A partnership between AIM Code School and the Urban League of Nebraska is developing the next generation of tech talent workers.
The Careers in Tech Program began in 2019, and combines AIM Code School’s accredited Foundations of Web Development curriculum with the Urban League’s professional bootcamp. So far, 14 students have graduated from the program, said AIM Code School director Emily Matis.
“Our hope for the class initially was to create an environment where we could give the education and training (students) need without their having to go to college,” Matis said, noting the class is designed for those who don’t have much post-secondary education experience.
While the ideal outcome is for students to gain employment in an entry-level tech position, the bigger outcome Matis looks for is students entering the job market with a new set of skills and the confidence to use those skills in the tech world.
And that’s where the Urban League of Nebraska’s portion of the program really shines.
“They help students create a forward-facing, professional version of themselves,” Matis said.
The career bootcamp focuses on crucial skills for success that aren’t traditionally taught in secondary or post-secondary curriculums, said Rozalyn Bredow, director of employment and career services at the Urban League of Nebraska.
In addition to focusing on skills necessary to have a successful, sustainable work experience, the students also learn basic financial literacy, resume writing and optimization, and interview etiquette.
Bredow said programs like these are crucial to ensuring our workforce is capable and well-prepared to meet the needs of all industries, both today and in the future.
“High-wage technology careers can be found in all sectors and industries of employment,” Bredow said. “It is imperative that training providers provide recruitment efforts to make sure that high-wage, high-demand, and high-skill positions are filled with a trained workforce who will be ready for the future of the new technologies on the horizon.”
Jelisa Sails was in the spring 2020 cohort, which moved online due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
While Sails had previously explored free online training options, she said the instructors really took the learning to another level.
Sails said her favorite part of the curriculum was looking at other websites and seeing if she could recreate them on their own. The professional development side of things helped, too.
“We learned what type of person we are, what we are bringing to the table,” she said. “And also the things you want from a job. Now I have more connections. (This experience) opened up a lot of doors as well with the Urban League.”
The work was very doable, said Sails, a mother of seven. Especially since things were locked down due to COVID-19, it was the perfect time to work on her skills.
Sails continues to explore career opportunities in technology—she’s currently studying computer science at Metropolitan Community College. She’s also an entrepreneur, and has started two businesses: a fragrance wax melt company, and a laser cutting and engraving business.
“I definitely feel like anyone can learn how to do it,” Sails said of coding. She’s even getting her children involved. “I got them a kid’s book based on the theories I’ve learned, and I’ve been able to help them with it.”
And, she said, the Urban League of Nebraska and AIM Code School have done a good job at keeping her connected and helping her grow her professional network.
It’s been a good partnership, said Matis, the AIM Code School director. Classes quickly moved online and Urban League staff invested significant personal care into the program.
“Our partnership has helped us see where our gaps exist and why we need to maintain partnerships,” Matis said. “We want to get people employed, and we do technical training really well, so having a partner in the Urban League of Nebraska helps students in an additional way.”
Bredow agreed the partnership has been seamless. “Both agencies worked hard to not only put together a meaningful career development opportunity, but also to help provide a funding stream and equipment that met the needs of the students,” she said.
Currently, AIM Code School is retooling the class, and may add a week of basic computer literacy education to the program. Both groups agree they can’t wait for the next cohort to be scheduled.
To learn more, visit aimcodeschool.org or contact a Tech Navigator today.
It might sound counterintuitive for an organization that operates a code school — for the express purpose of teaching people how to code — would celebrate something that takes the coder out of the equation. But it’s not. “No code” apps often spark an interest in the real thing and inspire people to learn how to code — the traditional way, the one that opens up a new world of personal and professional opportunities.
AIM Code School Director Emily Matis voiced her support for no code development as a tool that can demonstrate how creating something new with technology might not be as hard as people think.
“We see people who dabble in building websites through these platforms and then want to take it to the next level and actually have control over their site,” Matis said.
As a nonprofit focused on building the tech talent community and removing barriers to tech education, we’d say that’s a win.
Vanessa Kasun is debugging some code. The gregarious AIM Code School instructor is finalizing her presentation for the upcoming Heartland Developers Conference on Sept. 24. The topic? How to build a React app from the ground up.
Kasun will take HDC attendees from installation of the Node.js open-source cross-platform Javascript runtime environment to launching a simple yet functional app where users can interact and “do a couple cool things.”
She says it casually, nonchalantly. As if it’s something everyone can do.
Except that it’s not. Kasun’s breakout session at HDC is the culmination of years of hard work, discipline, struggle, discovery and joy in the face of a world that once tried to convince her that, as a woman with Latinx and Slavic roots, she’d never hack it as a developer.
“People of ethnicity have always been told, ‘You need to prove yourself more, you need to work harder.’” Kasun said. “And so having that double judgment put on me—where you’re a woman and you’re of ethnicity—was difficult.”
Initially, Kasun wanted to launch a professional school teaching makeup artists how to do sci-fi makeup for productions. While dreaming up her future company, she realized she’d need a website to market herself. But that’s expensive.
“I thought, ‘I’ll just go in and learn tech first, and that way I’ll have that skill set under my belt,’” she said. “I ended up loving it so much, I completely switched my path and direction in life.”
She enrolled in Metropolitan Community College’s computer science program.
It wasn’t easy. Although she loved her coursework, life circumstances complicated things, she said. As a single mother, Kasun had to make do with outdated computers and survive on grants, scholarships and state assistance.
“I was full-time in college, and I didn’t work because I had to be a mom,” Kasun said. “It was literally paycheck-to-paycheck.”
But, she said, learning how to program and code sustained her mentally and emotionally.
“The more confidence I kept gaining, the more I kept going. I knew the end result was going to be a completely different world,” she said.
Despite having trouble securing immediate employment after graduation, Kasun said she didn’t lose hope. Finding a job was a struggle everybody had, she reminded herself.
Instead of giving up, she kept her eye on the prize and “just kept trucking,” taking on some freelance work that included building a website for the North 24th Street Business Improvement District. Employers took notice.
In January 2020, Kasun accepted a position as AIM Code School instructor. She quickly wrote a Foundations of Web Development course curriculum geared toward high school learners as part of AIM’s pilot program with Omaha South, a position that allowed her to be a role model for the female students in the class.
She knew what it was like to be one of few women in a computer science class—sometimes the only one. And that could be awkward.
“It was a little discouraging at first,” she said. “But I honestly just tried to stay true to myself and open to other people.”
Even though Kasun was validated by her male peers, she said she advises young women who aspire to tech careers to pursue that dream no matter what pushback they get.
“There’s nothing deep to it. Just do it,” she said. “Regardless of what you feel, regardless of what you experience, if (becoming a software developer) is what you want to do, just go for it and you will not be mad that you did it.”
And as for young women who mistakenly think a tech career would be too hard for them, Kasun had this advice: “Don’t doubt yourself. Just take the time to learn. You’re capable of learning to code, just like anything else.”
Kasun herself exemplifies what a young woman can accomplish once she makes up her mind to pursue tech. The same advice applies to anyone, of any identity. And while she could talk at length about the ways coding has helped her understand her mind better and even process trauma more effectively, Kasun said she needed to get back to coding.
It’s that eyes-on-the-prize lifestyle calling to her, like it always has.
Interested in attending Kasun’s breakout session? Register here for a free general admission ticket to HDC! Just use the promo code SUPPORTER at checkout. And if you want to start your own tech journey, sign up for an AIM Code School virtual info session or visit our courses page to learn more and enroll.
Congratulations to our recent AIM Code School graduates!
On Wednesday, a group of code school instructors, students and friends and family members gathered together for a virtual graduation ceremony.
The event highlighted 35 graduates who had successfully completed AIM Code School’s accredited courses, the third module of the Callers to Coders program with Physicians Mutual, and students who participated in the code school’s partnership with Ralston High School.
The students took courses such as the Foundations of Web Development, .NET Development and Java Development.
This recent group of graduates had to successfully navigate a switch to online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and they did so with grace, said director Emily Matis.
“Despite the changes due to social distancing, our AIM Code School students continue to work hard to grow their knowledge of technology and coding,” Matis said. “Our expert instructors are confident in the recent graduates’ ability to work in the tech field.”
When addressing his recent cohort of Data Foundations and Business Intelligence students, AIM Code School instructor Jeremy Bergmann said he was impressed with the energy and excitement with which the class dove into the material.
“It was a really enjoyable experience—we covered databases from top to bottom,” Bergmann said. “Hopefully it was more than a learning experience—you now have the skills to go out and conquer the world!”
“I had an amazing experience with AIM Code School, especially with (instructor) Vanessa (Kasun),” said graduate Christopher Sarmiento. “Thank you for helping me develop my skills; I appreciate it.”
And the learning isn’t over for the students. Pedro Muro-Ramirez, who completed the Foundations of Web Development course, is looking forward to taking the Java Development class, he told the group.
If you’re interested in learning more about AIM Code School, contact a tech navigator today. Scholarships are available.
• Jacob Imig
• Julie Parker
• Tamra Honan
• Justin Lamoureux
• Tracy Bechtold
• Paul Krapf
• Timothy Hamilton
• Troy Alcala
• Richard Powers
• Pedro Muro-Ramirez
• Nate Decker
• Austin Roy
• Nancy Goodell
• Jessica Teaford
• Pablo Moreno
• Jonathan Renteria
• Carlos Altamirano-Quebrado
• Jose Chaviano-Torres
• Luis Dondiego-Torres
• Evelyn Espinoza-Macias
• Tyler Kerres
• Manuel Macias-Martin
• Lucely Salgado
• Julia Turner
• Erbey Uribe-Che
• Keven Valladares-Auquilla
• Jesse Butterfield
• Chris Smith
• Suraj Poudel
• Juan Salazar
• Samantha Tellez-Avilia
• Cody Simpson
• Christopher Sarmiento
• Jelisa Sails
• Erica Julsen
You can now support AIM through TAGG, a mobile app that donates a portion of your everyday purchases to local nonprofits! You don’t have to spend anything extra, just keep buying what you normally buy. It’s easy as taking a picture of your receipt. Simply download TAGG from the App Store or Google Play today, select the AIM Institute as an organization you support, and help us keep building the tech community.
See instructions below or visit Together a Greater Good for more info.
