In 2017, the North Carolina Department of Commerce named technology as one of the five industries expected to grow the most jobs and one of the fastest growing occupational groups statewide. A PayScale search shows the median income for software engineers in Greensboro is over $71,000 a year.
The numbers check out country-wide: Full stack software developers were the No. 1 fastest growing job in the United States, according to a 2018 study by PayScale, which also said software developers could expect to average $77,000 a year.
The software engineer industry grew by nearly 65% between 2006 and 2016, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, outstripping projections by nearly 20 percent.
The point is, coders are in demand. So, how is North Carolina going to meet the increasing need for employees who can code?
One option is going to back to school to learn Computer Science, but a degree may not be an option for many professionals. Fortunately, Coder Foundry, has a solution – an immersion learning system to teach people software development.
“We’ve learned that a novice can become a professional in just a few weeks if they experience a ‘workplace simulation’,”
Coder Foundry founder director Bobby Davis said.
“The reason is they’re literally coding eight hours a day. And they’re very focused on delivering their projects on time, just like they’d be doing at their job. Immersion training is the same way a soldier or pilot learns their craft.”
Coder Foundry teaches multiple coding technologies, including C# and .NET.
“We teach the most popular technology stack, which gives graduates the best chance to get a job,”
If you’re a coder-at-heart who likes to dabble in your spare time, but don’t consider yourself a pro, Davis recommends applying to the program.
“If you’re thinking, ‘I’m not a natural software developer; I’m just a fill-in-the-blank, but I really like to code,’ they need to come to our classes. Not everyone who comes to our classes is some rock star nerd. The only way to overcome your fear is to dive in and learn.”
Most of the demand for web developers comes from non-tech companies, Davis said, and the school’s in-house recruiter pitches graduates to car dealerships, grocery stores, trucking companies, among others.
“We had a student placed who came over to our program from being a 911 operator. Our recruiter pitched her skills – she was good at working solo, working under pressure, and learning quickly on the job. She got hired at Fresh Market as a developer.”
He said there are even big-name companies who would rather train someone with basic coding skills than outsource their tech work overseas.
“The bigger the company, the more they are willing to hire a junior developer. Companies that used to outsource their tech are asking us, ‘Do you have a junior developer available?’ because they’d rather train up a junior developer than pay the higher cost of outsourcing.”
To meet demand, Coder Foundry launched a tuition-deferred program called Launchpad.
Students in the Launchpad program pay no tuition upfront, and payments are deferred until they land a job making at least $40,000. If a student earns less than that, then they will not owe any tuition.
Davis encouraged people who are nervous about a career switch to understand that Coder Foundry is a hands-on program with and a job guarantee. Also, the school employs an in-house recruiter to help graduates find employment.
To apply to the Launchpad program click here, or to find out more about Coder Foundry, visit coderfoundry.com.
Coder Foundry is hosting an open house event on August 29th from 6PM to 8 PM. If you’re interested in a software development career, click below to RSVP.