires an adjustment to return to civilian life.” 

“During week three of training, I was basically in a total blackout. The winter storm caused the power and internet to go off and on for more than a week. Without internet, it was impossible to join my classmates in our virtual classroom,” Kyle said, adding the point that finding other internet options was scarce due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Code Platoon has been good, but it’s been a crazy ride due to outside circumstances in addition to just the nature of the course itself.” 

Learning with the various hurdles thrown at him is a testament to Kyle’s diligence and dedication to his work. 

Kyle and the other members of November Platoon are in the final weeks of their 14-week Immersive program. They apply everything they have learned into personal projects and prepare for their last group projects presented at graduation. You can check out Kyle and November Platoon’s group project presentations and graduation on Friday, May 14th at 2 PM. To RSVP for the event Livestream, click here. 

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.

So you’ve decided to pursue a career in software engineering and have chosen Code Platoon as your place of learning. Now what?

Just like any top-tier coding Bootcamp, you can’t just walk into Code Platoon off the street with zero knowledge and start day one—you have to have at least some understanding of the fundamentals of Coding. 

So how do you get that understanding, and how long will it take? How far out should you begin preparing for coding challenges and funding issues that may arise? That’s the focus of this blog post.

Let’s start with the application process – more specifically, Part Two of the Code Platoon application.

One of the questions I get regularly is, “why do I need to pass a coding test if I want to go to school to learn to code?” It’s a fair question. Here’s my take on the subject.

Imagine going to a school that had no entrance exam. Without some assessment before the start of classes, two things might happen. Either the first day will be incredibly rudimentary or will be way beyond most students’ skill levels. Whatever the case, it may force everyone into a sink-or-swim situation. 

That’s not going to happen at Code Platoon because of our coding challenges. The Coding Challenges in Part Two of the application process show that all students entering our program have a coding knowledge level that allows them to succeed on day one. That assures our students don’t just walk into the class unprepared for day one.

As I like to tell everyone, imagine if everyone who showed up for Basic Training had already been running two miles a day and what kind of difference that would’ve made for your first week.

But how long does it take to walk that talk in the world of Code Platoon? I’m glad you asked.

Let’s start with the assumption that you are starting at zero. Your only computer experience involves email and possibly looking at music videos – because that is what the internet was invented for (and because MTV robbed us of that decades ago), right? 

Suppose you know more than that, great! It means that everything that follows will be shorter for you than others.

The first place to start is our Intro to Coding program, which is entirely free of charge and self-paced. Intro to Coding is for total beginners with absolutely no coding experience. If you look there, you’ll notice 12 video lectures, the longest of which is just under 28 minutes, and the rest are under 16 minutes. These all come with accompanying practical exercises for students to work through. 

The second place is our Bootcamp Prep, which is also free of charge and self-paced, or you can take a live-online version that offers a sneak peek into how our instructors teach. Although Bootcamp Prep is a little longer, consider that both courses combined have about 8 hours of total video lectures and, when done back-to-back by a complete novice, take somewhere in the neighborhood of 30-50 hours to complete.

How long will  it take you to finish all of this is, of course, individually dependent. Some students can read half a book in a day and ace a test, whereas other students take longer to absorb the information needed. But this isn’t a race—some who take longer to do the same task end up with a more robust understanding of that topic in the long run.

Beyond our application challenges is our deadline for the application itself, which typically occurs three months before the beginning of the actual program. We need time to get you enrolled, ensure all of your VA paperwork is in order, and determine scholarship eligibility  pre-work to complete, enabling students to hit the ground running on Day One of their class starting.

So, when considering all of this, the average student—who has no prior experience and is currently employed—should plan accordingly (at the very least, but earlier is typically better):

• Allow three weeks to complete Intro to Coding and Bootcamp Prep (2hrs/day*3 weeks = 42 hrs). 
• You should set aside at least eight hours to complete the Coding Challenges (Please note: the challenges are not timed and do not need to be completed concurrently). 
• Plan for one day to complete the video and essay submissions from Part Two of the application. 
• Once you are accepted, allow for three months to do pre-work and prepare for the program.
• Total: Approximately four months from the time preparation starts to the time the cohort begins.

These are, of course, approximate times —this can all be done quicker, for sure, but don’t feel like it has to be. You don’t get extra points for being fast; your acceptance to the program is contingent on a solid application. For example, you can triple the number of hours per day you spend on the prep work and complete it in one week, but your scores on the coding challenges are what we evaluate —not the time to finish the prep work. 

It’s good to be early for the sake of enrollment, but not at the cost of submitting solid work on the coding challenges. 

SkillBridge

Students interested in attending Code Platoon through the SkillBridge program should allow time for all of the above in addition to the time it takes to get SkillBridge paperwork completed. Luckily, these things can happen simultaneously. There is no reason why you can’t submit for SkillBridge approval while concurrently completing the Intro to Coding or Bootcamp Prep courses. 

Just keep in mind that SkillBridge approval, like most things in life, takes time. Please don’t assume that you will hand your commander the paperwork and get it signed right then and there. Prepare to take care of approvals well in advance, and recognize that these dates need to line up with your last 180 days of service. 

Code Platoon has extensive experience helping SkillBridge students get what they need. We are here to help. 

Hopefully, all of this helps provide some insight, but as always, if you have more questions, please feel free to email me personally, and I can either answer your questions that way or set up a time to chat. Greg@codeplatoon.org

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.