Want to be a computer programmer in just nine weeks? There’s a class for that.
Created by five recent Ivey Business School graduates, Toronto-based Bitmaker Labs is an intensive training program taking absolute beginners and teaching them the skills necessary to be creative computer programmers.
Duncan McCall, along with fellow 2011 Ivey HBA alumni Tory Jarmain, Will Richman, Matt Gray, and Andrew Mawer, feel ‘education is due for a facelift.’ By using techniques which allow students to master tough concepts in less time, they believe they give people the skills to change the world.
And they just might do it.
“We just sort of got tired of the corporate thing and wanted to do our own thing. So, we went out and on our own started this about six or seven months ago,” McCall said. “For me, when I quit my job in finance, I had gotten involved with some start-ups and came to the realization that not having a technical skill set was a hindrance, if you want to get into the tech space, from a start-up perspective.
He saw other people in a similar position who wanted the technical skills, but didn’t want to pursue the four-year computer science degree.
“Our view on where the economy is heading, there is a major demand for development jobs right now,” McCall continued. “So, it was a combination of things for us.”
While the $9,000 tuition for the nine-week training may seem steep, McCall added with the more than 400 hours of training, networking connections, support and coaching from dozens of teachers and web developers – referred to as ‘gurus’ – graduates will be prepared to entered the world of web development.
As the first class of 24 students graduated this past week, Bitmaker Labs has amassed a group of more than two dozen ‘hiring partners’ from across Canada and the United States.
But can you really be ready for employment is just nine weeks?
“From the perspective of our hiring partners, who are thinking about employing these people, that was a question that came up in the beginning,” McCall said. “But we have built up strong relationships with our partners, who even come into our space and interact with our students on a regular basis. So, they get to see how far along the students have come.
“I think we’re very confident in our product and what we’ve put together. Everyone we select to come through the cohort is very passionate about learning this skill set. It’s one of those things that people see the nine weeks and feel that’s a little bit crazy, but if you immerse yourself in something for nine weeks you can go a long way.”
While there is no pre-requisite to be part of the class, it’s not as easy as simply applying. Once signed up, there is an initial interview where candidates are ranked. Next, the prospective students submit assignments before returning for a second interview.
Once accepted into the program, students are given a mandatory 50-hour prep course, taking them through the basics before they arrive in class.
“We’ve been luckily with the support from the community and everyone really seems to like what we’re doing. A lot of the companies on board and very excited and wanting to hire the students when they’re done,” McCall said. He hoped the company can move to five graduating classes per year.
“Starting a business of any kind is a grind all we all stepped away from security, in terms of job, to do this, so it’s been a bit of a roller coaster, but it’s been exciting,” he added.