Tumblr is thrilled to announce our partnership with NYC tech start-up companies Foursquare, Kickstarter, Trello, StackOverflow and Crest CC! In an effort to bridge the gap of NYC's technical ecosystem's supply and demand, we have partnered together to create a free new summer program called Beyond Coding.

Our mission is to equip prospective software developers in NYC the skills they need in order to land their first professional coding job.

The 10-week free summer program will provide an array of resources and tools such as building out your resume and programming portfolio, explaining technical projects, learning how to pass a technical interview successfully and effective professional networking.

Tumblr will be hosting at its NYC headquarters a classroom training on "The Secret Guide to Tech Interviewing from a Tech Recruiter's Perspective" on June 16, 2015 and June 18, 2015.

Let’s face it, mastering the art of a technical interview is not an easy feat but the Technical Recruiters at Tumblr are here to help guide you to success! In this course, you will learn from a recruiter’s first hand perspective on what they’ve seen successful candidates do in order to land their dream job. The recruiters will go over what you should or should not do from the moment you apply to signing your offer letter on the dotted line.

If you live in NYC and are eager to jumpstart your career in technology and software development, we urge you to apply for our free summer program at beyondcoding.io

Since announcing Trello’s participation in the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline’s new initiative back in February, I’ve had the honor to work alongside some wonderfully talented folk from Stack Exchange, Tumblr, Kickstarter, Foursquare, and Crest. Together, we defined the program’s curriculum, certification, application process, and answered tough questions like, “what is the name of this program?” Answer:Beyond Coding.

Starting May 5, online registration will open for Beyond Coding, a free new summer program that sets out to equip emerging computer programmers in New York City with professional skills needed to help them succeed in their first job working with code. The program, slated to launch June 11, is a direct response to Mayor Bill de Blasio’s call to action in support of the City’s Tech Talent Pipeline efforts to grow NYC’s tech ecosystem and prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs.

The Beyond Coding program will be open to anybody in the New York City area who has experience and knowledge of programming, is currently looking for a job as a software developer or a related role, and who does not have access to tools, resources, or a professional network to lean upon for support. At the conclusion of this 10-week program, eligible students will receive a formal certification of their course completion as well as introductions to top tech companies in New York City who are actively hiring junior-level developers.

Beyond Coding’s goal is not to teach hard coding skills, but to ensure that anyone in this city with a passion for technology has access to the mentoring, training, and support they need to succeed as a developer. The curriculum is designed to accelerate the learning curve among new programmers by addressing skills gaps that employers often see when hiring junior level technical talent. Topics include professional networking, communicating technical topics to a variety of audiences, the best way to prepare for a technical interview, and techniques on how to continue learning programming skills beyond the classroom.

The course I’ll be teaching, after living through many iterations, isn’t even one of my original ideas. After weeks of collaboration it was decided that I’ll teach a course on how students can pitch themselves to perspective employers. Here’s my course description as it stands today:

30 Second Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a profession, product, service, organization, or event and its value proposition. But, it is also a short summary used to quickly and simply define you. How do you explain your own value to prospective employers in 30 seconds? In this course we’ll:

Practice writing, saying, and adapting your personal pitch.

Define what makes a pitch affective and what makes one fail terribly.

Define when you are “interviewing” (Hint: always).

Learn how to recognize the cues to know it’s time to launch into your pitch.

Any students interested in participating in the Beyond Coding program this summer can register at beyondcoding.io. Employers interested in attending the hiring fair with certified students may email [email protected] for more information.

Today, we’re excited to announce that online registration is now open for Beyond Coding, a free new summer program designed to equip emerging computer programmers in New York City with professional skills needed to help them succeed in their first job working with code. The program, slated to launch June 11, is part of our collaboration with New York City’s Tech Talent Pipeline initiative to support the growth of the city’s tech ecosystem. And we’re thrilled to be taking part, along with some other top-notch New York startups: Crest CC, Foursquare, Kickstarter, Tumblr, and Trello.

This Tech Talent Pipeline initiative, which launched in May 2014, has three objectives: Work with New York companies to help close the skills gap between open jobs and candidates to fill them, provide training and educational opportunities to New York residents, and ultimately, to build a talented and diverse workforce in the tech sector.

Since the program kicked off, we realized that while we are hiring, we’re not doing it fast enough to make a real difference for New Yorkers who want to learn to code. On the other hand, one thing that we do have (thanks to Stack Overflow) is access to a wide range of resources and knowledge that we can offer to the greater community. And several other New York startups fell into the same bucket. So we decided to team up — you know, like a less super-heroic League of Justice — and build out a formal educational curriculum for the New York tech community.

With nearly five open jobs for every available software developer, the need for qualified technical talent is higher than ever. In New York City alone, there are 13,000 firms hiring for highly sought-after skills, such as web development, mobile development, and user-interface design. To meet this demand, it’s critical to get more talented people coding, and do it fast.

Beyond Coding’s goal is not to teach hard coding skills; it’s to ensure that anyone in this city with a passion for technology can get the mentoring, training, and support they need to succeed as a developer. The curriculum is designed to accelerate the learning curve for new programmers by attacking skills gaps that often prevent talented young developers from actually landing jobs. We’ll cover professional networking, technical communication skills, the best way to prepare for a technical interview, and what happens next: how to continue learning programming skills beyond the classroom.

The Beyond Coding program is open to anybody in the New York City area with an understanding of coding and is currently looking for a job as a software developer or a related role, but lacks access to tools, resources, or a professional network they need to succeed. Once the 10-week program concludes, students will receive a formal certification and be introduced to top tech companies in New York City who are hiring junior-level developers.

This is just one of the ways that we’re working to promote inclusion both here, and in the tech community as a whole. But we’re still figuring out how we can make a positive difference, so we welcome any feedback or ideas you may have. And if you live in New York City, are learning to code and can use a little help kickstarting your new career, you can apply at beyondcoding.io.

Beyond Coding, A Summer Curriculum for Emerging Software Developers in New York City, Launches on June 11

Starting May 5, online registration will open for Beyond Coding, a free new summer program that sets out to equip emerging computer programmers in New York City with professional skills needed to help them succeed in their first job working with code. The program, slated to launch June 11, is a direct response to Mayor Bill de Blasio's call to action in support of the City's Tech Talent Pipeline efforts to grow NYC’s tech ecosystem and prepare New Yorkers for 21st century jobs. Beyond Coding is launching as a joint partnership among six companies in New York City’s startup ecosystem: Crest CC, Foursquare, Kickstarter, Tumblr, Trello, and Stack Overflow.

With nearly five open jobs for every available software developer, the need for qualified technical talent is higher than ever. In New York City alone, there are currently 13,000 firms hiring for highly sought-after skills, such as web development, mobile development, and user-interface design. To meet this demand, it’s critical to rapidly onboard more software developers to the workforce.

Beyond Coding’s goal is not to teach hard coding skills, but to ensure that anyone in this city with a passion for technology has access to the mentoring, training, and support they need to succeed as a developer. The curriculum is designed to accelerate the learning curve among new programmers by addressing skills gaps that employers often see when hiring junior level technical talent. Topics include professional networking, communicating technical topics to a variety of audiences, the best way to prepare for a technical interview, and techniques on how to continue learning programming skills beyond the classroom.

The Beyond Coding program will be open to anybody in the New York City area who has experience and knowledge of programming, is currently looking for a job as a software developer or a related role, and who does not have access to tools, resources, or a professional network to lean upon for support. At the conclusion of this 10-week program, eligible students will receive a formal certification of their course completion as well as introductions to top tech companies in New York City who are actively hiring junior-level developers.

“If you, like me, had that life-changing experience some time in your childhood where you entered some instructions into a screen and the machine executed them, well then you know the power of coding to make you think differently, make you think more, and endow you with superpowers that others just don't have,” says Fred Wilson, Managing Partner of Union Square Ventures and member of the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline Advisory Board.

Any students interested in participating in the Beyond Coding program this summer can register at beyondcoding.io. Employers interested in attending the hiring fair with certified students may email [email protected] for more information.

About:

NYC Tech Talent Pipeline

Launched in May 2014 by Mayor Bill de Blasio, the NYC Tech Talent Pipeline is a $10 million industry partnership designed to deliver quality jobs for New Yorkers and quality talent for the City’s businesses. The NYC Tech Talent Pipeline works with public and private partners to define employer needs, develop training and education solutions, and prepare homegrown talent for 21st century jobs across the five boroughs.

http://www.techtalentpipeline.nyc/

Crest CC

CREST is a human capital consulting firm that delivers strategic and business workforce planning solutions to global and emerging markets. Consulting solutions include delivering and executing strategy behind hiring, retaining, or replacing specific staff, which reflects the broader base of your business products in order to increase sustainability and profitability in your current market space. We identify shortage of qualified talent to fill critical roles, identify skills gaps in the workforce and act as a mechanism for identifying critical roles. We provide recruitment services to improve gender diversity and underrepresented minorities in Tech, Engineering, and Financial Services to name a few. In today’s market, qualified women and minorities are severely under leveraged -- yet they are the highest consumers of purchased goods which lends them to hold more a wider viewpoint of the future in specific markets. 

Foursquare

Foursquare makes apps that help people keep up and meet up with friends, and discover great places. Swarm is for people who want the fastest and easiest way to connect with their friends. The Foursquare app is for explorers who want to know about the best spots, and to share what they’ve found with others. Whether you're setting off on a trip around the world, coordinating a night out with friends, or trying to pick out the best dish at your local restaurant, Foursquare is the perfect companion. 

Kickstarter

Kickstarter is the world’s largest funding community for creative projects — everything from films, games, restaurants, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others. Since its launch in 2009, 8.4 million people have pledged $1.6 billion, funding more than 83,000 creative projects. Kickstarter is an independent company of 112 people located in Brooklyn. 

Tumblr

Tumblr is a media network powered by an army of independent creators and home to an audience of more than 400 million unique visitors. Founded by David Karp in 2007, Tumblr is headquartered in New York City. The company was acquired by Yahoo in 2013.

Trello

Trusted by millions, Trello is a visual collaboration tool that creates a shared perspective on any project. It helps you organize your life and work in a flexible, fun and rewarding way. With its origins at Fog Creek Software, Trello is headquartered in NYC.

Stack Overflow

Stack Overflow is the most popular website for programmers worldwide to find, ask, and answer their technical questions and reaches more than 26 million developers each month. Founded in 2008 by Joel Spolsky and Jeff Atwood, the company was built on the premise that serving and enriching the developer community at large would lead to a better, smarter Internet. Stack Overflow Careers, which launched in 2011 is the leading professional resource for programmers to find jobs and explore career opportunities.

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