It's no secret that the tech job market has been disrupted over the last two years. But our alumni continue to find great jobs at companies across the country. What's working, and how do we do more of it?
That's the thinking that led us to redesigning our curriculum. Since 2016 we've offered separate Back End and Front End programs. But what we've seen, both in classes and in the job market, is that those two specializations have moved closer and closer together. That led us to The Ten Year Refresh and a rebuilding of our curriculum.
Cohorts begin every 7 weeks and passing each module will have you graduating about 28 weeks later.
The underlying theory is to build strong fundamentals in programming, then progress to complex and modern web applications, then specialize towards an area of interest.
Each module is pass/fail, and passing all five makes you a Turing graduate.
Learning at Turing isn't like the schools you've gone to before. Your learning starts with Mod 0, our one-week prep class.
Mod 0 is focused on setting you up for success. You participate in live instructor-led classes, get your laptop set up and configured, start writing code, do a bit of collaborating with your peers, and have real assignments to deliver.
Most students are able to fit Mod 0 alongside their "wrap up" of real life before starting the full-time program.
We believe in writing code and delivering projects as soon as possible. In Mod 1, we use the Ruby language to practice the fundamentals of Object-Oriented Programming. It starts with the basics like variables and flow control, but quickly steps up to complex object design, Test-Drivent Development (TDD), and designing user interactions.
As part of the new strategy, Mod 1 students are also exposed to Javascript along the way. We've seen that learning a second language helps students understand their first one better. Our Mod 1 work is rooted in Ruby because we believe it is the best ecosystem for new programmers to get started, but we sprinkle in Javascript to help demonstrate how these ideas show up in other languages.
Web applications have come to dominate the field of software development. So in Mod 2, we begin learning some of the most common patterns that underpin this work. We use Ruby on Rails to understand and practice the Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture because it has strong and clear patterns. A student who understands MVC in Rails is well positioned to apply that knowledge in Python/Django, PHP/Laravel, Javascript/Node, or other frameworks they encounter later in their career.
While our Mod 1 fundamentals were focused on Ruby, Mod 2 really sees the emergence of Javascript. No modern web application or web developer can thrive without it. Ruby and Rails on the back end with Javascript on the front end allows us to build software with the exact same patterns that you need in the job.
The modern web application is complex -- often with a back end code base, a front end code base, and multiple services and workers helping solve pieces of the puzzle. In Mod 3, we build on the understandings of MVC web applications to start distributing responsibilities.
Mod 3 projects are working with data sets and JSON data coming in from external APIs. They're implementing the MVC pattern on the back end while managing more complex relationships among the data and diving deeper in the SQL database. Meanwhile, the front end expectations step up as Javascript allows us to execute code in the browser, improving the user experience.
We're most excited about what this refresh means for Mod 4. Students now choose to "major" in Front End with Javascript/React or Back End with Ruby/Rails. As part of a larger Capstone group, students design and implement a larger application that builds on all their skills from Mods 1-3, but also pushes things further.
In Mod 4, it's common to see students bring in other languages and frameworks. Maybe it's time for a back end in Python/Django or a front end in Javascript/Vue. Maybe a team-member decides to deep-dive into Typescript, Elixir, or PHP. The core value of the Capstone project is building not just "an app", but a complex network of applications that interact to deliver value for the end user -- just like in the job.
Resumes, cover letters, job shadowing, and job coaching show up throughout Mod 1-4. But after graduation, it's time to get a great job.
Alumni participate in our small-group job coaching sessions, where they work with peers and a staff member to build and execute an effective strategy. While the average job hunt is about three months, alumni are invited to participate as long as it takes for them to find something great.
And, alumni who later are looking for their second or third job, come back to sharpen up their skills, network, and find their next great opportunity. The long-run power of Turing is our alumni community, so you're always welcome back.
Still have questions? Come join a live Try Turing session and we'll help you find the answers. We'll teach you how to get started and practice writing code. We'll explain more about Turing's curriculum, discuss employment prospects after the program, and answer your questions!