The increased demand for programming specialists also increased the opening of coding schools and boot camps all over the world. According to multiple sources, the coding market is worth over 240 million dollars, and there are over 500 full-time programs worldwide.
Learning computer programing has never been easier. Wheatear it is done in-person or online, thanks to it, there are over 93,000 students that have an undergraduate degree in computer science. Reports say that this number is going to grow in the future for sure.
It is essential to mention that their skillset and the way they gather their knowledge or to be more specific, the program from which they learn is different than the typical 4-year university program. The new pool of talent is skilled for sure and offers quality services, yet many employers fail to hire these talents. Employers can’t figure out how.
Different reports publish different points of view. If you gather multiple opinions from both coding school graduates and employers, you will get the equation right. It is possible to hire them without additional stress; you need to follow a couple of rules and tips.
Try to understand the core of the coding school first. After all, each coding school is different and operates differently than its competition. The course report says that an average coding school program lasts about 14 weeks. You need to implement yourself into the scheme and find out about the curriculum required to graduate from there. Here are the most popular ones:
- Andela in Africa trains their students without requiring money; in fact, they pay the students and their graduates later become employees. It would be best if you became Andela’s partner to work with these coding school programmers.
- Lambda School gives their classes online, and they give two options, full-time and part-time.
- Trilogy Education partners up with universities and help students improve their skills by giving them skill-based training programs.
- General Assembly has the most massive range of coding classes. They offer full-time and part-time courses as well and also give two options- on campuses or online.
What do these all have in common? Well, they all focus on teaching full-stack Javascript, HTML, and CSS. Also, some courses give knowledge in Python and Ruby.
Switchup reported that the average coding school student is around 30 years old. Over there, over 80 people already own a Bachelor’s degree in something, and the age range is from 18 to 75 years! Yes, that is proven to be true. Many enrolled students only want to level up their skills, unlike others who want to welcome their skills for the first time. Students often report career advancement as their reason as well.
Employers appreciate these students because the majority of them learn something from scratch. Students also appreciate their coding schools because the programs and boot camps make them happy and deliver the thing they precisely want.
Before doing anything, choose one particular program and focus on it. Find a reason why you should start hiring their graduates and do it.
After gathering this information, the process of selecting must start. How to select a coding school graduate? There are plenty of them, and you must think that this process is complicated. Well, that is not the case. You have to look for someone that knows how to explain why building a career in software development correctly is essential and what their motivations are.
A coding assessment test is also a must before hiring someone because it is the right way to test someone’s necessary skills. You can benefit from hiring more than one engineer for sure, that is a good option if you have the money.
Make a plan before hiring a junior developer. Make sure you know what you want and how the thing you want can be completed by the person you are going to hire. You may start with small tasks and increase the role step by step. Also, make sure you appoint a supervisor, a senior developer from your team, with tremendous management experience.
Have in mind that these graduates will function better in larger environments where senior developers are as well present and have roles of mentors. Assign each of them a mentor that they can ask anything and receive feedback.
Do not forget that coding school graduates know only the basics of programming. That means that they will continue to develop within your company. Make sure you have all the technology possible to upgrade their skills. Make and present a clear professional development plan. Explain well how you plan to invest in their development and how they will be able to improve.
Coding school graduates after graduating from that particular program want to start working immediately. That is normal, and you should give them a chance. Yes, allow them to start slowly but increase tasks from time to time. Do not let them only sit on the bench; let them play. Allow them to contribute to your codebase immediately.
Measurement is everything for both you and them. Measure their learning nonstop and give them the results. Implement assessment platforms that will help you.
Freedom and flexibility are essential in this field so, consider allowing them something that your competitors’ companies wouldn’t. Allow them to work on side projects as long as you are sure that they do not fall into arrears.
These are the things you must follow and do to hire the perfect coding school graduate.
