{"id":29304,"date":"2021-02-20T07:29:53","date_gmt":"2021-02-20T15:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/?p=29304"},"modified":"2021-10-16T02:08:51","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T09:08:51","slug":"kenzie-academy-launch-your-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/kenzie-academy-launch-your-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep Dive: Launch Your Tech Career With $100 Through Kenzie Academy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What would you do if you only had $100 to reinvent your life? For students of Kenzie Academy<\/a>, the answer is simple. Pay a $100 commitment fee, attend Kenzie Academy, and launch a tech career in less than a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving a graduate degree, I was not looking to add more student debt,\u201d said Ryan Molyneaux<\/a> when asked why she joined Kenzie Academy. Ryan was accepted at a university for software engineering when she was forced to withdraw from the program due to skyrocketing college costs. Determined to pursue affordable education, Ryan eventually took the alternative route to break into the tech field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking the same route was former in-store shopper Darlyze Calixte. \u201cI wish I could say that my journey started when I was a kid, that I was coding for years, and I got my degree in computer science but that just wasn\u2019t the case,\u201d she said<\/a>. After a year of training at Kenzie, Darlyze secured a job as a software engineer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mya Williams<\/a> was a middle school teacher who wished to follow in her mother\u2019s footsteps as a tech professional. And like Ryan and Darlyze, in just a year, she hit the ground running to become a UX designer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All three come from different backgrounds, yet all three share one thing. They took an alternative route into tech, went through rigorous training at Kenzie Academy, and, well, that made all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Kenzie Academy Started<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kenzie Academy is an Indianapolis-based coding bootcamp that seeks to retrain people for new-economy tech jobs. It was founded in 2017 by startup veteran Chok Ooi, who wanted to create another pathway to tech for underserved communities. The bootcamp is a father’s letter to his youngest daughter, McKenzie, from whom the school\u2019s name was borrowed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe vision for Kenzie Academy is that by the time my daughter reaches higher education, a model like Kenzie Academy is already a viable alternative to learning. This way, a four-year college isn\u2019t the only option for people who want to seek higher education and, ultimately, a better life,\u201d shared Chok during a Breaking Into Startups podcast interview<\/a> with Career Karma. \u201cI chose the youngest one [McKenzie], so I have a couple more years to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what Chok hoped to achieve in \u201ca couple more years,\u201d he\u2019s already made in less. Since its inception, Kenzie Academy has consistently served the underserved. \u201cThe only difference between two people\u2014one who comes from privilege and one who doesn\u2019t with both equally smart and hardworking\u2014is access.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe person from privilege has access to a lot of successful people…who can mentor and support him or her,\u201d said Chok. “Kenzie Academy levels this playing field.” The question is, how?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenzie Academy\u2019s Learning Pillars<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKenzie Academy,” explained Chok, “is a program that takes people with the passion and interest to break into tech and provide them with the right training, the right mindset, and the right access.\u201d Let\u2019s break that down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Right Training<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Infographic<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kenzie Academy closes the gap between coding bootcamps and traditional colleges by offering the best of both learning models. On one side, Kenzie Academy\u2019s programs are longer than the typical three-month bootcamp programs. This gives students enough room to do more than just memorize code. They also build a fundamental understanding of how things look under the code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other, the school\u2019s bootcamp programs are shorter than four-year college degree programs. This provides students the time to develop essential tech skills without running the risk of these becoming outdated by the time they leave school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenzie Free<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Education at Kenzie can start from as low as $0. With its Kenzie Free program, students get access to mini-courses designed to teach the building blocks of web development. Some bonuses: it’s self-paced, so you don’t need to feel pressured. Industry experts crafted it, so you don’t need to worry about the material’s quality. And as the name suggests, it’s free, so you don’t have to worry about any financial risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two-part program starts with an introductory course to HTML and CSS<\/a>, followed by a course in JavaScript<\/a>. By the end of it, you\u2019ll have a sound understanding of how to code in all three languages and create interactive websites and apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, if you\u2019re still in two minds about launching a tech career, take Kenzie Free. Is coding something you can do? Is coding something that you enjoy? Is coding the right career for you? Kenzie Free helps you answer all these questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember: only if you answered \u2018yes\u2019 to all three should you move on to any of Kenzie Academy\u2019s immersive programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Software Engineering Program (Full-Time)<\/a><\/strong> <\/a>
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