Unlocking Success in Tech Education: Why Code Fellows Leads the Way

By Mitchell Robertson on

In today's fast-paced digital world, technical skills have become the currency of success. Whether you're a recent high school graduate looking to kickstart your career, a seasoned professional seeking a change, or an employer searching for top talent, the choice of who to partner with for technical education is critical.

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Why Technical Training Remains Relevant in the Era of AI

By Jeff Malek and AI on

In today’s rapidly advancing technological landscape, one question has become pervasive: with the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), is there still a need for human technical training?

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Embracing the Future: Code Fellows Integrates AI into Tech Education

By Mitchell Robertson on

In the ever-evolving landscape of technology, staying ahead of the curve is paramount for success. Here at Code Fellows, we have long held a reputation for leading the way in tech education, and we are continuing to do just that as we take a pioneering step by fully embracing Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prepare our graduates for the future. By integrating AI-powered tools like ChatGPT into our curriculum, we are revolutionizing the way students learn to code, innovate, and excel in the tech industry.

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Partnering for Progress: Code Fellows and The Alliance Empower Underserved Communities through Tech Education

By Mitchell Robertson on

In an exciting new collaboration, the Alliance for Economic Development of Oklahoma City and Code Fellows have partnered together to expand tech education and career opportunities for underserved communities in Oklahoma City. The partnership, which offers no-cost software and cybersecurity training, aims to bridge the gap and provide access to valuable education and job prospects in the fast-paced world of technology. Through this initiative, individuals from diverse backgrounds will have the chance to thrive and contribute to the thriving tech industry in Oklahoma City.

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Northeastern and Code Fellows Partner to Provide New Pathways to Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology

By Mitchell Robertson on

Code Fellows is partnering with Northeastern University College of Professional Studies to provide learners from any background a pathway to obtain their Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology.

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How to Accelerate Your Learning with Stacked Modules

By John Cokos on

Learn. More. Faster.

It’s a bold promise and one that can be fulfilled only when we are willing to not only challenge our assumptions about how we learn but abandon what we think has worked for us in the past. Get comfortable being uncomfortable and really accelerate your learning with an experience-based, stacked approach.

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Alumni Spotlight: Michael Greene - From Military Police & Game Designer to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“If you have a hard time learning, then any new skill is going to be difficult for you. I think Code Fellows gives you the advantage of it being hands-on, Code Fellows just puts your hands on code way more than any sort of college setting. And finally, if you’re a veteran, don’t be ashamed to use your benefits! You’ve earned them!” – Michael Greene

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Alumni Spotlight: Daniel - From Digital Marketing Specialist to Senior Product Designer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“I joined Code Fellows to level up the position I was in. You find the resources to be a better person, to be a more capable person." – Daniel Nguyen

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Alumni Spotlight: Sara - From Personal Trainer to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

"Being able to find a place like Code Fellows where I could just trust that they would teach me the things I needed to know was major.” – Sara Russert

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Alumni Spotlight: David - From Anti-Money Laundering Investigator to Front-End Engineer, Designer, Entrepreneur, & Founder

By Mitchell Robertson on

"Being able to wake up and work on things that you enjoy every day, that’s what’ll keep you going.” – David Lindahl

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Alumni Spotlight: Ben - From Music & Audio Director to CEO & Co-Founder

By Mitchell Robertson on

“I ended up at Code Fellows, and it was fantastic. It was six months of being surrounded by other people who were really passionate about it and not only did I learn about the software world, how it all works, all the pieces and how they fit together, but when I was talking with other developers, I understood what they were telling me.” – Ben Harris

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Alumni Spotlight: Michael - From Microbiologist to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“I dropped out and started learning how to code, I decided to pull the trigger and join Code Fellows. Going into coding, I knew that I wanted to start something and work for myself in biology. We bought a home in the last few years now, something we couldn’t do on a biology salary and I can take time off now to try and work on a startup.” – Michael Porter

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Alumni Spotlight: Rae - From Yoga Instructor, Nanny, and Server to CEO, Designer, and Developer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“Before Code Fellows, I was working 3 jobs, I was stressed, I was tired, and I still was having a hard time making ends meet. I didn’t have a background in computer science or coding, I remember that first day flew by, the instructors and the people in my group just all felt really great to be around. If you do that first 101 class and the time goes by super fast, then don’t be afraid to take the leap” – Rae Helsel

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Alumni Spotlight: Amber - From Videographer to Senior Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“As a military spouse it was hard to get a career going due to the constant need to move. I had taken programming courses before in college, and it was not conducive to my own style of learning. I decided to take a different approach to my learning when I started at Code Fellows to help me succeed and have a different experience this time around.” – Amber Kim

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Alumni Spotlight: Brian - From Assistant Real Estate Manager to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“Everybody learns differently, and Code Fellows really is a great environment for picking it up. Make sure you have a plan of what you’re looking for, at Code Fellows, it’s really easy to make a plan because it’s kind of a one-stop shop!" – Brian Alspach

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Alumni Spotlight: Jo - From Attorney to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“I didn’t have a tech background, I’d never written a single line of code, I didn’t know what HTML was, I didn’t know anything. I think being at Code Fellows, having other people in the same boat as me, and then having instructors who had been through it, they were super empathetic. That really helped me.” – Jo Arroyo

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Alumni Spotlight: Garfield - From Jamaica Native to Senior Consultant

By Mitchell Robertson on

“At Code Fellows, I found a community of people that I rely on, even now in my day-to-day job. Now I work from home for one of the largest consulting companies in the world, but I still rely on my community!" – Garfield Grant

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Alumni Spotlight: Chris - From Project Manager to Principal UX Engineering Manager

By Mitchell Robertson on

"I was able to gain a lot of experience in a short amount of time and I think it really helped me find what I enjoy doing. Some decisions are always worth the risk, so whatever your motivation, dip your foot in and see if you think you might enjoy it. Don’t be afraid to take short term, small risks to see if that next step is a launching pad.” – Chris Holt

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Alumni Spotlight: Sarah - From Registered Nurse to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“I came in with essentially zero experience, and one thing about Code Fellows that was really cool, was that it decreases the barrier to entry as far as you not having to get a four-year computer science degree. I think that made it a little easier to digest knowing that it was more fast-paced.” – Sarah Creager

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Alumni Spotlight: Daniel - From Freelance Musician to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“If you are looking to make any career change, and you’re passionate about whatever that is, soak up as much as you can. You won’t regret it!” – Daniel Zwelling

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Alumni Spotlight: Alex - From US Navy Veteran to Full-Stack Developer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“If you’re looking for a lifestyle, or at least a professional change, it’s definitely there. Just going through the program, I mean for me, I’m a whole new person now” – Alex Peña

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Alumni Spotlight: Drew - From Serving Assistant to Software Developer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“The biggest thing is to be persistent, there are many hurdles and finding the way through eventually will work. Don’t doubt yourself!” – Drew Ferris

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Alumni Spotlight: Eve - From Psychotherapist to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“It was definitely a hard journey, but it was really wonderful in a lot of ways. It’s kind of surprising, unexpected, and beautiful all the different ways your skills come into play that you would have never thought just musing about making this change” – Eve Denison

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Alumni Spotlight: Jessica - From Graphic Designer to Software Developer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“You really have to ask yourself, would you dedicate and invest seven months of your life to change your life? If the answer is yes, then absolutely go for it!” – Jessica Parker

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Alumni Spotlight: Lydia - From Program Manager to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“The amount that I’ve learned since I joined Code Fellows and post Code Fellows is just insane. So much of software development is commitment, time, and patience. Things will click if you just keep going” – Lydia Minehan-Tubic

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Alumni Spotlight: Roscoe - From Boxing Instructor to Software Engineer 2

By Mitchell Robertson on

“Every week I was fully immersed in some topic that I knew nothing about, and by the end of the week, I knew enough to create something to present. They’re supporting and they’re watching every time you do a presentation. They’re there to clap for you, and that kind of support doesn’t come that often. Code Fellows is one in a million for me!” – Roscoe Bass

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Alumni Spotlight: Meet Raven, Server Turned Security Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

“You’re never going to grow if you don’t end up taking risks. If you really want to be able to have control over your life and make big improvements, then it’s so worth taking the risk and reaching out!” – Raven Robertson

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Job Interviews: What (not) to do

By Mitchell Robertson on

You have the technical skills, know-how, and can effectively speak to your experience and qualifications. But are you prepared to demonstrate confidence, connect interpersonally, and build a strong rapport?

For a lot of companies, an applicant’s culture fit is as (if not more) important as your skills and experience level.

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Is Code Fellows Better Than a Four-Year Degree?

By Mitchell Robertson on

Conventional wisdom points to the value of a college degree, and there are a lot of benefits, but is it worth it? The annual cost of a college education has increased by more than 59% since 2000, while wages for individuals with a Bachelor’s degree have increased by only 5% (3% for individuals with only a high school diploma). This is not sustainable.

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15 Ways to Pay for Your Education

By Mitchell Robertson on

If a program has a solid return on investment—the employment rate is strong, as is the average graduate starting salary—but you don’t have the money to pay for it, how and where do you start?

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6 Tips to Stack Your Job Search with Confidence

By Mitchell Robertson on

In order to take a leap to find a rewarding new career in tech it will take grit and determination, confidence, support, and a strong support team. In your quest to become a professional in tech, leveling up your skills while stacking your job applications can lead to multiple offers and higher pay.

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AWS Without Breaking the Bank

By Roger Huba on

Imagine you are following along in an online tutorial that will walk you through creating a cloud-based API to serve up some data from an AWS EC2 instance, connected to a database. You complete the tutorial and end up with this great API. You decide to share it with your friend who will “ohh and ahh” at your site. A month later you get an email from AWS that mentions a bill is due. To your surprise, the bill is over $300. WHAT? HOW? No way! What do I do now? How do I keep this from happening ever again?

In this article, I’ll offer the essential guidance you need to keep this from happening to you (again?).

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Cultivating Portland's Vibrant and Inclusive Tech Community

By Mitchell Robertson on

In 2015, Code Fellows launched Code Fellows PDX in the heart of downtown Portland. Through our local connections, strong curriculum and inclusive education, we were able to help cultivate the city’s vibrant and inclusive software development culture. We believe tech careers should be opened to everyone. The future of tech will be shaped by the diversity in our world–through the full breadth of humanity.

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Code Fellows Wins WTIA DEI Award

By Mitchell Robertson on

On November 4th WTIA hosted its first DEI Summit, commemorating the first year of WTIA’s intentional and focused efforts to eradicate systems of inequity in the tech sector. The event also marked the launch of WTIA’s DEI Awards, which recognized and honored organizations making outstanding progress toward achieving diversity, equity and inclusion wins for employees, clients, and stakeholders.

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Alumni Spotlight: Will’s Journey: From Homeless to Software Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

Meet Ulrich Wilfred Motchoffo (Will) – Will is a Code Fellows’ Alum and a resilient learner with an incredible story! Will’s journey into tech was not an easy one, in fact, it was far from it, as he faced challenge after challenge, but his persistence paid off.

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Partnering to Increase Digital Equity in K-12

By Mitchell Robertson on

Code Fellows has partnered with the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and Central Oregon STEM Hub piloting a program to provide tech education to students throughout central Oregon. Now in our second year, we are off to a great start and long partnership to produce lasting change.

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Leading the Way in Employment Outcomes

By Mitchell Robertson on

At Code Fellows, we are passionate about helping individuals transform their lives through fast-paced career-focused technical education. This is why we are more than honored to announce that our recently audited employment results show that our alumni have achieved an outstanding 93% In-field Employment Rate.

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Alumni Spotlight: From Layoff to Rewarding Career in Cybersecurity thanks to Ekata

By Mitchell Robertson on

Courtney Hans is a lifelong learner with a diverse set of skills, an avid adventurer and an amazing Code Fellows Alum! Courtney spent her early career as a whitewater rafting and worldwide adventure travel guide before getting her MBA and joining REI. During her time at REI, she worked on the adventure travel team, new business strategies and adventures entrepreneurial unit, as well as a marketing unit in local brand engagement. That was until she was laid off as a result of COVID-19.

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How I earned my AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification

By David Lee on

Hey David! Congrats on passing the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam. Why did you decide to take the exam in the first place?

Thanks! Every modern technology professional should be adapting to the paradigm shift that is cloud computing. With AWS’ dominance in the cloud marketplace and the rapid post-pandemic adoption of cloud services by businesses reinventing service delivery, it’s a competitive necessity to have at least a foundational cloud certification on your LinkedIn.

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11 Of Our Favorite Tech Podcasts For 2021

By Dr. Robin S. Apparicio on

What is one thing that everyone in tech has in common? Lifelong learning. It is important to keep your finger on the pulse of what the pros are talking about. We need to always be pivoting, learning, and adapting. Thankfully there are brilliant people out there who are creating content that is innovative, informative but also funny, entertaining and inspiring.

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Memphis: More than the home of Great Food, Blues, Soul & Rock 'N' Roll

By Mitchell Robertson on

Memphis may be best known for its amazing food, blues, jazz, and rock ‘n’ roll, but it’s also home to a thriving community of leaders, influencers, innovators and change-makers.

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Black History Month: Highlighting Pioneers and Trailblazers in Tech

By Mitchell Robertson on

In honor of Black History Month we want to highlight a few of the stories of Black Americans who have discovered the rewarding and transformative power of learning technology skills. These men and women have overcome incredible structural and cultural obstacles to change their lives and lead by example. Join us as we introduce (or reintroduce) you to some of these amazing trailblazers—who are paving the way for generations to come.

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Build Your Own Home Cyber Range: Part 2

By David Lee on

In part 1 of this three-part blog series, we looked at how to get a home cyber range started in order to host a threat detection ecosystem via VirtualBox. We deployed a Dell Precision T3600 along with VirtualBox, a budget-friendly computer model selected to support additional CPU cores. Next up, we will need to establish remote connectivity to conveniently access the command line, the screen, and the file system in order to treat this computer like a true dedicated server.

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Powered by Code Fellows: Transforming Lives Through Tech Education

By Mitchell Robertson on

Building a strong and sustainable economy requires strategic partnerships, human and capital investment, and access to relevant training and education. These three important factors can provide continuous growth, prosperity, and inclusion that raises the standard of living for the entire community and ensures everyone has a chance to succeed.

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PivotTech: Nashville Partners Creating Access to Rewarding Careers

By Mitchell Robertson on

Nashville may be well known as the country music capital of the world, but it’s quickly transforming into an emerging tech hub. That is why we are proud to be partnering with PivotTech to bring tech education to underserved communities.

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Turning Ideas Into Code: Making Roman Numerals Count

By JB Tellez on

Want to turn your ideas into code? Here’s a tip. The battle is usually won before you’ve written a line of code. Our code represents the very specific set of instructions that we give to our computers, but before we tell our computer what to do, we need to know EXACTLY what problem we are solving, and how EXACTLY we are going to solve it. This is where all the real work of programming begins and we have to rely on our problem-solving methodologies.

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Build Your Own Home Cyber Range: Part 1

By David Lee on

Ever wondered how cybersecurity pros simulate threats in a safe manner? Join me in this first entry in my series all about how I built my own affordable home cyber range, and how you can too!

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3 Tips to Help You Avoid the Resolution Rut

By Mitchell Robertson on

2021 is here and like most of the world, you are probably thinking about what your New Year Resolutions will be. Rather than fall into the rut of setting and forgetting your resolutions this year, create goals that inspire you to get up every day and get after accomplishing them.

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Power under the hood: Playing with JavaScript in the browser console

By Jacob Knaack on

Have some fun with JavaScript directly in your developer console! Just a few lines of code can change text and behaviors on any website that you visit.

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5 Things 2020 Has Taught Us

By Mitchell Robertson on

For better or worse, 2020 has changed us—hopefully for the better! Looking back, we can see the lessons we’ve learned—about grit and determination, health and wellbeing, community and connection, patience and humility, learning and growth are lessons that will impact most of us for the rest of our lives.

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Meet Kate: A Conservationist Who Found New Passion In Code

By Mitchell Robertson on

Kate Zurlo-Cuva moved to Seattle for family, only to discover her love for front-end development, and a new career as a Technical Project Manager.

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Empowering Community Colleges for Economic Change

By Teri Hockett on

Community colleges across the United States are facing unprecedented challenges. Engaging students with relevant courses that help them achieve career goals in the tech industry is a difficult proposition, when faced with the trials of remote learning, constantly shifting industry demand, and fast-moving technological progress.

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Powering Jamaica's Digital Transformation

By Mitchell Robertson on

Code Fellows is proud to be powering the digital transformation of Jamaica through training individuals with the technical skills to start rewarding new careers and accelerate Jamaica’s digital economy!

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Walk-through: Selection Sort Algorithm

By Amanda Iverson on

How do you sort?

You are dealt a hand of 10 playing cards. What’s the first thing you do? Organize them. One of my typical strategies for quickly doing so goes like this if the suit doesn’t matter: Find the lowest value card and put it in the left-most spot in my hand. Then find the lowest of the remaining cards, and place it just to the right of the first card. Repeat, until all the cards are in order. This process is similar to how a computer might sort a list of values with the “selection sort” algorithm. This is just one of the dozens of popular approaches to organizing data, but it maps particularly well to how humans often attempt to sort things. Let’s take a look at how selection sort works!

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Value of Remote Working …. and Remote Learning

By Mitchell Robertson on

Remote work is here to stay. “WFH” is the new normal for companies large and small. Job seekers and companies with positions to fill are slowly realizing how much this opens up opportunities for finding the right match. This is why it’s so important to learn the skills to be a productive, well-balanced professional who can work remotely.

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Shaping Data with JavaScript: Part 3 of the Code Fellows “Mastering Arrays” series

By John Cokos on

As humans, we adapt continuously … ingesting data, processing it, acting on it, and producing a result. It’s never a 1:1… Hot + Sunny doesn’t necessarily mean T-Shirt + Shades. Sometimes it just means Air Conditioning. When we look at complex data, sometimes we want to perform analysis and operations on it, to roll it up into something new. Often, we need the list of data points as input to produce something totally different on the other side … Adapting it to solve a problem, while reducing the noise.

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Job Interviews: 10 Things to Practice

By Mitchell Robertson on

Congratulations, you’ve landed an interview! Here’s how to make sure you don’t blow it.

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How to Land a Job in Tech

By Mitchell Robertson on

How do you land a great job with a tech company? The answer to the question doesn’t require a secret handshake or a hidden map – it requires grit!

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A Half-Million Jobs in Cybersecurity - Here are the Five important things you need to know

By David Lee on

With more than half-million job opportunities in cybersecurity according to cyberseek.org, looking for an educational program that will get your foot in the door isn’t easy. Make sure to consider these five important topics when looking for your next cybersecurity program!

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Mapping data for fun and profit: Part 2 of the Code Fellows “Mastering Arrays” series

By John Cokos on

Arrays are an amazing way to store lists of data. But let’s be honest, they’re not always easy to work with… especially when the array is made up of complex objects, and you’re being asked to deliver just a sliver of it. Fear not, .map() to the rescue!

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10 Pitfalls That Can Hold You Back From Being Hired

By Mitchell Robertson on

Interpersonal skills can help—or hurt—your path to landing a job just as much as technical skills. Check yourself for these 10 pitfalls to make sure they won’t stand between you and your dream job.

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Meet Christopher: Code Fellows Graduate, CTO, and Apple Keynote Speaker

By Mitchell Robertson on

Christopher Cohen has always been one step ahead of technology. As a Code Fellows graduate and chief technology officer of FiLMiC Inc., Christopher is not only pushing the boundaries of what smartphones can do (and presenting his groundbreaking innovations to Apple developers at Apple Special Event Keynotes)—he’s pushing the boundaries of what he can do, too.

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Learn to Code From the Cayman Islands

By Mitchell Robertson on

How our Powered by Code Fellows program helps local economies through providing professional software development skills through live-remote learning.

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Filters … Not Just for Coffee: Part 1 of the Code Fellows “Mastering Arrays” Video Series

By John Cokos on

Filtering content is the most basic of tasks. We do this constantly (and without thinking) while browsing for movies, scanning search results and even with human conversation. JavaScript’s array .filter() method for arrays makes the task of combing through arrays, even complex ones, very achievable.

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In Celebration of Juneteenth

By Jeff Malek on

It is not a “day off” for me or our staff, it’s definitely a “day on”. Meaning, if we’ve learned anything in the last few weeks of 2020, it’s that 155 years later, collectively as a nation we haven’t said enough in support of anti-racism, we haven’t done enough in support of anti-racism, and we need to persist going forward, reminding each other that we have a lot of work ahead of us.

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Anti-racism: Being Non-Racist Is Not Enough

By Jeff Malek on

We remain committed to breaking down systemic barriers and ensuring all people are treated with respect and dignity. Privilege exists. Systemic racism exists. We are united with our staff, students, alumni, and partners in the fight against systemic racism and injustice.

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Five Things I’ve Learned as a Person of Color in Tech

By Dezireé Teague on

Hear some of the lessons Code Fellows graduate and current software developer Dezireé Teague has learned as a person of color working in the tech industry.!

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Meet Jeremiah: From Bartender to Azure Customer Support Engineer

By Mitchell Robertson on

Meet Jeremiah Walters! He met software developers while bartending in Seattle, and was inspired to check out jobs in the tech industry. After five months studying at Code Fellows, he now helps Microsoft customers get the most out of Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform. Read his motivation for learning JavaScript, and his advice for other people of color joining the tech industry.

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Leading the Way: How Code Fellows is Innovating Cyber Education

By David Lee on

How does Code Fellows all-new Ops sequence—that culminates in a certificate of Cybersecurity Engineering—set itself apart from other cyber education offerings? Let’s take a look!

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6 Keys to Writing the Perfect Cover Letter

By Mitchell Robertson on

Let’s stop with the generic cover letters! A great cover letter should help you stand out. When written poorly, a cover letter can make a promising candidate seem like an uncreative, uninteresting boiler-plate copy.

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COVID-19: How to Thrive in This Time of Uncertainty

By Mitchell Robertson on

At Code Fellows, we are passionate about helping individuals transform their lives through education. We believe that it is critical to learn the skills that allow you to pursue your passion while also providing for you financially. Being able to work remote, means you not only have the ability to endure tough times like the ones we are facing now but also live where you want, work where you want, and live the life that you want.

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Defining Impostor Syndrome: How to Own Your Success

By Mitchell Robertson on

Late last year, life coach Micha Goebig gave a presentation on overcoming impostor syndrome at a Code Fellows Partner Power Hour. You’ve probably heard of the phrase, but you might not know exactly what it means. Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

Here, we’re detailing what impostor syndrome is and breaking down Micha’s tips for overcoming it and learning to feel confident about your success. Everyone lacks confidence sometimes, but with these tips, we hope to help you learn where that’s healthy—as opposed to limiting and destructive—so you can believe in yourself as much as we believe in you.

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Up Your Coding Game: Learn More with Code Fellows Tutoring Program

By Heather Cherewaty on

Discover more ways Code Fellows is dedicated to helping students become confident, knowledgeable, and career-ready software developers.

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Which Coding Language Should I Learn First?

By Brook Riggio on

Code Fellows’ own vice president of education, Brook Riggio, breaks down the differences between coding languages and shares his suggestions about which language you should learn first.

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It's For You!

By Jeff Malek on

I sent the response below to an email we received from someone who objected to one of our ads, which contained the message “coding is not just for the white, the male, the privileged, the wealthy or the college educated”. Hopefully this post will help others who may have been offended to understand the intent behind this message.

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Meet Izzy: Code Fellows Graduate

By Mitchell Robertson on

Izzy Baer doesn’t let a challenge stop her from achieving her goals. That’s why she thrived at Code Fellows, where students are encouraged to confront challenges head-on with a growth mindset. For Izzy, grit in the face of an obstacle is where the magic happens: “Your brain has the capacity to learn absolutely anything, as long as you just keep trying.”

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Learning to Code: 5 Paths to Becoming a Software Developer and How to Enhance Your Skills Along the Way - Part 4

By Heather Cherewaty on

Are you learning to code or looking to improve your technical skills? Join us for a 5 part blog series on the many paths to a career in Tech and how you can improve your skills, and your job prospects, along the way! Monthly, from September through January, we’ll be exploring various learning mediums and how to best leverage those resources for success. We’ll cover free online tutorials and courses, coding schools/bootcamps, CS degree programs, interview prep, and continuing education. You can find September’s blog on “The Self-guided Route” here, October’s blog on “The College Route” here, and November’s blog on “The Code School Route” here.

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Why We’re Different Than a Coding Bootcamp

By Mitchell Robertson on

Coding bootcamps have grown in popularity—but we at Code Fellows believe it takes more than the basics, which is why we don’t categorize ourselves as a bootcamp. In this post, we explain why.

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7 Ways Veterans Can Optimize Their LinkedIn Profile for Jobs in Tech

By Teri Pfeffer on

When it comes to professional networking sites, LinkedIn is the way to go. For veterans specifically, LinkedIn can be an invaluable tool when transitioning into the workforce outside of the military. Here, our very own military program manager and military spouse of 24 years, Teri Pfeffer, shares her top LinkedIn tips for veterans.

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Learning to Code: 5 Paths to Becoming a Software Developer and How to Enhance Your Skills Along the Way - Part 3

By Heather Cherewaty on

Are you learning to code or looking to improve your technical skills? Join us for a 5 part blog series on the many paths to a career in Tech and how you can improve your skills, and your job prospects, along the way! Monthly, from September through January, we’ll be exploring various learning mediums and how to best leverage those resources for success. We’ll cover free online tutorials and courses, coding schools/bootcamps, CS degree programs, interview prep, and continuing education. You can find September’s blog on “The Self-guided Route” here and October’s blog on “The College Route” here.

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Meet Ada Lovelace (and Other Women Who Shaped Technology)

By Mitchell Robertson on

Without women, technology would be nowhere near where it is today, but that’s a narrative that many people don’t yet know. Today, we’re introducing (or reintroducing) you to some of tech’s finest female trailblazers so we can all celebrate the women who pioneered the industry—and paved the way for generations to come.

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Learning to Code: 5 Paths to Becoming a Software Developer and How to Enhance Your Skills Along the Way - Part 2

By Heather Cherewaty on

Are you learning to code or looking to improve your technical skills? Join us for a 5 part blog series on the many paths to a career in Tech and how you can improve your skills, and your job prospects, along the way! Monthly, from September through January, we’ll be exploring various learning mediums and how to best leverage those resources for success. We’ll cover free online tutorials and courses, coding schools/bootcamps, CS degree programs, interview prep, and continuing education. You can find September’s blog on “The Self-guided Route” here.

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Meet Amber: Code Fellows Graduate

By Mitchell Robertson on

When Amber Kim started Code Fellows, she wasn’t afraid to fail. In fact, she wanted to: “The faster you learn, the faster you know where the holes in your logic are, and the faster you can either pivot or work on your weak links.”

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Forging Partnerships: The Cayman Code Academy

By Mitchell Robertson on

How our Powered by Code Fellows program helps local economies, from the Cayman Islands to the Middle East.

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Meet Jen: Code Fellows Graduate

By Mitchell Robertson on

When Jen Carrigan enrolled at Code Fellows, she dove in headfirst: she quit her job, dropped out of her computer science degree program, and devoted herself completely to the Code Fellows program instead. It may have been a risk, but it paid off royally—today, Jen is a Code Fellows graduate and software development engineer. Jen’s journey to Code Fellows may have been full of some twists and turns, but she reached her destination by taking it one step at a time.

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Learning to Code: 5 Paths to Becoming a Software Developer and How to Enhance Your Skills Along the Way - Part I

By Heather Cherewaty on

Are you learning to code or looking to improve your technical skillset? Join us for a 5 part blog series on the many paths to a career in Tech and how you can improve your skills, and your job prospects, along the way! Monthly, from September through January, we’ll be exploring various learning mediums and how to best leverage those resources for success. We’ll cover free online tutorials and courses, coding schools/bootcamps, CS degree programs, interview prep, and continuing education.

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Meet Hector: Code Fellows Graduate

By Mitchell Robertson on

When Hector Norzagaray enrolled in Code Fellows, he expected to learn how to code. What he didn’t expect was to find a community of people who rallied together to help him believe in himself—and make it through.

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New Code 501 Course Announced: One-Day Class Offers Hands-On SQL Training

By Sarah Fischer on

Are you ready to take on advanced data problem solving? Step into the shoes of a data analyst and learn how to tackle interesting SQL problems with our new Code 501 course!

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Field Notes: How to Prepare for the Technical Interview

By Misty Hays on

Interviewing can be brutal. But it doesn’t have to be.

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Meet Ivette: Here's How She's Impacting Her Community after Code 201

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Ivette Cortez! Knowing the importance of STEM education for young students, she wanted to add programming to her skill set and to her curriculum as a middle school language instructor. After finishing Code 201, she integrated more technology into her classroom, organized after-school coding classes, and started working with ChickTech. Learn more about her journey and how she’s using her education to benefit her community!

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Field Notes: Impact is Greater Than Visibility

By Jeff Adelman on

As you progress in your career as a software engineer, one piece of advice you may hear, from coworkers, friends, or a manager, is that you need to be more “visible.” What do these well-meaning people have in mind when they tell you to increase your visibility?

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Field Notes: Advice for a Career in Programming

By Ted Spence on

When I meet programmers about to embark on a career in the exciting and rewarding field of software engineering, they often ask for advice. The most common question I am asked is what programming language they should learn (I happen to like C#), but I’d like to share different advice today.

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Closing the IT Skills Gap with Coding Academies: A Q&A with an Avalara Senior Software Engineer

By Jesse Hamlin on

Avalara has hired several Code Fellows alumni over the past several years, with each one bringing grit, passion, and top-shelf training in software development. We sat down with Lee Broxson, Senior UX engineer here at Avalara and our first hire from Code Fellows’ program, to talk about his career after studying at a coding academy, and how programs like Code Fellows—his “alma mater”—are helping to shrink the IT skills gap.

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The 2018 Gift Guide for Software Developers

By Sarah Fischer on

It’s here again! The time of year when we poll the devs in our lives to find out the hottest gifts that the developer in your life would love to find in their stocking.

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Give the Gift of Education

By Sarah Fischer on

This year, 128 people received scholarships to pursue life-changing opportunities in tech, in part because of the generosity of the alumni and companies who supported our Diversity Scholarship Fund. Let’s make it happen for even more individuals in 2019.

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4 Projects Sponsors, 8 Mentors, and 80 Devs Walk Into a Code School…

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

Thank you to everyone who participated in our first Community Hack Night Initiative!

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Introducing the New Talent Portal!

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

We’ve launched a new way for hiring managers and dev teams to find their next teammate!

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12 Java Resources for the Modern Developer

By Jeff Adelman on

As a software developer, one of the most important skills you can cultivate in yourself is the ability to learn new things. Keeping up with industry trends, learning new technologies, and constantly improving your own skill set is an endless endeavor. With that in mind, here are some of my favorite resources for keeping up-to-date with Java trends and improving your Java skills.

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Meet James: From Elementary School Teacher to UI Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet James Billard! He realized he needed a change after seven years as an elementary school instructor. He studied in our nights & weekends track, and now works as a UI Developer at Indigo Slate. Read his advice, struggles, and ultimate triumph as he made a massive career change to pursue his goals.

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Join us for the 2nd Annual Veteran Tech Summit!

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

Veterans, supporters, and members of Seattle’s tech industry, you are invited for our second annual Veteran Tech Summit on November 1, 2018!

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Money-Back Guarantees, Placement Stats, Starting Salaries, Oh My!

By Mitchell Robertson on

Here’s how to sort through the data and find the right school for you.

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From Seattle to Cedar Rapids: Meet the School Bringing Tech Education to Iowa

By Mitchell Robertson on

Did you know that 12 schools license our curriculum to train software developers in their cities?

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6 Reasons for Pair Programming

By Allie Grampa on

Iterative loops. Code reviews. Fast feedback. Error checking and linting. These are software engineering practices that have proven to dramatically improve the quality of code developers produce. What if you can could get all of this, instantaneously, while typing code line by line and character by character? You can, with pair programming, a technique common to many agile work environments.

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Meet Kevin: From Commercial Photographer to Software Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Kevin Miller! He started his career as a commercial photographer, and as tech advancements started to influence his work, he was intrigued by the possibilities for a creator who knew how to code. Here’s how he went from photography to code, what he loved about his learning experience, and what his work looks like as a developer at Nordstrom.

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Meet Rob: From Math Teacher to Software Design Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Rob Reed! He started learning to code as a math teacher to make lessons more visual for his students, and realized he loved the challenge coding presented. Read how he made the most of his time on campus, what he loves about the tech industry, and how he became a Software Design Engineer at Concur.

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Hiring Devs? Us Too. Here's How We Built Our Best Team

By Mike Green on

“Amazon is buying up all the best engineering talent.”

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Meet Amber: From Front-End to Full-Stack with help from the GI Bill®

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Amber Kim! She was running her own web design and marketing firm while her husband was in the military. When they settled in Seattle, she was able to use his GI Bill® funds to expand her skill set at Code Fellows. She shares about her learning journey and her advice for other military spouses who are thinking about a career in tech.

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People, Partners, Products: Seattle Orgs Win Big with Our Expanded Employer Services

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

We hear it all too often: competition is tight for tech talent.

It’s time to get creative.

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Taking Command: Three Ways the Command Line Can Help You Write Better Code

By Michelle Ferreirae on

The command line is a tool that can get in your way, or make complicated problems easier to solve. How can developers use the command line in their day-to-day development work?

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How to Choose a Stack

By Sarah Fischer on

We get this question a lot: “How do I choose which Code 401 course to take?” Here’s how we answer.

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Meet Allie! From University STEM Professor to Code Fellows Instructor

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Allie! She spent six years teaching in higher education before joining the team at Code Fellows. Read about her start in programming, how she empathizes with new coders, and why she loves helping people start new careers in tech.

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Meet Gregory: From Army Electrician to Software Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Gregory Dukes! His career path lacked direction until he decided to learn to code at Code Fellows. Find out how he made the decision to study ASP.NET, what his job search looked like, and how he went from new hire to lead dev in just three weeks on the job!

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Meet Amanda: From Visual Content Developer to Software Development Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Amanda Koster! She was ready for new challenges in her career and fascinated by coding. After realizing the need for a hybrid of creative and code, and that teams of diverse developers can build better products for more people, she decided to pursue a new career in programming. Read about her career transition, and her advice for others who are considering the same path.

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Setting Up Google Docs for Technical Interview Happiness

By Michelle Ferreirae on

Use these settings to turn Google Docs into a passable development environment for your technical phone screen.

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How to Choose a Stack, Part 5: Java

By Steve Geluso on

Java is powerful. It’s one of the most established, trusted programming languages in the software industry. Computer science programs teach it, and it helps companies big and small build secure, performant platforms.

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A Startup’s Experience Getting to MVP with Code Fellows Alums

By James Ni on

Our company needed to find a few developers to help speed up development of our denim recommendation website, LookFitFeel. Here’s how two recent Code Fellows graduates rose to the challenge.

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Microsoft Engineers Mentor Code Fellows Alumni During Philanthropic Hackathon

By Sarah Fischer on

In our new Career Accelerator Program, participating graduates and alumni get access to exclusive opportunities to grow their skills and their network. As part of this program, Microsoft recently invited a handful of graduates to join an employee-only hackathon, hosted at their headquarters in Redmond.

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Meet Morgan: From Technical Program Manager to Software Development Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Morgan Nomura! During her time as a TPM at Nordstrom, she got a front row seat to the work that software developers do every day. She studied at Code Fellows to quickly learn modern Python programming, and now works with the very developers who inspired her to try coding over a year ago.

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How to Choose a Stack, Part 4: ASP.NET

By Sarah Fischer on

How do you choose your first software development stack? More importantly, do you even know what a software development “stack” is?

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Meet Erik: From Escape Room Employee to Software Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Erik Enderlein! With his love of puzzles, an escape room seemed like the perfect place to work. But his job there presented him with a different kind of puzzle: creating software for timers and other features that would make the experience better for customers.

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Sprints in Tech: A Glimpse at How Dev Teams Work in the Real World

By Danielle Martin on

My name is Danielle Martin and I’m a product manager at Avvo, a Seattle tech company on a mission to get people the legal help they deserve.

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Meet Caleb: From Tech Supervisor to Software Design Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Caleb Wells! He wanted a career in tech but wasn’t sure if coding was for him. After pursuing his education at Code Fellows, he was hired as a Software Design Engineer at Alaska Airlines. Read how he changed his career potential in just five months!

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How to Be the Best!

By Misty Hays on

You just landed your first job and you’re excited! You worked hard to get here and now it’s your time to burst through the dirt and become the strong Douglas-fir that you are. You were destined for great things, so let’s show ‘em who’s the best!

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For Women’s History Month, We’re Celebrating the Women of Code Fellows

By Sarah Fischer on

In celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating the many women who have walked the halls of our campus.

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Seattle Tech Company Recruits Python Students to Build SDK as Class Project

By Sarah Fischer on

By the time our students graduate from Code 401, they’re writing professional-grade code.

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Meet David: From Sworn Peace Officer to Software Development Engineer II

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet David Lim! He spent 13 years in military and public service and realized he wanted the more predictable and stable schedule provided by a job in tech. He shares how he used his GI Bill® benefits to study at Code Fellows and land a role as a software development apprentice at Amazon.

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Soft Skills for Software Developers

By Cynthia Wang on

In a 2016 Harvard Business Review article, The Soft Skills of Great Digital Organizations, Alexandra Samuel has this to say: “Smart organizations have recognized that introducing new technology into the workplace isn’t about hardware or software: it’s about wetware, also known as human beings. If you want to be the kind of nimble business that can make the most of successive waves of tech innovation, you need human beings who can adapt to change.”

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What to Expect After Code School, Part 2: I got a new job! Now what?

By Steven Bateman on

In part 1, we went over what you should expect as you look for your first job as a software developer. Once you land that first role, here’s what you should expect as you ramp up into your new career.

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What to Expect After Code School, Part 1: I Graduated! Now What?

By Steven Bateman on

Wrapping up a Code 401 course is a huge achievement. It feels like the culmination of everything that’s been set aside in the pursuit of a different career. It’s a fantastic moment to look back at the first day of 201 and realize everything you’ve learned since then. It warrants celebration and a sense of accomplishment.

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Mock Interviews: The Path to an Effective & Inclusive Hiring Process

By Mitchell Robertson on

It’s no secret. Software developers are in high demand, and the interview door swings both ways—they’re assessing your company as much as you’re deciding if they’re a good fit for the role.

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10 Student Loan Terms Everyone Should Know

By Skills Fund on

Editor’s Note: Partnering with Skills Fund for student financing options is one of the many ways we try to make our program more accessable to more people. Today, the Skills Fund team shares the 10 terms you need to know before signing for a student loan.

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See What Students Build in Code 401: Python

By Sarah Fischer on

We recently featured the projects that students create in Code 201 and Code 301 during project week—the final week of their course.

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This Code Fellows Alum Wanted an App... So He Learned to Code & Built it Himself

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Derek Graham! He learned to code at Code Fellows and created Box-o-matic, an app that creates patterns for users to create their own boxes and containers.

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Five Ways to Save Money While You're in School

By Skills Fund on

Editor’s Note: Our partnership with Skills Fund is one of the many financing options for our students. Today, the Skills Fund team shares simple ways to manage your expenses while in school.

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Meet Yana: Substitute Teacher Turned Software Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Yana Radenska! She was accepted into an apprenticeship program through WTIA’s Apprenti and completed her technical training at Code Fellows before starting her apprenticeship at Avvo.

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The Four Principles of Nailing a Tech Interview

By Jacob Hawken on

Let’s rip off the store-brand adhesive bandage really fast: Tech interviews are intimidating. On the whole they’re tough, stressful, and often quite arbitrary.

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2017 Software Developer Gift Guide

By Sarah Fischer on

‘Tis the season to pick up the perfect gift for the developer in your life. To help you on your hunt, we’ve assembled some of our favorite books, gadgets, and accessories on the market.

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Recruiting Revealed: Understanding the Role of Recruiters

By Amanda O’Shannessy & Angela Stugren on

If you’ve never worked in Human Resources or on a recruiting team, it’s likely that the hiring process and the role of recruiters is shrouded in a bit of mystery.

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Should Your Employer Fund Your Education? Here’s How (and Why!) You Should Ask

By Hugo Guerra on

Whether you are in engineering, the wider tech sector, or the corporate world in general, continuing your education is essential to remaining valuable as an asset and relevant within your industry.

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Help Raise $100K Towards Diversity Scholarships!

By Mitchell Robertson on

Since launching our Diversity Scholarship Fund in 2015, we’ve partnered with individuals and companies such as Expedia, Zillow, and Substantial to fund over $2.7M in scholarships.

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Apprenticeships: The Time-Tested Model Changing the Face of Tech

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

The tech industry is known for blazing trails, for seeing new opportunities, and for pushing boundaries.

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See What Code 301 Students Can Build

By Sarah Fischer on

In a recent article, we featured a few of our Code 201 students—most with no previous programming experience—and what they can build after just three weeks of training.

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Meet Ted: Mechanical Engineer Turned Software Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Ted Callahan! His six-year career as a mechanical engineer was moving slow, and he decided he needed a change. He shares what he loves about the tech industry, why Code Fellows’ program was the right fit for him, and what he would say to anyone else considering the same path.

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<HelloReact/> Day 1 — React from Scratch — 30 Days of React

By Rob Merrill on

Would you like to get started learning the basics of react without getting bogged down creating a development environment?

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3 Lessons from ‘Do What Works: The Diversity & Inclusion Guide for Excellence’

By Morgan Nomura on

We hear a lot about the need for diversity and inclusion in technology companies.

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Cooking, Coding & Career Changes: A Chef’s Journey in Learning to Code

By Kayla Asay on

Hello! My name is Kayla Asay and I am a software engineer.

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Tutoring Now Available From Code Fellows

By Jeff Malek on

Here at Code Fellows, we’re always looking for new ways to add value to our community and help people from all backgrounds learn new tech skills.

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Students Squash 51 Bugs in Inaugural Partner Bug Bash

By Allie Grampa on

Code Fellows hosted its first ever Bug Bash in partnership with Avalara, a Seattle-based company that automates sales tax calculations for businesses.

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Making The Transition from Software Engineer To Manager

By Daryl Thayil on

Software Engineering is the ultimate expression of problem solving.

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Alumni-Focused Events Boost Grads’ Careers & Community

By Mitchell Robertson on

As the first coding academy in the Seattle market, we launched our operations in 2013 with hopes of improving the quality of tech education and access to careers in tech.

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Veteran Tech Summit: A Recap of Washington’s Inaugural Veteran and Technology Event

By Lizzie Tao on

Last week, Bunker Labs Seattle, FourBlock, Operation Code, and Code Fellows teamed up to organize Washington’s first ever Veteran Tech Summit.

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What Can You Build After Code 201? Here's a Glimpse.

By Sarah Fischer on

What can students in Code 201 build by the end of a very intense four weeks? As it turns out, quite a lot.

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Game AI: Student Project Dives Into Machine Learning

By Sarah Fischer on

We’ve seen some impressive projects come out of the four-day sprint dubbed Project Week at Code Fellows. From online drum kits to Google Street View on Mars, we’re continually amazed by what students create in just one week.

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For Charlottesville

By Jeff Malek on

It’s incredible how the appalling recent events in Charlottesville have resulted in an uprising of good will and kindred spirits around the world.

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Meet Evan: From the U.S. Army to Porch's Dev Team

By Sarah Fischer on

When a family member stumbled upon Code Fellows from a Google search, it seemed like a great opportunity for Evan Paige to fast track his learning. He shares how his background in the military aided his learning, how he got the job at Porch, and more.

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The Significance of Allies

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” –Nelson Mandela

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Meet Nathan: Coder, Entrepreneur, and Founder of pennypost

By Sarah Fischer on

Nathan Maas wanted to use his knack for innovation to help people stay connected, regardless of their location. After learning to code at Code Fellows, he went on to start pennypost as a way to help people stay in touch around the world.

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New Partnership with Seattle Central College Increases Access to Education

By Mitchell Robertson on

We’re excited to announce a new partnership with Seattle Central College, an established Seattle institute focusing on student diversity, quality education, and community partnerships.

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Why React? A Deeper Look into Facebook’s Hit Framework

By Mark Palfreeman on

React, Facebook’s open-source JavaScript library for developing user interfaces, recently hit its four year anniversary 😯, so it’s worthwhile to take stock of where it came from, what’s changed, and what its ecosystem looks like today.

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New Code 401 Course Focuses on ASP.NET Core, Microsoft’s Open Source Framework

By Amanda Iverson on

We’re excited to announce a new course in our Code 400 level! Code 401: Advanced Software Development in ASP.NET Core is coming to the Code Fellows lineup, focusing on programming in Microsoft’s new open source, cross-platform framework.

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I Can Do Things That Are Hard: How Learning to Code Changed My Life

By Jake Hawken on

Not too long ago, I wasn’t a programmer.

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Stability: An Open Letter from Code Fellows CEO

By Jeff Malek on

The past few weeks have been game changing for the code school marketplace, and for students in training to become developers across the country.

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Meet Rae: Yogi Turned Software Developer

By Mitchell Robertson on

Rae Helsel is a yoga instructor who decided to make a career switch to mobile development. She shares how her background made her the perfect fit for a New York startup, what she loved most about her learning experience, and her advice for anyone considering a similar transition.

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10 Tips to Nail Your Next Networking Event

By Izzy Baer on

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Code Fellows Students Win Seattle Sports Tech Hackathon

By Sarah Fischer on

The only thing better than seeing the amazing projects students build in class is watching them apply their skills in the community. Recently, five Code Fellows students worked on projects that won grand prize, Best Product, and runner up in the second annual Seattle Sports Tech Hackathon.

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Less Talk, More Action: Hiring Practices That Innovate with Inclusion

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

The tech industry has a track record of shaking up long-established industries and being future-focused—so how is that being applied towards creating more inclusive hiring practices?

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Aligning Forces: Google Hosts Code Fellows Community for Tech Panel

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

At Code Fellows, our highest priority is the success of our grads. The diversity of our student base means we actively participate in Diversity & Inclusion initiatives, getting out in the Seattle community to build bridges on behalf of our students and others who are trying to break into the industry.

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Build Your First VR Experience in Just 2 Weeks

By Peter Mosher on

Come all you dreamers, designers, builders and innovators. The wait is over!

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From Military Bootcamp to Code School: Two Veterans Share Their Journey To Code Fellows

By Mary Bergeron, SwitchUp on

Thomas Martinez and Remil Marzan are military veterans who both graduated from Code Fellows in Seattle. When considering a coding education, they both were looking for a school that accepts the G.I. Bill, was well-reviewed, and had an excellent reputation in the tech industry.

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Beginner-Level Students Level Up with Drum Kit Web App

By Sarah Fischer on

In just four weeks, Code 201 students go from no coding background to spending a full week building their first complete web application. Time and again they rise to the challenge, and we’re always impressed with the projects they create.

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Meet Eve: Social Worker Turned Software Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Eve’s unique background in art and social work may seem unrelated to a software development career, but those skills are exactly why she had an offer in hand before she’d even graduated.

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Meet the Team: Mindy Mills, Admissions Advisor

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Mindy! As a part of the admissions team at Code Fellows, she helps aspiring devs know if our program is right for them, and helps them get fully prepared for their first day of class.

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Code 101: Your Introduction to a Tech Career

By Sarah Fischer on

It’s like Career Day for adults.

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Our New Expanded Mobile App Development Curriculum Includes Android

By Brook Riggio on

Exciting changes are coming to our mobile development curriculum!

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Meet Kaylyn: Nurse Turned Software Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Kaylyn Yuh! She graduated from Code Fellows as a full-stack JavaScript developer and now works as a software engineer at Bevy. She shares more about her time in class and what has surprised her most about her new role in tech.

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Meet the Team: Adam Wallraff, iOS Developer & Lead Instructor

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet Adam, our stellar lead iOS instructor and one of the many talented developers we have on instructional staff at Code Fellows. He shares more about his background, recommendations for aspiring iOS devs, why elephants would make great transportation, and more.

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Java: Time Tested, Scalable, and Essential for the Novice and Expert Alike

By Brad Farr on

Earlier this year, Stack Overflow conducted a survey of over 64,000 developers. Whether you’re a web developer, desktop developer, system admin, or data scientist, the verdict is the same: Java is an incredibly valuable skill to be able to list on your résumé.

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Making Meaningful Contributions Towards Increasing Diversity In Tech

By The Code Fellows Team on

Over half a million people live in the greater Seattle area—with over two million in all of King County—from all walks of life and employment backgrounds: accountants, baristas, bartenders, electricians, and software developers. Not everyone is so fortunate.

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8 Tips When Starting Your Dev Career After Code School

By Jeff Chavez on

If you’re reading this as a code school graduate, well done! As an alumni of Code Fellows, I know the feeling of relief when you submit your final project and have your certificate in hand.

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Less Talk, More Action: Three Companies Weigh In On Diversity & Inclusion

By Elizabeth Scutchfield on

It’s a little ironic to host a talk titled “Less Talk, More Action.” But in an industry where companies (should) have the same goal—creating a more diverse, inclusive culture—we need to take the time to share what’s working.

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Pain vs. Suffering: An Open Letter from Code Fellows' Python Instructor

By Nicholas Hunt-Walker on

So you want to learn Python. That’s awesome! However, if you’re going to learn Python at Code Fellows, there are a few things you need to know.

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Coding for Social Good: Applying a Career in Social Work to Mobile App Development

By Eve Denison on

Meet Eve! Her master’s degree and 10-year career in social work impacted her decision to use technology to continue help people. She shares her experience changing careers, how she plans to use her new training in mobile development to benefit others, and some encouraging words for others who are making the switch.

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A Tale of Two Bootcamps: Muay Thai Kickboxing vs. Code 201

By Glen Pham on

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Algorithm Fundamentals: Merge Sort

By John Shiver on

Imagine having a phone book without the last names sorted alphabetically. Or a dictionary with words unorganized. Ever tried to find a web page on the internet without the help of a search engine to rank results by relevance?

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Salesforce Developer: The Lucrative Coding Career You’ve Never Heard Of

By Scott Mantei on

Salesforce developers are in high demand.

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Diversity in Tech: How Diversity Partners are Making an Impact

By Mitchell Robertson on

For years, tech companies have been challenged to diversify their teams. We look to the data, using the demographics of tech giants like Google and Twitter to gauge how the entire industry is performing.

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Meet Lee: Project Manager Turned UX Engineer

By Sarah Fischer on

Lee Broxson used a systematic schedule to apply for jobs and start a new career as a UX Engineer. Read on to learn the gameplan that leads to job offers from three different companies, plus his insight on how to land the right job after a coding bootcamp.

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Meet Victor: From Military Veteran to Booz Allen Hamilton

By Mitchell Robertson on

What do military veterans have to say about their time at Code Fellows?

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Meet David: Navy Veteran Turned Data Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

When Navy veteran David Fazio starting looking for long-term career paths that built on the technical training he’d received in the Navy, all signs pointed to software development. He shares how his military experience prepared him for a coding bootcamp, and his advice on acing the job search after graduation.

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Meet Selena & Disa: The Mother-Daughter Pair Learning to Code Together

By Sarah Fischer on

Many of our students come to Code Fellows because of testimonials from friends who excelled in the program. It’s more rare that parents see the success their children experience and decide to enroll themselves—but that’s exactly what happened when Disa saw her daughter, Selena, successfully learn to code.

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Meet Stefanie: From Psychology to Microsoft's LEAP Program

By Sarah Fischer on

Stefanie Hansen was struggling to find a career path that was creative, intellectual, meaningful, and collaborative—until she started learning to code. Read along as she shares about her journey, getting accepted to Microsoft’s LEAP program, advice for aspiring developers, and more.

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Cracking the Coding Bootcamp: How to Succeed After the Hurricane

By John Shiver on

Now that I’ve been in the tech industry for a few years since completing the Code Fellows program, I’m often asked for advice by others who want to take a similar path. Many people said my ideas were helpful, so I wanted to share them with a wider audience.

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Resource Roundup: Everything You Need to Know Before You Apply to Code Fellows

By Sarah Fischer on

Thinking about enrolling in a coding bootcamp to give your skills an upgrade and boost your career?

To help answer some of your questions about what to expect at Code Fellows—both before you apply, during the program, and after you graduate—we’ve assembled our top articles in one place.

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What Coding Bootcamp is Right for Me

By Sarah Fischer on

There are literally hundereds of options for learnign Picking the right coding bootcamp and gearing up for learning over an intense several months can be a daunting process. Once you’ve picked the language you want to learn and narrowed it down to two or three schools, there are tours to take, phone screens to schedule, and entrance tests to pass.

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7 Battle-Tested Tips to Prepare for a Coding Bootcamp

By Sarah Fischer on

Picking the right coding bootcamp and gearing up for learning over an intense several months can be a daunting process. Once you’ve picked the language you want to learn and narrowed it down to two or three schools, there are tours to take, phone screens to schedule, and entrance tests to pass.

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Code Fellows Awarded SwitchUp’s Badge of Excellence

By Mitchell Robertson on

We wanted to take a moment and thank our exceptional students and staff who contributed to Code Fellows winning SwitchUp’s 2016 Best Bootcamp Award!

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Best Coding Bootcamp Award for 5th Consecutive Year

By Mitchell Robertson on

Code Fellows awarded SwitchUp’s 2020 Best Bootcamp Award! Thank you to the dedicated instructors, staff and students for helping us acheive our 5th consecutive year of acheiving this distiguished honor!

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Meet Wheatlessin, the Student-Built App that Makes Gluten-Free Dining Easy

By Sarah Fischer on

In Code 301—our intermediate web development class—students stretch their coding ability as they work with APIs, encounter bigger challenges, and build more advanced projects.

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Meet David: Fleet Manager Turned Software Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

When David Porter was accepted to Code Fellows, the help of a Diversity Scholarship meant he could pursue his dream of becoming an iOS developer. He shares what he’s liked most about the program and his advice for other students who are breaking into the tech industry.

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The 6+ Skills Every Developer Needs (and How to Test for Them)

By Sarah Fischer on

Exploring a new career is daunting. You probably have a thousand questions, starting with “Can I even do this?” While anyone can be a successful developer with hard work and the right training, there are a few things you can test (and be working on) that will help you decide if a development career is the right fit.

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10+ Gift Ideas for Developers

By Sarah Fischer on

Need a gift idea for that special someone who is always hard to buy for? We’ve got you covered.

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How to Choose a Stack, Part 3: iOS

By Sarah Fischer on

If you’re exploring a career as a coder, your first question is probably “Which language is best?” followed by, “How do I learn it well enough for someone to hire me?”

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How to Choose a Stack, Part 2: Full-Stack JavaScript

By Sarah Fischer on

Exploring a career in tech, but unsure which language to learn first? In this series, we’re detailing the pros of each language you can learn here at Code Fellows to help make that decision a little easier.

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How to Choose a Stack, Part 1: Python

By Sarah Fischer on

We get the question a lot: how do I know which programming language to learn first? Since you’ll likely learn more than a few languages throughout your software development career, which language you learn first usually comes down to personal preference and what kind of software you want to build. In this blog series, we’ll lay out the pros of each language, show you what you can build, give salary and job data, and help clear up some of the questions around the languages we teach at Code Fellows.

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A Simple Request In Support of Inclusivity

By Jeff Malek on

I want to put aside party politics for a moment and talk about something that is a shared concern, regardless of your party affiliation—something unifying.

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Women Hold the Majority in Recent Code 201 Course

By Sarah Fischer on

We wanted to share a huge win in our mission to encourage more women in tech! In August, our Code 201 cohort finished strong with impressive projects and an even more impressive male-to-female ratio.

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Technical Interviews Suck… Here's How to Ace Them

By Brook Riggio on

The software industry has a love/hate relationship with the technical interview. Candidates hate it, and interviewers love it (hey, it worked to get them hired!).

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"Every technical interview I have had in the last two months has led to a job offer"  — Code Fellows graduate Yvonne Hayes

By Mitchell Robertson on

Yvonne Hayes had been living in Mexico, where she and her husband own a bar and grill. They moved to Portland to be nearer to family and so that Yvonne could go to code school.

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Learn Data Analysis & Visualization with Python in New Code 501 Course

By Nicholas Hunt-Walker on

I’m excited to be teaching our first Code 501 course, Introduction to Data Analysis & Visualization with Python. When we started talking about offering advanced, specialized courses in a 500-level series, I knew I had to bring this training to my fellow Python developers.

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Introducing Diversity & Inclusion Sessions at Seattle Startup Week

By Mitchell Robertson on

A friend of mine, Russell Okung, Offensive Tackle for the Seattle Seahawks says, “We see this shift that’s moving toward the innovative economy, and regardless of background, regardless of your ethnicity or regardless of your socioeconomic status, you deserve to be included.”

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Mars Street View: Student Project Gives Glimpse of Rover Life on the Red Planet

By Sarah Fischer on

When Will Weatherford was brainstorming projects to pitch to his Python class, he took to Reddit to provide some inspiration.

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New Courses Announced! Short-Term Code 501 Offers Long-Term Results

By Sarah Fischer on

Whether you’ve been a professional developer for a week or your entire career, you’re well aware that there will always be something new to learn—and that frameworks, languages, and tools don’t always come with the best documentation or resources.

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Five Reasons Why Code Fellows is Now Teaching Java

By Ivan Storck on

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be teaching a new Code 501: Foundations of Java one-week programming course at Code Fellows, coming soon! For years, Java has consistently maintained its place as the world’s most popular language used today. Here’s why:

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How to Test Into Code 401

By Sarah Fischer on

Are you a hobbyist developer, website manager, or STEM graduate who wants to explore a career crafting code? A job in the tech industry offers huge potential: you can utilize creative problem solving skills, work collaboratively with a team of smart people, be on the cutting edge of what’s transforming our world, be well-compensated for getting to build cool stuff—the list goes on.

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Immutable, Stateless React Components

By Emily Aviva Kapor-Mater on

Building a project with React? In this post, Emily Aviva Kapor-Mater sheds some helpful light on stateless components.

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5 Types of Non-Tech Companies That Need Software Developers

By Lauren Sauser on

Technology companies aren’t the only businesses that depend on coders, or pay them well. Both the public and private sectors benefit from the specialized support of software developers, and the opportunities for employment are diverse.

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For the History Books: Eight Famous Programmers You Should Know

By Lauren Sauser on

The who’s who of modern computer science is an influence cadre, built upon the legacy of names like Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, and Grace Hopper, and characterized by the revolution they helped create.

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Diversity at Work: Why It Should Be an All-hands Mission

By Lauren Sauser on

When organizations survey a limited spectrum of employees for each job created—Ivy League grads with their MBA, for example—they put themselves at risk for the kind of strategic monoculture that endangers innovation.

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The Success of Pokemon GO (and What Developers Can Learn From It)

By Lauren Sauser on

Before it became a niche project at Google or a global phenomenon, Pokémon GO was an April Fool’s joke. It turns out this mobile “joke” was destined to earn 25 million daily users in a single week, double the value of Nintendo’s stock, and spark a social contagion that stands unprecedented in the history of mankind’s interest in gaming.

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Practice Makes Perfect: Preparing for Tech Interview Questions

By Lauren Sauser on

Succeeding in a programming interview requires practice. Along with technical skill, you’ll need the initiative and confidence to share what you know. Intentional practice of a few common interview questions will help you succinctly showcase why you’re a good fit.

Below, read the six common questions that hiring managers often use in their search for technology professionals, then get some additional tips and tools for adequately preparing for the big in-person interview.

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5 Types of Tech Companies You Should Consider Working For

By Lauren Sauser on

Companies need software developers—and whether you’re looking to round out your resume or to secure a new and gratifying challenge—organizations both large and small are eager to receive applications from competent, qualified developers.

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Meet Branton: Microsoft Veteran Turned iOS Developer

By Mitchell Robertson on

After more than 12 years at Microsoft, Branton Boehm was ready to take on a new challenge.

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Expanded Financing Options Now Available from Skills Fund

By Lauren Bauml on

Congrats! By reading this, you’ve taken the first step towards transforming your life and career with Code Fellows’ high-quality web and mobile development training. With a number of important decisions ahead of you, we’ve laid out a roadmap to help navigate the journey ahead.

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Stuck in a Rut? 5 Ways to Revamp Your Job Search

By Lauren Sauser on

If you’re struggling in your job search, it’s time to alter your strategy. Here are some tips for when you’re knee-deep in job applications and not getting results.

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5 Technologies Changing K-12 Education

By Lauren Sauser on

In the midst of mind-numbing testing cycles, burgeoning enrollment, and shrinking budgets, American classrooms need help—and educational technology (ed-tech) may be part of the emergent solution.

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Meet Tara: Developer at Jaguar Land Rover

By Jordana Gustafson on

If you met Tara Kreft last fall and then ran into her again today, you’d notice two major differences.

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How to Assess and Negotiate a Job Offer

By Mitchell Robertson on

Effectively evaluating and negotiating an offer involves understanding individual priorities and knowing the hiring market. When switching careers, be prepared to ask potential employers for what you’re worth—and then negotiate for it.

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Join the Community: 8 Websites Where You Should Make Your Presence Known

By Lauren Sauser on

Being active in an online community is a productive way to build connections and diversify your understanding and experience with software. We recommend these eight networks to get you started.

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Meet Keri: Marketer Turned Front-End Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Keri Brady was pursuing a career in marketing when she realized she wanted to expand her technical skill set—and career potential—as she continued to work with fast-growing startups. She shares why she chose Code Fellows and what helped her be successful during and after the program.

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“Or Equivalent Experience”: Why You Don't Need a Four-Year Degree to Land a Coding Job

By Lauren Sauser on

As total student loans in the US approach $1.5 trillion and the average university graduate braces for more than $35,000 in academic debt, more Americans are opting for less traditional—and faster—forms of education.

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5 Technologies Changing the Agriculture Industry

By Lauren Sauser on

The agriculture industry is tasked with feeding the inhabitants of planet earth, and considering that an estimated 795 million human beings go malnourished each day, the system has room for dramatic improvement.

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Music Meets Code: How a Musician's Background Translates to a Career in Tech

By Lauren Sauser on

For professionals and hobbyists alike, software has become a necessary component for the recording, mastering, and distribution of music. Code connects artists and audiences in ways unimaginable to the rock stars of yesteryear. The laptop—while lacking the stage presence of an electric guitar—has emerged as the hallmark tool for a new generation of music makers.

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Meet Chelsea: From Data Entry to Full-Stack

By Sarah Fischer on

Chelsea Lura decided to level up in her career and become a Full-Stack JavaScript developer through Code Fellows. She shares what she’s getting to do now and some advice for fellow students.

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10 Tips to Interview Well

By Lauren Sauser on

Not knowing how to answer an interview question; being late; delivering a weak handshake; saying the wrong thing—these are just a few of the nightmares that lurk in the dark corners of a job hunt. The good news? All of these anxieties can be easily alleviated with deliberate preparation before your next interview.

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How to Explain Gaps in Your Resume

By Mitchell Robertson on

When applying to jobs in software development, as in any other profession, you should expect to compete against other highly qualified applicants. A common concern we hear from incoming students is that their previous work history or gaps in their resume will hinder their job search. Even with demand for software developers at an all-time high, it’s essential to consider how your past work experience will affect your hireability going forward, particularly as you interview for your dream job.

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Meet Clare: Scientist, Yeast Engineer, and Code Fellows Graduate

By Lauren Sauser on

Clare Monahan spent half a decade as a protein engineer. As she neared her financial limitations as a scientist without a PhD, she turned her attention to writing code. Clare shares with us about her transition from the lab to the classroom, and then to a new career as a software developer.

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What is the Cloud?

By Lauren Sauser on

It’s not magic that allows your smart phone to summon Snapchat’s responsive contortionism at a moment’s notice: it’s the vast network of computer servers located in branded warehouses around the planet that your device is fundamentally connected to. It’s the Cloud.

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Meet Mark: Financial Analyst Turned Front-End Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Mark Palfreeman realized he could combine both his creative and analytical side in a career in front-end development after working with data-centric and creative departments early in his career. He shares about the ups and downs during the course and what he’s doing now at Deloitte Digital.

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How to Plan Your Career Change, Part 2

By Lauren Sauser on

The first half of this series looked at five steps to explore a career in software development. From researching earning potential to attending introductory classes, you’ve prepared to make the switch.

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Meet Mike: Starbucks Shift Supervisor Turned Full-Stack Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Mike Elliott was teaching himself to code and taking on freelance development projects while working at Starbucks. When he decided he wanted to pursue web development full time, he came to Seattle and enrolled at Code Fellows to put the final polish on his skill set. He shares about his experience and some pro tips for incoming students.

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How to Plan Your Career Change, Part 1

By Lauren Sauser on

If you are bored at your current job, dread Mondays, or just feel generally under-challenged and under-paid, you may need to do more than change jobs—it might be time to change your career.

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A Letter To Seattle's Laid-Off Workers

By Lauren Sauser on

While Forbes’ 2016 assessment ranks Seattle as one of the fastest growing cities in the US, several of the city’s most recognizable brands—including Boeing, Nordstrom, and Microsoft—have recently eliminated more than 1,000 jobs.

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Meet Alexandra: Experienced Software Developer and Code Fellows Graduate

By Sarah Fischer on

Alexandra Norcross had 15 years of software development experience behind her when she opted for a change. After hearing about Code Fellows from a recent graduate, she decided to switch from developing for desktop and the web to programming iOS apps. She shares her experience during her course and what surprised her most about the program.

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Creating Art With Code

By Lauren Sauser on

Can code be used to create art? Absolutely—just ask the growing community of artists who are using free, open-source technology to engage audiences with a new medium of digital expression.

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Code Fellows Presents MedBridge with GeekWire's Bootstrapper of the Year Award

By Mitchell Robertson on

The GeekWire Awards 2016 took place yesterday evening in the Sky Church of Seattle’s Experience Music Project to celebrate more than a dozen categories of tech innovation, including ‘Startup of the Year,’ ‘Next Tech Titan,’ and the ever-prestigious ‘Geek of the Year.’

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Software Development Jobs: What You'll Do (and How Much You'll Make Doing It)

By Lauren Sauser on

If you’re going to school to be a coder, you’ve likely already considered what job titles you may one day be adding to your LinkedIn profile. Differentiating between engineering and development titles is important for our graduates when choosing a career and building skills for success.

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Meet Monica: Journalism Major, Front-End Developer, and Code Fellows Graduate

By Sarah Fischer on

Monica Davidson is a seasoned Code Fellows alumni and software developer who studied front-end development in a Bootcamp (now Code 201) and Development Accelerator (now Code 401). She shares how she used her training at Code Fellows to achieve a life-long dream and how her training as a journalist helped her become a better software developer.

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Code Fellows Graduates Victorious at AngelHack

By Lauren Sauser on

Congratulations to Code Fellows graduates Logan Tegman, Jesse Thach, Sabrina Tee, Natalie Chow, and Jose Tello for winning the grand prize at AngelHack’s April hackathon in Seattle!

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Meet Kasim: Material Engineer, Software Developer, and Code Fellows Graduate

By Lauren Sauser on

Kasim Siddiqui spoke with us about his return to Seattle, his search for a more purposeful career, and the importance of a supportive spouse. Siddiqui received a scholarship to attend Code Fellows in 2015, and studied full-stack JavaScript.

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Parks n’ Tech: Code Fellows Student Project Acknowledged by Seattle Mayor

By Lauren Sauser on

We’re proud to recognize the work of four students who were selected to showcase their Code 301 project, Seattle Park Finder, at the signing of an executive order by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray earlier this year. Murray’s order calls upon all city departments to make their public datasets available online.

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Meet Ron: Navy Mechanic, Flight Instructor, and Code Fellows Graduate

By Lauren Sauser on

Ron Floyd, veteran and graduate of Code Fellows, gave us feedback on how he made the career switch, his first year employed as a Web Developer, and how he made the most of his time at Code Fellows.

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We're Bringing Code 101 to New York

By Sarah Fischer on

We’re excited to announce that Code 101 is coming to New York City!

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Inescapable Code

By Ross Buchanan on

Editor’s Note: Code is truly everywhere. As our dependence on smartphones, wearable tech, and user-friendly digital kiosks and automotive touch screens and point-of-sale systems continues to grow, so does the need for people who can understand (and even build) what’s going on under the surface.

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Boost Your Career: 8 Non-Programming Jobs that Benefit Big from a Coding Education

By Lauren Sauser on

You don’t need to be an expert to appreciate the work-streams, vernacular, and economy of software development—but if your job requires you to directly support programmers, your proficiency with code will inevitably correlate with your compensation.

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Getting Creative with an Education in Code

By Lauren Sauser on

Nearly half of the occupations in the US will be computerized over the next 20 years, and many industries are rushing to renovate their products and services for the future. The brands, industries, and individuals who can deliver a quality user experience—particularly to a mobile audience—have the best chance of success.

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Meet Emily: JavaScript Developer, Rabbi, and Code Fellows Graduate

By Lauren Sauser on

Emily Aviva Kapor-Mater earned a certificate in Full-Stack JavaScript Development from Code Fellows in August 2015. She now works as a full-stack developer in Seattle, and enjoys building software that facilitates simple, practical, and socially-positive experiences for users.

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Introducing Skills Fund, a New Lending Option for Students

By Sarah Fischer on

Our students can now apply for loans through Skills Fund!

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Measuring Your Application For Success

By Lauren Sauser on

Measuring your application’s performance offers an opportunity to objectively understand the product’s functional, practical, and financial viability. This means recording as much data as possible—and remaining determined to act based upon what certain segments of data expose.

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Meet David Gardner, Code Fellows Grad and Co-Founder of DealTapp

By Lauren Sauser on

David Gardner is a co-founder at DealTapp, an app that connects Seattleites (and soon, others) with the best local deals. Gardner completed an iOS development night class here at Code Fellows in 2015, and credits the atmosphere and instructors of the course with making his app possible.

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3 Major Perks of Being a Software Developer

By Lauren Sauser on

In the demanding market where they work, U.S. software developers earn almost double the average American worker. Additionally, the United States Department of Labor has predicted that the number of American software engineers will grow by 17% between 2014 and 2024—dramatically faster than any other occupational segment.

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Aye, Robot! How High Tech is Changing the Assembly Line

By Lauren Sauser on

The science fiction image of droids and robots going about daily life alongside humans is quickly becoming a reality. Futuristic fiction has predicted modern advancements in science and tech as we watch robots learn from humans and join assembly lines and factory floors.

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How to Build a Web App, Part 4: Marketing and Promotion

By Lauren Sauser on

You’ve spent countless hours preparing your web app for “The Market” . . . but what now? Do the people you’ve imagined using your product actually exist? And if so, how do you find them?

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How to Build a Web App, Part 3: Pushing It Live

By Sarah Fischer on

Well done! You’ve successfully planned and built your project. Here’s how to get it on the web.

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The Developers Who We Want to Be When We Grow Up

By Sarah Fischer on

There is no limit to how high a career in software development can take you. There’s a long list of programmers, engineers, self-taught coders, and scientists who have greatly influenced the tech industry and the technology that our students use today. As we thought about the amazing minds that inspire us at Code Fellows, four distinct traits surfaced. Here are the qualities that we admire in the innovators in the tech industry, and some of the engineers who have them.

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How to Build a Web App, Part 2: Writing the Code

By Sarah Fischer on

Okay, you’ve checked off everything in Part 1 and are ready to start writing some code. What now?

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What Success as a Developer Looks Like

By Sarah Fischer on

We have a saying at Code Fellows that all of our students hear at least once during their time on campus: “May the code you write today be better than the code you wrote yesterday.”

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How to Build a Web App, Part 1: The First Steps

By Sarah Fischer on

The process of building a web app starts long before you write your first line of code. Here’s how to make a plan and what tools you’ll need before opening your text editor.

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1984: The Year Women Left Coding

By Sarah Fischer on

Software development is rising in the ranks of lucrative and fulfilling professions, with salaries rivaling those of physicians and attorneys—with much less schooling required. But unlike law and healthcare, the tech industry is heavily dominated by men.

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2015 in Review: 8 Advancements in Science and Tech

By Sarah Fischer on

The end of 2015 is approaching faster than we’d like, but this year hasn’t passed without a lot of monumental changes, especially in the realms of science and technology. Read on for some of the most exciting news of 2015.

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2015 Gift Guide: Last-Minute Ideas for Your Favorite Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

The items we assembled for this year’s list all fit into two distinct categories: Form Follows Function, featuring more practical gifts, and For the Fandom, focused on less useful (but still awesome) gadgets. Check out the list below to find the perfect gift for the software developer in your life!

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The PNW Is the Place to Be for Tech Jobs

By Sarah Fischer on

The numbers keep rolling in. If you want a stable job in the Pacific Northwest, turn to the tech industry. Here’s how acquihires, $1.1 billion in venture capital, and over 15,000 tech companies pump life into the Pacific Northwest.

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Seahawk Tackle Russell Okung Launches the Greater Foundation, Our Newest Partner

By Mitchell Robertson on

Code Fellows is proud to partner with the Greater Foundation to provide more opportunities for the next generation.

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3 Issues Facing the Tech Industry that Impact Diversity

By Sarah Fischer on

Diversity—or rather, the lack—is stirring a lot of good conversations in the tech industry today. If you Google “minorities in tech,” over 230 million results come up, ranging from articles that highlight diversity issues to companies and organizations that are pledging to do something about it.

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Programming is an Ideal Career Path for Military Veterans—Here's Why

By Sarah Fischer on

Leadership skills. Critical thinking. Discipline. The ability to work quickly under pressure. Focus on the team. Software development requires these skills, and military veterans already have them.

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The Results Behind the Rise in Code Schools

By Sarah Fischer on

Code schools are a growing phenomenon across the U.S. More career switchers, hobbyist coders, and even seasoned devs with outdated skill sets are opting to spend $10k-$15k and two to four months in an intensive program rather than enroll in a Computer Science program or try to learn on their own.

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4 of CNN's Top 10 Best Jobs in America Involve Coding

By Sarah Fischer on

Out of CNN’s 100 Best Jobs in America, Software Architect is #1.

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Job Fairs: Connecting Partners and Alumni

By Sarah Fischer on

Thank you to the great companies who came out to our job fair!

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Linked Lists in Objective-C: There’s a Protocol for That!

By Stephen Lardieri on

In this blog post, iOS Development Accelerator student Stephen Lardieri explains how to use Objective-C protocols to eliminate special-case code from a typical linked list implementation.

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Instructor Spotlight: Sam Hamm and the Transition from Higher Education to Teaching at Code Fellows, Part 2

By Sarah Fischer on

What does a seasoned higher education professor think of the intensive bootcamp model, and what are his tips for students preparing to take the plunge? Read part two of our interview with Sam Hamm, Code Fellows instructor and longtime technologist. Miss part 1? Read it here »

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Instructor Spotlight: Sam Hamm and the Transition from Higher Education to Teaching at Code Fellows, Part 1

By Sarah Fischer on

Sam Hamm, our Code 201 instructor in Seattle, shares his background in technology and why he made the switch from teaching music at a college to helping other up-and-coming developers dive into the tech industry.

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Co-Founder and VP of Education Gives a Glimpse of Code Fellows' Past and Future, Part 2

By Sarah Fischer on

Brook Riggio, one of the first Code Fellows instructors and the VP of Education, sits down with us to talk about why he loves to teach, how Code Fellows started, and what he’s excited for with the launch of our new program. Continued from Part 1.

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Speech Recognition in the Browser

By Jakub Jedryszek on

Special guest and Microsoft Engineer Jakub Jedryszek recently shared a presentation on speech recognition in the browser at our campus in Seattle. In case you missed it, read on to find out how you can integrate speech recognition into your app in pure JavaScript. For some background, read his first article on voice commands in the browser.

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Co-Founder and VP of Education Gives a Glimpse of Code Fellows' Past and Future, Part 1

By Sarah Fischer on

Brook Riggio, one of the first Code Fellows instructors and the VP of Education, sits down with us to talk about why he loves to teach, how Code Fellows started, and what he’s excited for with the launch of our new program.

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The End: Transitioning After a Full-Time Bootcamp

By Isabella Organ on

Four weeks sounds like a really long time when you’re coming from working 20 hours per week into a course that promises 50+. Not to mention a commute that, while still not bad, is three times as long (in each direction) as what you are used to.

But in the blink of an eye, it was simply over.

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It's Here: Get on the Fast Track to a Job in Tech

By Sarah Fischer on

Now you can take classes back to back and land a fulfilling job in the industry without missing a beat or wondering what’s next.

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Get a Great Job Faster With Our New Course Schedule

By Sarah Fischer on

We’ve reworked our program to ensure that it’s the fastest path to get you professionally trained and ready for a career in the tech industry.

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Front-End Development Grads Show Off Final Projects

By Sarah Fischer on

After seven weeks in class, our Front-End Development Accelerator students were ready to spend their last week working on their final projects. They teamed up with the JavaScript students—who were halfway through their eight-week course—and put their skills to work. See what they created.

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Meetups You Should Check Out This Month, Part 3: Chicago

By Sarah Fischer on

Meet entrepreneurs, software engineers, aspiring developers, startup founders, and others at an upcoming meetup! Check out the list below to find networking events near you.

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Meetups You Should Check Out This Month, Part 2: Portland

By Jordana Gustafson on

Looking for ways to meet other developers in the industry? Whether you need more talent for your team, some help on a project, or a chance to catch up with other devs, check out this list of weekly and monthly meetup groups right here in Portland.

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Meetups You Should Check Out This Month, Part 1: Seattle

By Sarah Fischer on

Becoming a well-rounded developer includes getting out in the community, meeting other coders, and learning about what’s new in the tech world. Check out these Seattle-based meetup groups for more ways to stay up-to-date on the industry.

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8 Tips Before You Hire from a Code School

By Mitchell Robertson on

With the recent rise in code schools and the number of new devs entering today’s tech market, how can you be sure the grad you’re about to hire is the kind of quality you need for your team? Here are 8 tips to make sure you’re hiring the best.

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iOS Grad Wins Grand Prize Out of 26 Teams at Sears Hackathon

By Sarah Fischer on

What can you build in a weekend? A hackathon-winning mobile app, for starters.

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Why Dropping Out of College was the Best Decision I Ever Made

By Kate Fleming on

Can Code Fellows really replace a 4-year degree? Read the story of Kate, a Code Fellows graduate who dropped out of college, enrolled in Foundations I, and hasn’t looked back.

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Networking Beyond Meetups

By Mitchell Robertson on

The word “networking” stresses me out. It brings to mind strangers wearing self-adhesive nametags while milling around a room with cheap appetizers and forced small talk.

The good news is that that’s only a small part of networking.

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Part 5: Negotiating Your Salary 101

By Mitchell Robertson on

So … negotiating is uncomfortable. And important. And a guaranteed part of your job search.

Ooft.

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Part 3: Build Your Online Brand

By Mitchell Robertson on

When an employer searches for you online, you want them to like what they find. If they don’t, you could be passed over, but if they do, it may result in an interview.

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Part 1: Shy Guy's Guide to Meetups

By Mitchell Robertson on

Professional development is a large part of what our Development Accelerator students study during their eight weeks on campus. This five-part series is a glimpse into the training they receive to polish their online presence and be successful in their job search.

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Mic'd: The Best New Recording App for the iPhone and Apple Watch

By Sarah Fischer on

Our students have a natural passion for technology and continue to create awesome projects long after they graduate. Tim and Brian, two iOS developers who graduated in 2014, create a streamlined audio recording app that topped the charts and blew away their expectations. We talk with Tim about how his brainchild came to be.

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Early Impressions of WWDC 2015

By Brad Johnson on

Most of the headlines you’ve seen about WWDC this year—Swift going open source, iPad split screen, Apple Music, and Drake’s super weird moment on stage—have already been covered to death by all of the big tech blogs. Instead, let’s take a look at some of the smaller announcements and new features that will be exciting for people who spend their days inside of Xcode.

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Part Five: The 42-Year-Old Coding Virgin

By Gino Bona on

SEATTLE — The final week of Bootcamp involved the creation of an app.

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Part Four: The 42-Year-Old Coding Virgin

By Gino Bona on

SEATTLE — “Two weeks down, two more to go.”

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Part Three: The 42-Year-Old Coding Virgin

By Gino Bona on

SEATTLE — The second week of Computer Science & Web Development Bootcamp began with some sobering news: A few of my classmates decided to drop out.

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Part Two: The 42-Year-Old Coding Virgin

By Gino Bona on

SEATTLE — It’s 8:52 AM on Monday, May 11. I enter the basement of Code Fellows’ building located in Seattle’s South Lake Union (SLU) neighborhood. Most of my classmates are already seated. I sit down in the back row, giving myself maximum distance from the instructor. This is my first time in a classroom environment in twenty years. And I’m nervous as hell.

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How to Land an Awesome Development Job: Community Event for Job Seekers

By Sarah Fischer on

Local hiring leaders share the secrets to success in the Seattle tech market.

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Alumni Take Python Class Project to New Heights

By Sarah Fischer on

Five days. It’s not a lot of time to plan, build, debug, and present a fully-functioning app, but it’s what we ask our Development Accelerators students to do after seven weeks of intense training and practice. We talk with a team of graduates who decided their project wasn’t quite finished, and made plans to make it even better.

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Part One: The 42-Year-Old Coding Virgin

By Gino Bona on

“Hello. My name is Gino Bona. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina and I’m a coding virgin. I graduated from Ithaca College twenty years ago with a degree in Television and Radio, which won’t do me a damn bit of good over the next four weeks. So I have that going for me.”

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Introducing the Code Fellows Diversity Scholarship Fund

By Mitchell Robertson on

Diversity Scholarships are now available for students!

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New Starter App Launches React Projects Fast

By Sarah Fischer on

React is growing in popularity, with Instagram, Khan Academy, the New York Times and others using the new library released by Facebook. Ivan Storck, web developer and Code Fellows co-founder, created a React starter app—born out of his own team’s needs—to give others a quick way to launch a new project. He shares about the creation of the project and his take on the influence of ReactJS on the JavaScript community.

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Teach Your Kids to Code: Engaging Resources to Get Them Started

By Sarah Fischer on

First penmanship, then typing, and now programming—this is the evolution of skills that students as young as elementary age are learning alongside math, writing, and science. While programming classes aren’t in every school district yet, more grade schools are incorporating computer science studies, and students are discovering how engaging and creative it can be.

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Refresh Seattle is Moving to Code Fellows

By Sarah Fischer on

Our Seattle campus is the new home of Refresh Seattle’s monthly meetup!

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A New Course Comes to Code Fellows: The Front-End Development Accelerator

By Sarah Fischer on

“A user interface is like a joke: if you have to explain it, it’s not that good.”

Good web design and flow is taken for granted, but creating well-structured, clear user interfaces is harder than it sounds. In this era of the app, interactive websites have become the standard. A well-structured app essentially disappears so the user can accomplish their goal without hindrances from the very tool they’re trying to use.

Learn how to create innovative, modern, intuitive websites and apps with our newest Development Accelerator.

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Behind the Algorithm: Students Create Apps to Demonstrate Computer Science Concepts

By Sarah Fischer on

In Foundations I, students create a website that visualizes an algorithm or a data structure of their choosing.

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TechHire Will Change the Game

By Mitchell Robertson on

On Monday, President Obama announced the launch of TechHire, an ambitious employment initiative that will bring together government agencies, businesses, and non-profits to provide technology education and training opportunities to all Americans.

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15+ Programming Books to Keep on Your Shelf

By Sarah Fischer on

Every developer needs a set of go-to resources, whether writing their first lines of code or building on 10+ years of experience. Our instructors are avid readers, and we’ve pulled together a few of their top picks to help you get started, stay current, and advance your skills.

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10 Resources and Tools to Dive Deeper Into Programming

By Sarah Fischer on

Looking for more advanced coding challenges and resources? We’ve compiled a list of our favorite online tools and resources for developers who need extra challenge as they level up their skills.

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See What Foundations I Students Build

By Sarah Fischer on

We are continually blown away by the creativity of our Foundations I students. The course was created to help beginners get on the right track from the start of their education—once equipped with the right tools and training, students are able to create so much more than they expected after just four weeks in class. To get a taste of what you will create throughout this night course, take a look at this sample of projects from our students!

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Lead a Workshop at Code Fellows

By Sarah Fischer on

Come share your knowledge with the world! Code Fellows is hosting free tech talks and workshops at our South Lake Union Seattle campus and in our new downtown Portland space.

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[Tutorial] How to Set up a Rails 4.2 Mailer with Sidekiq

By Scott Hale & Javier Soto on

Sidekiq is a simple, open source background processor for Ruby. This tutorial explains how to set up your app in Rails 4.2 with background jobs from Sidekiq using Redis.

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[Tutorial] How to Upload Files Using the AWS SDK Gem

By Andrew Sinner on

Modern hosting services like Heroku offer only ephemeral storage, meaning you can’t keep files on the server. When users need to upload their own files, you’ll need your Rails app connected with an external file system. This tutorial explains how to upload files to a Rails app using the AWS SDK gem.

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Your Web Design Career Will Flourish if You Learn to Code

By Dexter Lesaca on

To keep up with changing industry trends and stay relevant in the world of web UI development, web designers need to create comps using code.

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Why Code Fellows Will Be Going Strong in 50 Years

By Mitchell Robertson on

Code schools went mainstream in 2014, and all signs point to a bright future. Here’s why:

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Learning Rails: 5 Tips to Become an Exceptional Rails Developer

By Javier Soto on

A few months ago I was in the same place as you are now, asking myself: What is the best way to learn Rails?

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WatchKit Workshop: Start designing apps for the Apple Watch

By Sarah Fischer on

iOS Development instructor Brad Johnson is gearing up for his WatchKit Workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 3. He shares why he’s excited about the new Apple Watch and how Apple’s newest product line is influencing the future of wearable tech.

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Microsoft Studios' Project Spark leads the way for user-created adventure games

By Sarah Fischer on

Have you ever thought about what kind of adventure you would create if you were a game designer? Now you can create your own adventure with Project Spark, a new game development platform by Microsoft Studios. After four years of production and its official release in October 2014, Project Spark is quickly gaining traction as users create their own games and play those created by others. Bradley Rebh, the project’s lead designer, shares how Project Spark came to be, and what’s in store for the future.

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Eskimo: The new JavaScript framework for rapid app development

By Brent Parrish on

On several occasions throughout our Full-Stack JavaScript Development Accelerator, students choose a topic to present to the class in the form of a 5-minute lightning talk. One of these students, Brent Parrish, shared about a new tool from Clevertech for rapidly developing new apps. Read on for Brent’s take on Eskimo.

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Instructor Picks: What's Coming in 2015

By Sarah Fischer on

As Apple showed us this spring with the release of Swift, the software development industry can and does change fast. We polled our instructors on what they see as the biggest changes looming for the new year. From new gadgets to software updates, watch for these events, updates, and new releases.

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Simple Sprite Kit Tutorial in Swift, Part 2

By Kevin Pham on

In the first part of this tutorial, we created the basic scrolling background and flying spaceship. In this part, we are going to add the oncoming missiles that the spaceship can collide with, and the end game screen when the spaceship collides with these missiles.

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What You Shouldn't Put on Your Resume

By Mitchell Robertson on

One page isn’t enough space to highlight your entire professional history. It is usually, however, a good allowance of space for you to list the qualifications that make you an attractive potential hire for a specific position and employer.

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Simple Sprite Kit Tutorial in Swift, Part 1

By Kevin Pham on

In this two-part tutorial, we are going to make a basic 2D game in Swift using Sprite Kit.

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Singletons and Swift

By Nate Birkholz on

Singletons are a widely-used pattern in iOS development. Even Apple uses them in its own APIs, so you know they are legit! Yet despite the official approval from our friends in Cupertino, the singleton pattern is still widely debated on the interwebs. Nate, a recent graduate from our iOS Development Accelerator, does a great job explaining the pattern, its pros and cons, and how to implement a singleton in Swift.

–Brad Johnson, iOS Development Accelerator instructor

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Why we added ReactJS to our JavaScript Development Accelerator curriculum

By Ivan Storck on

The pace of change in the JavaScript community is dizzyingly fast, like experiencing high g-force turns in a fighter jet.

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Everything You Need to Start a Modular, Testable, Full-Stack JavaScript Project

By Ivan Storck on

Whether you’re about start on a coding challenge from a potential employer or have a commitment-free weekend to hack on a new project, here is everything you need to start on a modular, testable JavaScript project on the server and the browser.

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Instructor Picks: Gift Ideas for the Developer in Your Life

By Sarah Fischer on

With the holidays just around the corner, we asked our instructors what stack-specific gifts they would love to find their name on this year.

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JavaScript and iOS Students Team Up to Create 9 Apps in 1 Week

By Sarah Fischer on

One week is not a lot of time for a handful of developers to brainstorm, build, test, debug, and present a brand new app, but that’s exactly what we ask our Development Accelerator students to do. Twice.

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Top Resources For Learning AngularJS

By Ivan Storck on

As students focus on learning Angular for front-end web development in our Full-Stack JavaScript Development Accelerator, we have several go-to resources when they need extra help on a specific concept.

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Which class is right for you? This question and more answered during online Q&A

By Sarah Fischer on

Want to know more about our school, but live outside of Seattle? Viewers from around the world are invited to tune in and ask questions during our monthly online Q&As. This month, participants asked a range of questions, from housing and computer logistics to course content and homework load. Watch the full video below, and join us on Google+ for our next online Q&A.

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[Student Project] How to add Sucker Punch to your Rails app in 5 easy steps

By Phil Wilt on

In this blog post, Ruby on Rails graduate Phil Wilt explains how to set up Sucker Punch, an asynchronous library for more efficient management of incoming and outgoing emails within a Rails application.

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The Three Laws Of Interaction Design

By Diogenes Brito on

We teach our Front-End UX Design & Development students how to create clean and functional user experiences. This guest post outlines three important rules that all UI designers should abide by.

– Dexter Lesaca, Front-End UX Design & Development Instructor

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The #1 Interview-Killing Mistake to Avoid

By Edmond Lau on

Code Fellows develops the whole professional. We don’t just give someone a technical skill set, we also teach them how to highlight those skills when trying to get a job, like during an interview. This guest post identifies and offers a solution to a common interview mistake.

– Gina Luna, Business Development and Partner Relations Specialist

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Peer programming: 5 reasons learning in a group beats studying on your own

By Sarah Fischer on

Pair programming, a common term used in agile work environments, is the practice of two programmers sharing one workstation. At Code Fellows, we learn in groups, which I like to think of as peer programming, which is two (or more) programmers learning from each other in one unified setting.

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14 Online Learning Resources for an Aspiring Web Developer

By Sarah Fischer on

Whether this is day one or one thousand of your journey in learning to create web and mobile apps, it can be tough to know which resources are the best to continue your education. At Code Fellows, we have several great resources that we point students to as they explore new technologies and topics. Here are the top resources we share.

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Tech Tip: Clean up your code with Lighter View Controllers in Swift

By Bill Richards on

As your app grows in size and functionality, you might find yourself working with bloated view controllers. Even if you separate all your data sources and delegates with nice clean pragma marks, you still end up with large amounts of code. What if there is an easier way?

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Portland Computer Science & Web Development course starts Nov. 3rd

By Sarah Fischer on

We are kicking off our Portland classes with an intro to computer science!

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The future of WordPress

By Dean Wenick on

I’ve been working with WordPress for several years and think it provides, hands-down, the most intuitive and clean user experience for my clients—the content creators.

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Understanding UX Design & Front-End Development

By Dexter Lesaca on

“What exactly is UX?” I get this question a lot. It is a prevailing question that eludes many, including UX designers themselves. Let’s try to clear up some of the vagueness around UX, shall we?

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Is AutoPrefixer not working in Sublime Text 3?

By Chris Eisenbraun on

Try this one weird trick.

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How to create a Markdown-friendly blog in a Rails app

By Kayla Morrison on

When making my new portfolio, I wanted to include a simple blog. My requirements were that I be able to 1) write my posts in Markdown and 2) put the three most recent posts on the home page. Simple, right? Nope. This took me forever to figure out.

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Record your favorite drinks with Cocktail Manager

By Sarah Fischer on

After spending eight weeks upgrading their skill set, many of our graduates test out new technologies and add to their experience by creating apps that have been in the back of their mind for a while.

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3 things iOS devs should focus on with the release of the iPhone 6, 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch

By Brad Johnson on

There has never been a more exciting time to be an iOS developer.

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Git and GitHub: what's the difference?

By Dale Corns on

Working as a TA at Code Fellows, I discovered a common misconception: students who are new to web development assume that Git and GitHub are one in the same. I published this document to correct this misunderstanding.

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Google Places API and Swift

By Kirby Shabaga on

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Implementing a Singly Linked List in Python

By John Shiver on

One of the hardest parts about becoming a web developer without a CS degree (aside from the obvious bits) is learning data structures and algorithms on your own.

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Core Data and Database Browser for SQLite

By Kirby Shabaga on

OK, so you’ve started to work with Core Data and the persistent store coordinator. It’s cool, but wouldn’t it be nice if you could view the contents of your SQLite database outside of the simulator?

In a few short minutes, you can!

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Life after Code Fellows: Diana Pham and the creation of DinoHulk

By Diana Pham on

Editor’s Note: In this article, Code Fellows graduate Diana Pham tells about life before, during, and after graduation. A year after completing the women-only Ruby on Rails course, she shares how she arrived where she is today: helping others learn and love to code.

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Networking in Seattle's tech community

By Matt Wojciakowski on

Part I of a professional networking series on Meetup groups in Seattle.

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"Take the leap!" Ruby on Rails graduate reflects on his year after graduation

By Sarah Fischer on

Bill Richards, software developer at F2M2, shared about his experience at Code Fellows, the exciting projects that he’s working on, and advice for students who want to learn to code.

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Code Fellows graduate creates app to aid Trap Neuter and Return community

By Sarah Fischer on

Whether they join the development team at an established company or start projects and companies of their own, our students hit the ground running after graduation. Ewelina Kieley, a Full-Stack JavaScript Development Accelerator graduate, recently finished an app that helps the Trap Neuter and Return (TNR) community track cat colonies.

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5 tips when applying to Code Fellows

By Lindy Levinson on

Here are are five things that will help you be a successful applicant to our program:

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How to know if you're ready for a Development Accelerator

By Lindy Levinson on

One of the most common questions we get asked here at Code Fellows is, “How do I know if I am ready for a Development Accelerator?”

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10 things you need to know before applying to a bootcamp

By Lindy Levinson on

This immersive style of learning is not for the faint hearted. Here are 10 things to consider before submitting your application.

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Code Fellows is Coming to Chicago

By Mitchell Robertson on

The Full-Stack JavaScript Development Accelerator starts full time on May 11.

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iOS students get hands-on resume help during Friday workshop

By Sarah Fischer on

Every Friday, development accelerator students break away from their class schedule to hear from industry leaders or attend workshops. Today, iOS development students concluded their third week with an introduction to resumes from Gina Luna, Business Development and Partner Relations Specialist at Code Fellows.

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Open House: Join us every 3rd Thursday

By Sarah Fischer on

Every month, we open our doors to the public to come enjoy a beer as they check out our classrooms and and ask questions about our programs. Instructors, staff, and graduates are there to talk with guests and answer questions.

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New workspace welcomes students for their first day [photos]

By Sarah Fischer on

This morning, we kicked off our inaugural Computer Science & Web Development Bootcamp, as well as the fourth Full-Stack JavaScript Development Accelerator.

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The Ultimate List of UX Design and Development Resources

By Brian Studwell on

Before, during, and after my time at Code Fellows, I kept a detailed list of my favorite books, infographics, websites, and articles.

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The secret to finding a job: Crafting an enticing pitch

By Matt Wojciakowski on

Nailing a tech job interview is about more than whiteboarding. You need to have a good pitch. Incorporate these essential ingredients in your 30-second pitch to make a great first impression and land a job interview.

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How I Stay Up to Date on JavaScript

By Ivan Storck on

Part of what we teach students in our development accelerators is how to keep up with changes and news in the stack that they’ve chosen to study. Here are the sources that I give my students to stay up to speed on all things JavaScript:

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Life after Code Fellows: Landing your first job

By Sarah Fischer on

Every Friday, guest speakers share their insight and advice with development accelerator students. In Week 7, we welcome back a panel of alumni who share their first-hand experience of what it’s like to go from studying a chosen stack at Code Fellows to applying for professional programming jobs. Here are some of the tips that a recent alumni panel shared.

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Biggest Day-to-Day Changes from Obj-C to Swift (Part 2)

By Steven Stevenson on

Alright, you’ve seen Swift a little bit here and there. You’ve seen some cool block syntax—now let’s try to bring the main parts together so that we can start building objects and classes.

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10 reasons why I like Slack and think you should try it

By Ivan Storck on

At Code Fellows, we’ve cut down on our internal email by taking advantage of a tool called Slack. Here are several reasons why I like it (and think you will, too).

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Student project harnesses brain power to fly AR Drone

By Sarah Fischer on

Before graduating from their Development Accelerator, students complete and present a final project. Robert, a JavaScript student, brought in an idea that involved an AR Drone 2.0, Mindflex Duel headsets, and an Internet connection. He teamed up with two other students and a TA to get his project—quite literally—off the ground.

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Code Fellows is hiring instructors for local teams across the USA

By Mitchell Robertson on

Are you an experienced web/mobile developer with a passion for teaching? If so, we’d love to talk to you.

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Angular, Part 3: 10+ Resources

By Tyler Morgan on

There are a lot of great resources to help you stay informed on Angular. Here are my favorites to get your resource library started.

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Angular, Part 2: Getting started with Angular

By Tyler Morgan on

In Angular, Part 1, I shared why Angular is my go-to front-end development framework. Now here’s how to get started.

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Angular, Part 1: Why choose Angular?

By Tyler Morgan on

Angular has a lot of advantages over other client-side Javascript frameworks. Here are a handful of reasons why, when building an app, I turn to Angular first.

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When it comes to learning design and code, two local 6th-graders say, “Do it!”

By Sarah Fischer on

Semira and Fiona, middle school students and recent Startup Weekend participants, have big plans for helping other kids develop a passion for programming.

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Ember, Part 1: Why I use Ember and you should too

By Ivan Storck on

Here are some of the reasons why I prefer Ember as a front-end development framework.

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Ember, Part 3: 10 resources for getting (and staying) up to date

By Ivan Storck on

Stay on top of changes in Ember with these resources.

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Code Fellows is coming to a city near you!

By Kristin Smith on

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Size classes with Xcode 6: One storyboard for all sizes

By Brad Johnson on

My favorite feature of Xcode 6 so far is the new size classes concept in Interface Builder. Size classes are Apple’s solution to the question “How can I easily work with so many different screen sizes and device orientations?”

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Writing completion blocks with closures in Swift

By Brad Johnson on

I never fully understood blocks until I learned how to write a method that took a block in as a parameter.

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Heuristics and Design

By Brian Studwell on

We use heuristics. We find patterns.

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How to implement an NSNotification observer in Swift

By John Clem on

As I sat down to write some code this week, I stopped for a moment to think about a more “Swift” way of applying an NSNotification observer; here’s what I came up with:

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Biggest Day-to-Day Changes from Obj-C to Swift (Part 1)

By Steven Stevenson on

Since Apple released Swift, its new programming language, developers around the world have been jumping in and seeing what is different. Yes, there are quite a few differences, such as Optionals, Generics, Extensions, Mutators, and even custom Operators (the list goes on). But for the everyday Objective-C programmer, they have to know what to do to get Swift up and running.

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The Basics of Optionals in Swift

By Brad Johnson on

Optionals allow variables to not have a value. This is similar to having a variable set to nil in Objective-C. The biggest difference is the amount of safety Swift has baked into the creation and management of optional variables.

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3 Tips for Effectively Learning Swift

By John Clem on

As I sat in the SFO airport waiting for my flight home to Seattle from WWDC, I started to come up for air after what was the biggest series of changes for iOS/Mac developers since I started learning Cocoa.

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How to host a NodeJS app on an EC2 Ubuntu Server

By Ivan Storck on

This post takes you through the process of setting up your first server on an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Ubuntu Server.

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Ember, Part 2: Getting started

By Ivan Storck on

Here is the quickest way to get started with Ember.

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How to install View in Browser plugin in Sublime Text

By Brian Studwell on

I started writing code in Brackets, the open-source text editor developed in partnership with Adobe. I still think it’s great, but for the sake of being on the same page with my cohort at Code Fellows, I snagged Sublime Text Editor, a perennial favorite of many devs.

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What are Package Management Systems?

By Brian Studwell on

Hint: Not banana hammocks. Read on for an explanation and helpful analogy of package management systems in software development.

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Develop faster in Rails with Zeus

By Billy Shih on

Waiting is my least favorite part of developing. In Rails, every time you run a test or a rake command, even if it’s just a few seconds, it’s seconds that stop your flow.

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Swift two-day intensive course starts June 28

By Sarah Fischer on

Get hands-on Swift experience in a group learning environment with other seasoned iOS developers during our two-day course lead by iOS Development instructor John Clem.

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Why Libsass is important to the community

By Dale Sande on

Life is ever changing, right? Everything around us is always in a constant state of change. Either you learn early to be flexible with these winds, or you resist them.

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Using Custom Initializers in Swift

By John Clem on

Custom initializers have always been a staple of Cocoa. Here’s how to use them in Swift.

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How to create a tiled image across multiple image views in Objective-C

By Steven Stevenson on

A short demo on how to create a tiled image across multiple image views and how to interact with it in a game-like setting.

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Speed Alley: The fastest way to copy an array

By Matt Merkes on

Ever wonder the fastest way to copy an array? Let’s find out!

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Learn the basics of Sass and Compass

By Billy Shih on

During my time studying Ruby on Rails at Code Fellows, we had to do a lightning talk on a topic of our choice. Since Rails utilizes Sass, and my CSS skills have always been more of a learn-on-demand thing rather than a deep dive, I decided to check Sass out. While doing so, Compass came up often, so I added a little bit of it to my presentation.

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First Hackathon: What Went Well and What Didn't

By Billy Shih on

Billy Shih, a graduate of our Ruby on Rails program, shared a recap of one of his first hackathons and some advice for making the most of your hackathon experience.

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Favorite student resources for staying up to date [stack-specific]

By Sarah Fischer on

As students go through their development accelerator, they gravitate towards certain websites and resources to stay informed on news and find tips for mastering their programming language. Below are the favorite websites from students in each development accelerator.

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How I stay up to date on Rails

By Ivan Storck on

Find the top books, videos, newsletters, and other resources to stay up on all news for Ruby and Rails.

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Take your Sass skills to the next level with list-maps

By Dale Sande on

Sass 3.3 is out and you should start using Maps.

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Sudoku Solver from Scratch in JavaScript (TDD Style): A Tutorial

By Matt Merkes on

As a JS noob, it can be tough to come up with ideas to practice your skills.

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Code Fellows switches from Objective-C to Swift for all iOS courses

By Sarah Fischer on

Apple just announced the transition from Objective-C to Swift, the new programming language for OS X and iOS applications.

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Python Development Accelerator Kick-Off

By Sarah Fischer on

Students assembled in the Easy classroom for Day 1 of their 8-week program.

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UITableViewCell Editing and Sorting

By Steven Stevenson on

Ever wanted to see your table view animate a little as you scroll? Or how about changing the order with UITableView’s built-in editing methods?

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Hive 2014

By Sarah Fischer on

Register today for Hive 2014, a design and technology conference held at Seattle’s Town Hall on June 20th & 21st.

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Women-Only Ruby on Rails Development Accelerator

By Sarah Fischer on

We’re offering a development accelerator exclusively for women who want to advance their careers as Ruby on Rails web developers.

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Morse Torch App Final!

By Steven Stevenson on

Here it is: The Morse Application in action!

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Example Blog Layout and Tutorial

By Ivan Storck on

Starting a blog to share your new coding knowledge with the world? Use this tutorial to get started.

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Trello: An open source tool for the Kanban system of process organization

By Brian Studwell on

As development accelerator students dive into group projects, they each develop their own system for staying organized. Brian, a current Front-End UX Design & Development student, shared his team’s favorite tool for keeping track of everything.

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Useful Links for Front-End Web Development

By Max Brockman on

I’ve been in Code Fellows’ Front-End UX Design & Development Accelerator for a couple weeks now, and some of the most useful info I’ve learned is a vast library of really great websites that talk about web design.

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Sublime Text: Applying Code Snippets

By Brian Studwell on

One of the guiding principles of programming is the idea that we should use technology to make our lives easier. Make the machines do the grunt work! In that vein, let’s tangle with code snippets.

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How to make a Morse Torch app (Part 3)

By Steven Stevenson on

Part 3 of a 3-part series on how to build a morse code app with the iPhone flashlight.

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How to make a Morse Torch app (Part 2)

By Steven Stevenson on

Part 2 of a 3-part series on creating a Morse code app with Torch, the flashlight on the iPhone.

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How to Set Up Your Computer for Full-Stack JavaScript Development

By Ivan Storck on

On day 1 of our Full-Stack JavaScript Development Accelerator, students set up their computers with the programs they will need for the next 8 weeks and beyond. If you are curious about our offerings, or are just getting started in web development, take a look at the programs and tools we use.

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How to make a Morse Torch app

By Steven Stevenson on

Have you ever wanted to make a Morse code app? Here’s the beginning of a 3-part blog post on how to use NSOperations and AVFoundation’s Torch (iPhone’s flashlight).

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Hosting a website on a free AWS EC2 instance: Not for the faint-hearted

By Matt Merkes on

Have you ever tried to get your website going on a free AWS EC2 instance and failed to get it running? I sure did.

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Build Your Future with the Right Foundation

By Sarah Fischer on

Foundations I starts next month, so reserve your spot for this 4-week night course.

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What is a callback, anyway?

By Matt Merkes on

Back in my early days of noobhood, I started taking a look at Node.js and quickly got overwhelmed with all of these strange things called callbacks.

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How to set up Rails on Heroku and Dokku

By Steven Stevenson on

Steven Stevenson, a graduate of our iOS Development 8-week program, shared some tips on setting up Rails on Heroku and Dokku.

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Hack to End Homelessness

By Sarah Fischer on

We encourage students to attend networking events, sign up for workshops, and participate in Hackathons, especially after they’ve graduated.

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How to Set Up Your First Minispec Project from Scratch

By Ivan Storck on

Get a simple ruby project going, the right way.

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Spring Dev Accelerators Kick Off Day

By Sarah Fischer on

Three Development Accelerators launched at Code Fellows headquarters this morning, welcoming students into Full-Stack JavaScript, Front-End UX Design & Development, and Ruby on Rails programs.

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Front-End Design & Development Graduation Day

By Sarah Fischer on

Students from our first program focusing on front-end UX design and development graduated after an intense 8 weeks.

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Beginning iOS Development: Books, Stack Overflow and GitHub

By Billy Shih on

While learning how to create my first app, I realized that not only do I need to learn how to code, but I’m an outsider to resources that developers love and use everyday.

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Becoming a Web Dev: Follow Up on Code Fellows

By Billy Shih on

Billy Shih, a graduate of our second Ruby on Rails 8-week program, shared about his time at Code Fellows and the job search afterwards.

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Trees as graphs vs. Trees as data structures

By Dr. Ben Keller on

Helping students prepare to get a job is a really important part of what Code Fellows does.

Part of this is acing the technical interview, so we spend a lot of time practicing white-boarding with algorithmic problems that our students can be confident when faced with similar questions.

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Stretch your programming skills: 4 languages you should learn this year

By Dr. Ben Keller on

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POLL: Where Should Code Fellows Expand to Next?

By Sarah Fischer on

Do you wish Code Fellows was closer to your city?

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Come party with us on Cinco de Mayo!

By Sarah Fischer on

We have exciting news to share that’s worth celebrating! Join us at World Sports Grille, 6-10pm on May 5, 2014 for a Cinco de Mayo party.

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Closures: The 'ringers' of JavaScript

By Matt Merkes on

How do closures work? This post helps the JavaScript noob understand closures a little better.

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Python and JavaScript Boot Camps Graduate

By Sarah Fischer on

Over 25 students graduated this past week from Python and JavaScript boot camps.

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All 2014 classes and bootcamps now on Calendar

By Sarah Fischer on

Plan your schedule early and sign up for a 2014 bootcamp or Foundations class.

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Internet of Things Idea Lab

By Sarah Fischer on

Join us for this free workshop hosted by architectural design firm NBBJ to discuss new ways technology can transform where and how we live.

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iBeacon outside retail: 5 fields where Bluetooth Beacons can be game changers

By Wojtek Borowicz on

There’s currently a lot of talk in the tech world about iBeacon and Bluetooth beacons. However, about 80 percent of the conversation focuses on retail and shopping. Everything seems to revolve around coupons, digital loyalty programs, and mobile payments.

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5 tactics that sabotage your job search

By Sarah Fischer on

Neck-deep in job applications? Avoid these methods that hinder your success and push you further from your dream career.

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Maximize for Mobile: Building a Responsive Site

By Elliot Chong on

28% of website traffic comes from mobile. Are you prepared?

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How to use your iOS camera to interpret Morse Code

By Steven Stevenson on

Let’s talk about some math…

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5 ways to avoid being a terrible new hire

By Sarah Fischer on

Shamoon Siddiqui, president at Develop.io, has noticed a trend in developers, and he wants to put an end to it.

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Mithril.js: A new JavaScript MVC framework

By Sarah Fischer on

This small-but-powerful framework is easy to learn and simple to use.

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Bootcamp alumni win People's Choice Award at local hackathon

By Sarah Fischer on

Recent Code Fellow graduates Ramin Sedighi and Andre Smith, in a group of seven developers, created and launched a database and app that helps shelters access information about the people they serve.

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Changing your life starts with the first step

By Sarah Fischer on

You’re ready to start exploring the world of software engineering. We’re ready to help.

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Join us for a Hands-On iBeacon Workshop

By Sarah Fischer on

Explore the technology and potential for the Apple iBeacon in our upcoming workshop on March 26th.

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South Lake Union: Seattle's Tech Hub

By Sarah Fischer on

Code Fellows is located in the heart of Seattle’s tech center. Here is a glimpse of the neighborhood that houses major companies including Amazon, PATH, University of Washington Medicine, and more.

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Now is the time to sign up for Foundations II

By Sarah Fischer on

Know your development stack. Whether it’s Front-End Development, iOS, Ruby on Rails, Python, or JavaScript, we want to give you the training you need to excel in boot camp.

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A List of Foundational JavaScript Tools

By on

In our development accelerators, students are introduced to several tools and libraries to expand the abilities of their code. Kalina, one of our current JavaScript students, compiled a list of these tools and wanted to share it with other Code Fellows.

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Bootcamp students celebrate Code Fellows graduation

By Sarah Fischer on

Thirty-one Code Fellows graduated from iOS and Ruby on Rails bootcamps today after presenting their final group projects from this past week.

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Guest speakers from Zulily talk with students

By Sarah Fischer on

Every week, Code Fellows invites speakers to talk with students about the tech industry and what they should know before entering the workforce.

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100 students learning the foundations of Computer Science

By Sarah Fischer on

The inaugural Foundations I class held at the Seattle Public Library welcomed over 100 eager students.

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Leap Motion comes to Code Fellows

By Sarah Fischer on

During their time at Code Fellows, students are trained to constantly watch for emerging technology. One way we encourage students to explore new gadgets is by hosting workshops.

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Foundations I Location Announcement

By Mitchell Robertson on

We’re excited to launch our first Foundations I course this Monday, March 3rd, 2014!

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5 Qualities Google Looks for in New Hires

By Mitchell Robertson on

Want a job at Google or another major tech company? Laszlo Bock, senior vice president of People Operations at Google, shares five traits that every developer should have.

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How to Succeed in a Development Accelerator

By Mitchell Robertson on

Last Friday, Code Fellows graduate Alec Matias spoke with our JavaScript class on his experience in the very first Ruby on Rails intensive course that Code Fellows held in early 2013.

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Introducing Pint, the new build system for Grunt.js

By Ivan Storck on

Organize your build into small, testable pieces with Pint, a new dependancy-aware wrapper for Grunt.js. This interview with Pint creator Eric Baer describes why he developed Pint and how it’s relevant for JavaScript developers.

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Bower all the things

By Dale Sande on

Having spent the vast majority of my career in the front end space, there has always been a thirst for better processes and management of resources.

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The Power of Code: iOS Bootcamp builds Morse Code App

By Chris Meehan on

The iOS Bootcamp designed and built an app that sends and receives Morse Code messages using the flash and camera on iOS devices.

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Rapid Growth Visualized: The History of Node.js via Git Commits

By Ivan Storck on

Node.js usage has been expanding rapidly. I took a look at the growth of the Node.js project through the lens of a few Git Visualization tools.

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5 Reasons why Python is Powerful Enough for Google

By Cris Ewing on

You’re getting ready to start a new company. What language should you choose to build it?

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Bash for Fun & Profit

By Cris Ewing on

A few enhancements can improve your experience working in a shell.

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Quick intro to Gulp.js

By Jake Chapman on

Has the time already come for me to hang up the old and put on the new? Let’s dig into what Gulp.js is and why I’m considering switching from Grunt.js.

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Create a Node.js project from scratch with Node-Sass

By Dale Sande on

Not sure if you are in the same boat as I, but I could not find any good resource out there that pulled this all together. So here is a step-by-step tutorial for creating a Node.js app from scratch, adding in Grunt and then Node-Sass. Yeah, try and find good docs on Node-Sass alone. :(

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Excited about our JavaScript Bootcamp

By Ivan Storck on

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Domain Experts Wanted—Python Bootcamp

By Cris Ewing on

Learn Python web development and share your passions with the world.

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How designers can survive the future

By Dale Sande on

Today’s interactive web application designers are not being ‘asked’ to be more involved in the coding process, but it is being demanded of them.

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What is UX Engineering?

By Dale Sande on

UI Ninja and Unicorn are names that have been bestowed upon us by a fledgling industry still trying to crawl out of the primordial ooze that is Web App Development.

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Your opportunity to level up your UX Engineering skills

By Dale Sande on

Jan. 16th, 7pm, come spend an evening with Dale Sande to discuss the new emerging roles in UX Design

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3 Battle-Tested Ways to Install PostgreSQL

By Ivan Storck on

Having run over 100 students through my Ruby on Rails courses, I’ve come up with some straight forward ways to install PostgreSQL without too much pain. Here is how I do it:

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Less painful cross-platform mobile development

By John Clem on

Since the early days of native apps for mobile platforms, there have been numerous attempts to create a “Write Once, Run Everywhere” framework for mobile development.

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5 Ways to Manage Front-End Assets in Rails

By Ivan Storck on

Ready to have the latest and greatest HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3 components like Angular and Ember in your Ruby on Rails application?

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Finally, a pretty replacement for RI—Omniref

By Brook Riggio on

Ruby and Rails both have pretty great documentation. This is important for developers of all levels, but absolutely essential for those just getting started with the Ruby language and the Rails framework.

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iOS Apps by Code Fellows

By Mitchell Robertson on

The iOS Bootcamp students are doing amazing work. Apple has featured each one of the student’s apps somewhere in the App Store. check it out …

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This is Why Learning Rails is Hard

By Brook Riggio on

It’s in the name. Rails depends on Ruby. But anyone