This Chicago Coding School Is Making Strides Towards Diversity In Tech

By Sponsor in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 1, 2015 5:00AM

This post is brought to you by Dev Bootcamp.

Dev Bootcamp Chicago, a 19-week immersive program that helps beginner coders get their first jobs as web developers, recently graduated its most diverse cohort since it opened its doors two years ago.

Over half of the “Bison” (Dev Bootcamp names its cohorts after animals) identified as women and/or as members of ethnic groups underrepresented in the tech industry.

One of the Bison cohort members, Nicole McCabe, made a short documentary about her group’s journey through the 19-week coding program. Her documentary captures the early challenges of beginners learning how to code as well as late-night antics during the final sprint towards presenting their graduation projects.

Like the tech industry as a whole, coding schools like Dev Bootcamp are actively trying to diversify their pool of applicants by expanding access with scholarships and loan programs and appealing to a wider range of applicants through partnerships. Earlier this year, Dev Bootcamp partnered with YesWeCode, a national initiative to promote diversity in coding education, to offer 34 scholarships which have been allocated for women and members of underrepresented minority groups. On the heels of YesWeCode, Chicago tech giant Braintree sponsored two diversity-oriented fellowships as well.

To learn more about Dev Bootcamp, attend an upcoming Info Session or take a tour.