👩‍💻 Tech Academy Program 👩‍💻

A Free Alternative to Coding Bootcamp

Panethnic Pourovers is devoted to creating equitable opportunities for everyone, especially those who may come from disadvantaged backgrounds and underrepresented identities. Tech is a growing career field that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in education, whether that be through an undergraduate degree at an accredited university, or experience from a $10,000 coding bootcamp. It is getting more and more expensive to find a job in today’s market. We believe that education is a right and that lack of capital shouldn’t hinder one’s ability to access that education. 

We are super excited to announce that we will be holding a FREE 12-week, fully remote, work-your-own hours, technical academy for those interested in pursuing a career in tech. This program will cover the basic fundamentals of an agile project development cycle, and you will work in teams of 4-6 people to create an amazing product over the course of the twelve weeks. You’ll work closely with other professional software engineers, project managers, user experience designers, and analysts to gain real world experience that will set you up for success for your next role. Whether you are currently job searching, in need of a resume booster, or you are looking for ways to enhance your skills, this course is for you!

We are currently taking applications for our first cohort running from September through November of 2023.
The official dates for the Fall cohort are: Tuesday, September 12th – Thursday, November 30th

Thank you so much to everyone who has applied to our Fall 2023 cohort! As we have received a large volume of applications, we cannot guarantee everyone a spot in the Fall cohort. Applications will be reviewed after the submission period and you will receive information on how to confirm your registration a few weeks following.

Are you a professional looking for ways to help and volunteer with us? Mentor and presenter applications will remain open until we have finalized program details.

Apply to be a mentor or a presenter:

Who is eligible?

• (For Engineers/Developers only): You have basic knowledge of programming languages (can be anything from Python, to C, to Javascript) – we won’t really be focusing on language syntax in this course so you’ll want to have some familiarity with coding. Ideal for students studying computer science and entry-level software engineers.
• You have a strong desire and commitment to learn new things, make mistakes, and collaborate effectively within a small team
• You have reliable and consistent access to a computer/laptop (MUST be a Mac, Windows, or Linux OS – Chromebooks will not work for this course) and a stable internet connection
• You must be 18+ to participate

What will I learn about/do?

• Engineering Track: for those interested in pursuing a career in software engineering, programming, or web development
  • Building modern web applications using technologies such as React.js and Next.js
  • Interacting and designing APIs using Apollo and GraphQL
  • Write effective code reviews and feedback for your peers
  • Participate in design and architecture reviews, team sprint ceremonies, and pair program with your team/peers

• Design Track: for those interested in pursuing a career in user experience design, user interface design, or product design
  • Creating accessible and aesthetically pleasing application designs and prototypes using Figma and running their design review sessions
  • Conduct and design user research studies through interviews, surveys, and usability testing
  • Information architecture across digital products, interactive design, and visual design principles such as typography, color theory, layout, and branding
  • Participate in team sprint ceremonies and work closely with product and engineering to implement and test your designs
• Product Track: for those interested in pursuing a career in product management, scrummaster, or project management
  • Develop and create a minimum viable product (MVP) that aligns with business goals by considering strategic initiatives, customer requests, and technical constraints
  • Collaborate closely with design to conduct user research studies and customer insights, as well as testing methodologies such as A/B testing
  • Explore the product lifecycle as well as methods for idea generation, concept testing, and validating product hypotheses
  • Gain an understanding of agile methodologies and develop skills in stakeholder management/effective communication

What does the schedule look like? How is this “work-your-own-hours”?

We want this course to mimic a real life experience. You will work closely with your team to come up with a plan as to what kind of working style works for all of you, how often you would like to connect and have stand up, etc. Throughout the course, multiple scheduled sessions will be available on multiple different topics for you and your team to attend if you would like to. The first week will mostly consist of getting to know your team, setting up your environment, and learning about your role. Each team will be assigned a professional mentor who they can reach out to for any type of assistance.

How is this completely free?

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to making education and resources more accessible to our community. We like to put our money where our mouth is, which means putting it back into the community. All of our mentors are a diverse array of software developers, product managers, designers, and analysts volunteering their time to help shape the future of tech.

The majority of our funding comes in the form of monetary donations and grants. We encourage you to donate to our organization to help fund initiatives such as this one, although it is obviously not required. Donations are tax-deductible and you can donate here – thank you for your support! 🧡

If you have any questions or need more information, please reach out to tech@panethnicpourovers.org.