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Coding / Education / Resources / Roundups / Workplace culture

Learning to code? These Baltimore orgs offer a place to start (and build) experience

From career-launching bootcamps to intros for students, here's a look at more than a dozen local resources.

The scene at Code in the Schools Game Jam 6.0. (Photo by Stephen Babcock)

This editorial article is a part of Technical.ly's Tech Stacks Month of our editorial calendar.

From the intro that provides a mindset change for a newbie to the mid-career developer looking to level up, gaining and building coding skills isn’t confined to a single career path or age group.

With this new approach and growing tech community in Baltimore, a host of education-minded organizations and institutions are offering programming that engages folks at all levels.

We’ve observed plenty of programs over the years to meet the needs of those looking to learn to code, whether they’re providing a first introduction for students or a career-changing experience. Here’s a look at a few:

Johns Hopkins Coding Bootcamp

The 24-week course is designed to equip participants with the skills required to be a full-stack web developer, and runs on evenings and weekends. It provides instruction on basics of coding, algorithms and data structure, as well as specific languages and frameworks. It also provides access to career services, as well. Classes start Sept. 24 for the next cohort. The cost is $10,995.

Betamore

Education has long been one of the main components for Betamore. The Port Covington-based tech hub’s offerings range from workshops to multi-week, long-form courses in areas including frontend web development, full-stack web development, data science and digital marketing and analytics. Additional tracks are being planned for the fall in entrepreneurship, including virtual cohorts and online learning, said Director of Operations Kim Andrulonis. Cost ranges from about $50 for a three-hour workshop to $3,000 for a 12-week long-form course.

UMBC Training Center

Located in Columbia, UMBC provides a range of technical training, from career paths to specific certifications. It also provides training programs that are customized for organizations looking to up workforce skills.

Catalyte

The Otterbein-based workforce data science company has a number of components, including a big effort to remove bias from the hiring process and software engineering work with big clients. But one key to its work is a coding bootcamp that trains folks with aptitude for software engineering in the tech and team aspects of a career. And it’s followed up by apprenticeship, CEO Jacob Hsu said during Baltimore Innovation Week 2018.

YearUp

Launched in 2010 at Baltimore City Community College, YearUp offers a year-old intensive program for residents age 18 to 24 with a high school diploma or GED. Information technology is one of the two tracks offered. The first six months of the program are classroom-focused, followed by six months of an internship at a company in Baltimore.

Byte Back

The tech inclusion nonprofit was founded in D.C., and launched in Baltimore in 2019 after winning a grant from TD Bank. Byte Back offers education in computer training, IT certification and career preparation that helps residents connect to opportunity in the digital economy. The first classes are being held through a partnership with YearUp.

NPower Baltimore

Launched in Baltimore in 2016, NPower launched in Baltimore in 2016 to provide tech training to young adults, and is now based in East and West Baltimore. Offering tracks in IT and cybersecurity, the program offers a mix of classroom-based coursework and internships.

Digit All City

Lance Lucas has long been training and certifying tech workers in Baltimore. With the Cyber Warrior Diversity Program, Lucas, state legislators and education leaders brought a program to train cybersecurity workers to historically Black colleges and universities. Via state support, it’s expanded beyond the city since launching in 2017.

Code in the Schools

The Station North-based nonprofit seeks to provide access to computer science education in Baltimore city, through work in public schools, after-school programs like the Prodigy program and partnerships like its work with Baltimore city government. Summers bring a 5-week coding bootcamp where youth get paid for their educational endeavors called CodeWorks. For chances to get involved in a single day throughout the year, youth can check out CITS-run events like the Girls in CS Summit and Game Jam.

Digital Harbor Foundation

The nonprofit’s Federal Hill-based tech center is a home for maker education, and we’ve seen plenty of youth show off their coding skills alongside 3D printing, entrepreneurship and more over the years at regular showcase events. It’s also the home of Harbor Hacks, the city’s youth-run hackathon.

Girls Who Code

Held in the Neighborhood Cyber Center next to Upton’s Union Baptist Church, the local chapter of this national org is called Girls Who Code at Beloved Community Services Corporation. In the spring 2019, a group of female Baltimore devs facilitated the 12-week program for sixth through 12th graders, and provided plenty of chances to meet folks working in tech.

Unallocated Space

The hackerspace in Severn puts a priority on learning in its community, and we’ve seen plenty of coding and dev-oriented classes among the listings over the years.

Technical meetups

To gather with other developers and keep skills fresh, there are a host of meetup groups in Baltimore that offer continuous learning and community for those looking to learn to code, and they’re organized around specific communities and programming languages. Or, for an IRL option, head over to R. House on Aug. 8 to meet the organizers at Technical.ly’s Super Meetup.

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Know of other Baltimore-based resources? Let us know at baltimore@technical.ly and we’ll update this list.

Series: Tech Stacks Month 2019
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