Where Most Coding Bootcamps End, We’re Just Getting Started
On graduation day, most coding bootcamps hand each graduate a certificate, then effectively sever the relationship between student and school. The educational experience has ended, and newly minted software engineers are set free into the big, scary world without so much as a bus ticket.
When we founded Launch Academy, we knew we wanted to do things differently.
The “so long, farewell” approach adopted by most bootcamps never sat well with us. How could we guide up-and-coming software engineers through 18 weeks of intensive learning only to cut ties just as they entered the job market?
With a focus on real relationships and lifelong learning, Launch Academy developed the first Post-Grad Program for coding bootcamp graduates—and it doesn’t cost them a single penny.
With a focus on real relationships and lifelong learning, Launch Academy developed the first Post-Grad Program for coding bootcamp graduates—and it doesn’t cost them a single penny.
Creating a Coding Bootcamp Structure That Continues After Classes End
From the start, students expressed appreciation for Launch Academy’s Monday-through-Friday, nine-to-five structure. They liked learning quickly, intensively, and in close collaboration with our dedicated educators.
But we noticed a worrying contrast upon graduation. Without the school environment providing a supportive structure, graduates lost focus, ceased learning, and struggled to take critical next steps in their software engineering journeys.
Our goals for the Post-Grad Program included:
- Creating a continuum of purpose and clarity akin to the structure offered by campus life
- Enabling a lifetime of career support to help software engineers level up from job to job
- Empowering continuous learning and growth from graduation to retirement
Establishing a Ritual of Learning for New Software Engineers
The first iteration of Launch Academy’s support program was informal. Coding bootcamp graduates knew we were here to help, but they had to take the initiative to build and maintain a structure for success.
Today, the six-week Post-Grad Program includes regular check-ins and weekly tasks designed to keep our graduates learning new skills and help them find fulfilling employment in software development.
Launch Academy’s six-week Post-Grad Program includes regular check-ins and weekly tasks designed to keep our graduates learning new skills and help them find fulfilling employment in software development.
Launch Academy’s six-week Post-Grad Program
Because coding bootcamp students come from diverse lifestyles, we optimized the Post-Grad Program for flexibility. Regardless of each new graduate’s post-school schedule, the program will help them stay on track to achieve their goals.
During the six-week Post-Grad Program, graduates divide their time by percentages:
- 60% of their time is dedicated to improving their breakable toy, developing test projects, and ensuring their skills don’t atrophy before they find their first job
- 20% of their time is spent grinding through job applications and enhancing their unique differentiators
- 20% of their time is devoted to networking with people who may be interested in hiring new software engineers
Each participant receives a “pass” or “fail” grade on their performance in the Post-Grad Program. If a grad finds their first job before the six weeks are up: Congratulations! You’ve passed!
Paving a smooth path toward employment
The ultimate purpose of the Post-Grad Program is to gently propel new Launch Academy graduates toward their first software development jobs rather than abandoning them to their own devices after 18 weeks of concentrated structure.
But our support doesn’t end with the culmination of the Post-Grad Program, either.
If their first job doesn’t work out for some reason…
If they need help advancing into senior-level roles…
If they had a challenging first day on the job…
If their boss isn’t providing the structure they need to succeed…
Launch Academy is here for all our graduates for as long as they need us.
Launch Academy is here for all our graduates for as long as they need us.
In fact, when a graduate reaches out months or years later, we can leverage their experience to help them nail down their next role! Hiring managers with whom we’re connected are often looking for software engineers with at least one or two development jobs already on their resumes.
Cultivating a community of industry peers
Students get their first introduction to graduate life at Launch Academy mixers, in-person events that help bridge the gap from cohort to cohort. After 18 weeks of listening to instructors, new grads are joined by alumni whose lived experiences make them excellent storytellers, sounding boards, and advisors to their up-and-coming counterparts.
The cherry on top of this coding bootcamp cake is Launch Academy’s impressively active Slack channel! We encourage all graduates to join in and stay connected with job discussions, technology talk, and no shortage of sheer silliness.
We’re Educating a New Generation of Software Engineers
Aspiring developers always want to know: Are coding bootcamps worth it?
We can’t speak for other programs, but we can state with certainty that Launch Academy delivers. Our 18-week coding bootcamp is unmatched among accelerated programs, and no other software engineering schools provide Launch Academy’s level of post-grad support.
When you join the Launch Academy community, you join for life.
And our Post-Grad Program is just one more way we prove our value, promote our purpose, and educate the new generation of software changemakers!
Where most coding bootcamps end, we’re just getting started. Find out more.