Academy

The course opens with a quick tour through the software development cosmos, starting from bits & bytes, through computer hardware to an overview of the many branches of software applications.

We'll also familiarize ourselves with tools of the trade that software developers use on a daily basis and practice using them by creating a shared recipe collection.

Although programming is only one of many skills involved in software development, it is the key to its power. Starting from "Hello World", we'll build a collection of small programs with increasing complexity and, thereby, learn not only the syntax and grammar of the Typescript Programming Language, but also the principles and techniques that are common to all programming languages.

Our next goal is to get familiar with the technologies that run the web and build basic skills in User Interface Design. We’ll start off with a practical introduction to the Human Centered Design process. We’ll go through one iteration of the design steps —starting from research all the way to prototyping and testing. We'll continue with analyzing and carefully re-constructing multiple websites built for different use-cases. We’ll dive into design systems, color theory, and typography. At the end of the module, everyone will design and build a personal website project that may become the first item in their portfolio. The projects will be documented via building out their Information Architecture.

“Mobile first” is a popular approach for modern products and services. In this phase of the curriculum, we’ll teach you how to design webpages that comfortably fit any device as well as some fundamental design practices, such as navigation design, mobile stacking, and responsive design. Then we’ll apply those learnings to your personal website.

It's time to refresh and reflect on the material learned so far. During this week, there will be no new material. Only individual check-in sessions, opportunities to solidify your skills through focused practice, and a hackathon to boost your confidence in your fledgling skills.

In the beginning of the second half of the course, we are going to design and build a more complex web application. After walking together through a product design process, we'll prototype and build the user interface. This is an opportunity to take a close look at all components of a professional software development process in full detail and practice them in a controlled environment.

To round off the skillset, we'll build and deploy the backend of our web application. This is the most challenging part of the course, as it normally requires a long time to master the complexities of a production level backend, including authentication, database design & continuous deployment. However, with a lot of focus, carefully designed instruction, and a bit of cheating you'll become able to build a full stack web application from start to finish all by yourself.

Our final weeks of formal curriculum walk students through professional development processes and provide basic starting tracks for interested students to dive deeper into specializations like Backend development & DevOps, Data Science, UI/UX Design, and Agile Management. We’ll also dive into our second hackathon to kick off the final project.

After 18 weeks of intense training, you'll have all you need to team up with your fellow campers and start building your own projects. You'll get extra support from mentors in our community who can provide technical support and also help you explore options for life after the course. The final week will consist of a two day career development program and our last hackathon to wrap up final projects.