{"id":96874,"date":"2022-01-05T12:31:53","date_gmt":"2022-01-05T20:31:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/?p=96874"},"modified":"2022-01-10T16:11:20","modified_gmt":"2022-01-11T00:11:20","slug":"hackbright-academy-coding-bootcamp-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/hackbright-academy-coding-bootcamp-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Deep Dive: Changing the Diversity Ratio in Tech with Hackbright Academy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One would assume that issues of gender inequality in the technology sector would’ve evened out in 2021. But here we are, with women and people who are gender-diverse still underrepresented in the tech industry. Though culturally we have seen shifts towards gender equality in the last few decades, many industries still seem to have a glass ceiling that women and non-binary people have to break through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study conducted this year<\/a> by Accenture and Girls Who Code<\/a> revealed that the number of female tech workers was actually higher in 1984, at 35 percent, than it is today, at 32 percent. It also showed that 50 percent of women in tech dropped out of the profession before the age of 35, compared to 20 percent in other industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many factors might have caused this outcome but Hackbright Academy<\/a> aims to change that narrative. How? By running a coding bootcamp geared toward women and gender-diverse people in a bid to bridge that gender gap in software engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nHackbright Academy is a software engineering bootcamp that offers a 12-week program, preparing women and non-binary people for dynamic and fulfilling careers in tech.<\/p>\nSecure your spot at Hackbright Academy today.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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What Makes Hackbright Academy Different?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Hackbright Academy is unique because it is a bootcamp designed for women, non-binary, and gender diverse people. Founded in 2012, Hackbright is geared towards changing the gender ratio in the tech industry and helping its students know that they will have exciting careers in this sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning How to Learn<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For Ashley Trinh, Program Director of Hackbright, one of the core advantages to Hackbright\u2019s teaching style is that students learn how to learn, rather than be boxed in knowing the specifics of only one coding language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She says that it\u2019s easy to think that hiring managers are looking for engineers who know a particular concrete programming language or a particular tech stack, but that\u2019s not often the case. \u201cOnce you\u2019ve engineered for a while, you start to understand that computers all work the same way,\u201d says Ashley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Put simply, if you have the fundamentals, wherever you go and whatever you\u2019re working on, you can apply that skillset to new programming languages or tech stacks. \u201cTechnology is temporary, fundamentals are forever. That\u2019s what we\u2019re trying to teach at Hackbright.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does that look like in practice? Hackbright\u2019s teaching style is to help students connect the specific technologies they\u2019re learning to the fundamentals. This allows students to gain a better understanding <\/em>of how<\/em> they\u2019re learning, not just of what they\u2019re learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not teaching you this so that you become a React developer. This is just a vehicle for you to practice engineering, design, and creative problem-solving skills. We want you to notice how this API is structured [and] how these engineers have designed their web framework. Because you\u2019ll notice that other web frameworks use the same pattern, just with different words to describe it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ashley says it can be easy to fall into the trap of feeling the need to always teach the latest technology. However, at the end of the day, employers demand a solid understanding of the fundamentals and employees who know how to learn and do so quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology is an ever-shifting field. The latest technology you learn today might not be the latest technology of next year. So it\u2019s important to not learn what\u2019s newest but learn how <\/em>to learn, so you can stay on the cutting edge of the industry through your grasp on the fundamentals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accelerate Your Career With Soft Skills<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The other part of the curriculum that sets Hackbright apart is its focus on helping students develop soft skills. As Ashley says, engineering is still a corporate position. You work in a team with other people. Those people are often managers, executives, and others who don\u2019t work directly in technology and will need someone who can articulate the details to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to learn to write persuasively and use verbal communication to defend your ideas [and] justify your decisions because that\u2019s how you get visibility and accelerate your career,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why Hackbright incorporates multiple public speaking assignments into its curriculum. Students will gain experience presenting technical information to each other, as well as putting together a presentation or demo for their capstone project in video and written formats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can You Learn at Hackbright Academy?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Prep Course<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n