Attention wannabe code jockeys -- your golden ticket to programming prestige has arrived. South Florida Wyncode is coming to The LAB Miami. Make it through their nine weeks of intensive training and you could be the next Dong Nguyen.
This development boot camp will turn students into crackerjack programmers capable of creating their own web apps and kicking ass, Silicon Valley-style. It kicks off May 5th, but info sessions are already in session. We spoke to co-founder Johanna Mikkola for some deets.
At the head of the project are three folks with entirely different backgrounds: Juha Mikkola (serial entrepreneur), Johanna Mikkola (corporate manager) and Ed Toro (MIT grad and Wyncode professor).
"I've always loved Miami and Wynwood in particular," says Johanna. "In the last six months, seeing what's been going on with Miami tech and Wynwood, we were super excited and felt the timing was really right to come into the market here."
Wyncoders will spend a total of 1,071 hours learning and creating a bunch of projects, culminating in the creation and pitch of their own web app.
Call it "disruptive education," Johanna says.
"The benefit of doing something like this is it's very intensive and focused on very particular skills. After nine weeks, you will have the skills from a tech and biz standpoint to launch whatever you want to do and go in the direction you want to go in," Johanna adds. That could include launching a start-up, scoring a junior level programming job, or building the next big app idea.
The crew has been working with local tech companies to make sure Wyncode coursework is focused on what they're looking for in employees, Johanna says. That way, grads will have a leg up as far as jumping into the rapidly expanding local job market.
The curriculum includes instructor-led sessions, collaborative work time, business development, and mentoring sessions from industry pros. Plus, there will be school visits, where Wyncoders will teach local kiddos how to code. As far as programming languages, Wyncoders will be learning some front-end stuff like HTML and CSS, plus Javascript, Ruby and Ruby on Rails.
"We want to show everyone that anyone can code. Anyone can do it, anyone can learn it. This is an environment of learning by doing."
If you're interested in doing just that, Wyncode has three upcoming Learn to Code info sessions at The Lab that are free and open to everyone. They'll be giving you a little teaser on what's to come.
The sessions are scheduled for the following dates/times at The Lab:
Wednesday March 19th - 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday April 2nd - 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday April 16th - 7 to 8:30 p.m.
You can learn more about all things Wyncode on their website.
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