Covalence was created out of necessity. Our software startup, Platypi, was in desperate need of qualified developers, and finding them proved to be an enormous challenge. One solution we tried was to open an office in Austin, but the competition for developers drove costs too high for us to afford what we needed.
In the midst of this search, we spoke to many startup founders and enterprise leaders that expressed the same concerns we did. There wasn't enough developer talent to meet the growing demand of businesses, so we had to do something different which is how we began training developers.
I taught myself how to code right out of high school, and I was subsequently hired by Microsoft at 19. So, I knew it was possible to become a developer without a 4 year degree which is what drove me to create a curriculum and sign up 15 willing students in September of 2015 to go on a 10-week journey through code with me.
After the 12 weeks were up, I hired 3 students at Platypi and another three were immediately hired by a company nearby. A few months later, almost everyone had jobs writing code. I’d love to say it was a moment of clarity, but it was really just relief. We needed developers badly.
It wasn’t until a year and three cohorts had passed that I realized how incredible what we had done really was. We took people that had no experience coding and in 12 weeks turned them into employed developers making an average salary of over $55,000. Colleges have a hard time doing that in 4 years!
The issue I had with the in-person bootcamp model is that we couldn't get our message out to as many people due to expenses related to having a classroom driving up costs. It feels good to see locals pursue their dreams and succeed, but we want to reach more aspiring developers with our content. We also want the developers that graduate to continue their education because we know that being a developer means you can never stop growing. There's always something new to learn.
On the contrary, the issue with online courses is that they fail to immerse students in learning, and they almost never result in allowing someone to change their career. We refuse to settle for middle ground, so we built our own learning management system and curriculum to close the gap between the online and in-person learning experiences.
After months of testing different ideas in the marketplace, we found the model that allows us to reach just about anyone that is willing to put in the work and immerse themselves in learning. If you’re aspiring to be a developer, you probably need a little help to get you over the hump, and we have incredible content that has proven to work for this purpose.
Our standalone courses allow you to learn on your own time and at your own pace, but you're never by yourself. Everyone that joins Covalence can access our private Discord server where you can collaborate with fellow students, alumni, and our staff. And with community memberships, you can submit lab reviews that a Covalence team member will critique and provide feedback on (good or bad) so you can move forward knowing you're on the right track.
Our Catalyst program is a true game changer. We created an immersive online experience that simulates the best of an in-person class with the flexibility of an online course. With low student-to-instructor ratios (and an always-available curriculum), you can connect with your dedicated instructor for daily live classroom office hours and receive personalized video lab reviews, 1-on-1 mentoring sessions, and a rigorous educational experience that's designed to quickly train software developers for tomorrow's workforce.
One of the most difficult problems with an in-person accelerated class is that once a lecture is given, there is no way to go back and review the material. This has always caused many students to fall behind with no chance of catching up until after the course - until now. Having access to all the content at any time has truly changed the progress our students make during the course. In addition, it ensures that every student receives the absolute best instruction that we have to offer because everyone is consuming the same lectures which are taught by our incredible instructors.
Our goal at Covalence is to create an incredible community of people that can not only learn to become a developer but also continue your developer journey with us at every stage of your career.
Start learning with us today – browse our Course Catalog, or apply to our Catalyst program.
