In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic took a massive toll on the global workforce—millions faced a hard decision regarding their careers. Some lost their jobs, while others took the opportunity to reevaluate and take charge of their career directions. BMO Capital Markets reported a considerable job loss increase in April of 2020 alone in Canada due to the pandemic.
As a result, it’s no surprise that many people have changed trajectories and chosen to focus on tech in the time since. Lighthouse Labs is a Canadian tech education company that offers full-time programs and part-time programs focused on data science, data analytics, cybersecurity, and web development. The school’s outcomes report, which can be read in full here, appears promising. 2020 was a monumental year for everyone, and amid moments of great worry, this bootcamp saw how the circumstances can provide opportunities for success.
“This year consolidated the need for digital skills training more than any other, with Canadians desiring reskilling at higher rates than ever before. Throughout the year, we worked hard on our mission of making digital skills more accessible to more people. We’re proud to report that despite the economic instability and widespread job losses of 2020, our alumni have continued to find work in tech after graduation at industry-leading rates,” the school said.
Lighthouse Labs 2020 Outcomes
In the outcomes report, CEO Jeremy Shaki said, “It’s clear that Lighthouse is a necessary bridge between professionals and the digital careers they thrive in.” He added, “Lighthouse Labs is excited to continue connecting our communities to a professional world they’re bringing much-needed skill, creativity, and value into.”
The claims held true in 2020:
- 97 percent of job-seeking graduates found employment after graduation.
- 87 percent of eligible job-seeking graduates found employment within 180 days of graduation.
- 47 percent of eligible job-seeking graduates found employment within just two months (60 days) of graduation.
Lighthouse Labs categorizes its graduates into two groups: job-seekers and non-job seekers. The school defines job-seeking students as those who conscientiously and actively engage with the Career Services team at Lighthouse Labs. Because the school is home to a valuable team of advisors who provide equally valuable career skills to their students, the Career Services path is worth traversing. As evident in the outcomes report, this group found numerous job prospects as professional developers and other positions.
Meanwhile, non-job seekers are students who are not looking for employment after Lighthouse Labs for a slew of reasons. Some returned to previous employers, and others returned to school after their Lighthouse Labs experience. Some are entrepreneurs and freelancers, and there are also those without work visas.
Lighthouse Labs offers two streams for bootcamp: Web Development and Data Science. The outcomes report reveals that:
- Graduates of the web development program make an average salary of CAD$50,564 ($40,525) in their first role upon graduation.
- Graduates went on to accept roles such as front-end developers, back-end developers, QA engineers, Shopify developers, and more.
While the full report on the Data Science program has yet to be released, here’s what we know so far:
- Graduates earn an average starting salary of CAD$52,600 ($42,157).
- Graduates landed roles such as data engineers, data analysts, machine learning interns, and more.
Hundreds of companies across Canada and the world hired Lighthouse Labs graduates, from small agencies and family businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Companies to have hired from Lighthouse Labs include Shopify, Air Canada, Amazon, Wealthsimple, KPMG, Postscript, Neo Financial, SSENSE, Oak + Fort, Hootsuite, Dribbble, Unity, Microsoft, Koho, Amazon AWS, Indigo, EA Sports, and many more.
Career Services at Lighthouse Labs
When a student signs up for the Career Services, they invest in their future career—an investment that they have lifetime access to. They work with a robust team of mentors and guides who have been attributed to the success of hundreds of Lighthouse Labs students.
Students who opt for the career services have access to writing workshops, one-on-one career consultation services, employer matching services, mentor hours, extra group projects, and more. The team often works with employers to arrange a paid internship or apprenticeship-style employment that lasts between three to four months.
“Most students who enroll in our digital skills training programs don’t want education just for the sake of it, no matter how nice that can be,” Lighthouse Labs said. “Students generally want to upgrade their skills so that they can improve their career prospects. They want to develop their skills quickly and effectively, so that they can graduate into a new, fulfilling professional life.”
“We’re here to help students achieve those goals with our accelerated programs that don’t compromise on effectiveness. Paired with our immersive, personalized career services, graduates are connected with their future careers in constructive and fruitful ways.”
Lighthouse Labs describes its career services as “the bridge between bootcamp and the crowd of employers seeking developer talent.” Whether students are looking to enter the local, regional, or global workforce, the team does its best to leverage its vast connections on student’s behalf.
Job-seeking students also have exclusive access to:
- Alumni Job Resource site
- Employer matching and outreach services
- Employer speed interviews
- Employer-only demo days
- Post-bootcamp workshops, mentor hours, and group projects
Where Are Lighthouse Labs Students Now?
Max Rosenthal is a Lighthouse Labs alum who previously worked in data analytics. He found himself dissatisfied with the lack of depth into coding in his university courses. He soon realized just how valuable tech skills could be if one properly honed them and applied them to their work. When the pandemic struck Canada, Max was laid off, which prompted him to pursue a different career path.
“I always felt like coding wasn’t as important of a subject as math or physics, so I resisted learning it. After working in a technical position for a while, I realized how impactful someone can be if they know how to code. I knew that if I wanted to get ahead that I would need to push myself and learn how to code,” he said.
With a lot of free time on his hand, Max decided it was time to enroll in Lighthouse Labs. “The bootcamp offered a full-time, focused curriculum which would give me the perfect environment to learn how to code without any distractions. I wanted a fully immersive experience where I would learn by doing with the help of experienced mentors,” he explained.
At the end of March 2020, he graduated from Lighthouse Labs, and less than two months later, Max found a new career opportunity with a Victoria-based startup, Certn—a job that he described as “challenging but rewarding.”
“Lighthouse Labs far exceeded my expectations,” Max said. “I found most of the lectures to be engaging and directly relevant to the course work for the day…The habits I learned from Lighthouse Labs have been very helpful in my job.”
Max’s employer, Certn, shared the same enthusiasm: “Max breezed through his onboarding process and started picking up real tickets in a matter of days. His understanding of high-level concepts, combined with his persistence in the face of challenging problems, has made him a valuable, productive member of our team almost immediately.”
The tech industry, however, is not the only place where Lighthouse Labs graduates shine. Take Flora Uwadiegwu, for example. With the tools provided by the coding bootcamp, she found employment in the music industry, working for a Montréal-based music analytics firm called Wavo.me. Flora has since moved on to a new role as a Frontend Developer at SAP, the world’s third-largest publicly traded software company by revenue which specializes in building software.
Her story is a testament to how Lighthouse Labs can help students find rewarding careers that combine their passions with their technical skills.
Lighthouse Labs Skills Gap Quiz
Lighthouse Labs has a tool called the skills gap quiz for those interested in getting into tech or who want to become more employable in a digital-first world. This free assessment provides you insights into the areas to build on to become more employable and provides resources for you to continue to learn and hone your skills. Additionally, you can download a free benchmark report that assesses your hard and soft skills against the requirements of an employer.
In today’s workforce, these skills are lucrative and essential to starting, maintaining, and optimizing one’s new career. The quiz itself presents detailed results that include areas of improvement and the next steps for a student to take in terms of leveling up. Take the free questionnaire here to see what skills can make you more employable.
Want More Info About Lighthouse Labs?
Suffice to say that Lighthouse Labs had a successful run in 2020 amid the ups and downs that the shift in work brought about. At this point, you’re probably wondering if you, too, can reap the benefits that Lighthouse Labs and the Canadian tech scene have to offer. Visit the website to learn more, or you can begin your application process—a simple step that will only take a few minutes to complete.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
