The entrepreneurs behind Ladies Learning Code and HackerYou. From left to right: Laura Plant, Breanna Hughes, Melissa Crnić and Heather Payne. Image by Jon Lim
Heather Payne really wants you to learn programming. She and her team behind Ladies Learning Code have launched HackerYou, a new cutting-edge programming course designed to equip people and entrepreneurs with the skills they need to move forward in the digital age through a concentrated three-month course. The first installation will be taught by Toronto developer Wes Bos. Bos is the go-to guy for Ladies Learning Code (LLC) WordPress workshops, but this time he’ll help students hone their own developing chops and build websites from scratch.
The idea for the three-month, twice-weekly course was inspired by repeated feedback from LLC attendees who wanted to learn more than what could be offered in a one-day workshop. “They weren’t necessarily going to sign up for a college course or learn some sort of multi-week online tutorial course,” Payne says. “They really liked the way LLC is run and they were interested in doing something similar.”
The LLC workshops have become increasingly popular since its launch in late 2011, with workshops typically selling out in a day. Introductory workshops on CSS and HTML are now also offered in Vancouver. Its success stems from its hands-on, project-based approach to learning. The LLC student to teacher ratio is an unparalleled 4:1. The team found a way to translate this over to HackerYou and launch it as a separate for-profit business. The aim is for a teacher student ratio of 1:10. Each class will feature Bos and several mentors to assist students.
“Mentors make it so you can move a lot faster and have someone to ask questions to if you’re falling behind,” Payne says. On the contrary, mentors can also help you move ahead if you wish to build at a more advanced level.
Students leave the course with a portfolio of work, not a certification. This is an intentional decision made by the HackerYou team. Payne says if you are being forced to find a certification by your employer or if certification is extremely important to you, then HackerYou isn’t your best fit.
“HackerYou is about spreading digital literacy. It’s not just for people who want to become developers, it’s for people who want to understand more and want to be able to build things. We do want to tackle the talent gap at some point and be able to create technical talent that could be hired for entry level and technical role,” Payne says.
Of course, there’s another side of this for Payne and her career as an entrepreneur. “LLC was never going to be a full-time job. I work full-time hours on it, but it isn’t the type of project that could support people full-time. I love what I’m doing so I wanted to find a way to focus all of my time on this type of thing,” she says.
She began planning and meeting with advisors a few months back to develop what would become HackerYou. Her passion for this stems from her desire to be a role model for women and promote the possibilities of entrepreneurship.
“LLC is showing so many women that you don’t need to be scared of this stuff, that its okay to dive right in and we’re going to give you a comfortable learning environment to do that. My motivation stemmed from wanting to show young women that entrepreneurship is somewhere we definitely belong. There are many female entrepreneurs, bur fewer involved in tech. I’m really proud to show people that entrepreneurship is a really great opportunity if you’re a 25-year-old woman like I am.”
The course is not gender specific. Its suited for pure beginners as well as those who have taken LLC workshops in the past and/or know basic CSS and HTML. More advanced courses may be added in the future.
“We’re trying to start something that will have an impact on the world. My hope is that HackerYou will be in many cities and that it would be a legitimate place that turns out technical talent as well as people who are in non-technical careers but are equipped with the advanced skills they need to move forward in the digital age,” Payne says.
The Intro to Web Development course begins September 17 and runs twice a week though December 6. Early bird registration is open as of today. The course costs $2,800 before June 30, and $3,200 after. If you’re unable to make the full payment upfront, payment plans can be discussed when you apply. The course will be held at the Centre for Social Innovation located at 215 Spadina, above Dark Horse. The class caps at 30 students.
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Sheena Lyonnais writes about tech for Toronto Standard. You can follow her on Twitter at @SheenaLyonnais.
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