CIRR & Codesmith: Why It Matters, and How to Interpret Our Outcomes Reports

"You may very well save around 3 years of your life in your career progression by bypassing the junior level job market and entering a mid-senior position straight away."
- Sam G. | Full-Time LA Grad | Software Engineer at Google

UNDERSTANDING CODESMITH & CIRR OUTCOMES DATA FOR 2021

Codesmith aims to create a space where people from all walks of life feel welcome, have equal opportunity, and can freely represent themselves and their backgrounds. We challenge residents to think like engineers rather than technicians, and we strive to help people learn, build and refine the skills necessary to become empathetic, productive software engineers. “The residency teaches you not only the core curriculum but also what it means to be someone of value personally and professionally. You eventually learn to leverage grit, frustration, mentorship, and perseverance as traits that are going to make you invaluable as an engineer,” Annette L., Codesmith Grad and Software Engineer at IBM. Our grads go on to work in roles as Full Stack, Front-End, and Back-End Software Engineers. In the first half of 2021, about 85% found software engineering roles within the first six months of completing the immersive. Across programs, Codesmith grads from LA, NYC and our Part-Time Remote Immersive earned a median starting salary between $124,000 and $125,000 in the first half of 2021. The salaries they earn are an added benefit to the community that they build and become lifetime members of through Codesmith. Our graduates' lives are transformed by their experiences during the immersive program, and our outcomes are just one indicator of their success.

WHAT IS CIRR?

​​Coding schools (some are also known as bootcamps) are an increasingly popular option for people committed to starting a successful career in software engineering. Established in 2016, the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR) is the industry standard for accurate and transparent coding bootcamp outcomes reports. CIRR is a source for prospective bootcamp residents to gain insights into each school’s statistics on salary and job placements. Prospective residents can turn to CIRR for consistent and easy-to-read outcomes reports for all students who’ve graduated from each member school. Preventing CIRR member schools from conveying independently-published numbers that run the risk of being inflated (student numbers, program completion rate, median starting salaries, etc.). Because CIRR enforces a single standard of measurements across all member schools, you can easily compare outcome reports across different programs.

Our outcome reports provide detailed insight into how students are doing after graduation, measuring graduation rates and in-/out-of -field employment rates, as well as starting salaries 3 and 6 months post-graduation. CIRR requires independent verification of results by a CPA firm that is specifically AICPA Peer-Reviewed. While only a small number of US firms have this qualification, our peer review was conducted by Banks, Finley, White and Company in accordance with the AICPA standards. For maximum transparency, the peer review is also visible in Codesmith’s published outcome reports. As a non-profit organization, CIRR strives to offer consistent reporting and works closely with member schools to collect and report data. The most recent reports are from H1 2021, which reflects the first half of 2021 (January through June). Before member schools can submit the data for each report to be audited and shared with CIRR, graduates first need time to search for jobs and secure roles. 

HOW CODESMITH STANDS OUT

The Codesmith Immersive Program challenges residents to think like engineers rather than just technicians, even before they are accepted (you can read more about what admissions looks for here); technical communication and analytical problem solving skills being at the forefront of evaluation, followed by their JavaScript knowledge. Once in the program, residents are introduced to various approaches to develop their skills, from Hack Hours and Tech Talks to several resident-led projects during the program. During the second half of the immersive program, residents research and consult with the engineering team to determine an Open Source product they will either create or contribute to. The Open Source Products showcase residents’ abilities to apply the technologies taught throughout the program, solve problems relevant to the developer community, and demonstrate their ability to think critically about the challenges at hand. By graduation, residents are able to leverage all of these moving pieces in their job search, demonstrating their capabilities to succeed as leaders in the software engineering space. All data Is available on CIRR’s website, and below we’ll take a look at some of the outcomes for Codesmith from 2021. 

In addition to our Full-Time NYC and LA immersives, for the first time this report includes data from our Part-Time Remote Immersive which launched in late 2020. We are excited to offer a closer look at the impressive graduate outcomes from Codesmith during that time. About 85% of Codesmith graduates from the three programs included in the H1 2021 report found software engineering roles within the first six months of completing their programs. Codesmith graduates commonly secure jobs upwards of $115,000 annually. More than 17% of NYC graduates, over 21% of LA grads, and over 23% of Part-Time Remote Immersive grads earned starting salaries upwards of $140,000 in the January through June 2021 reporting period (see Figures 1.1-1.3). Codesmith alumni have been employed at top companies such as Amazon, Google, Netflix, Meta and Capital One, as well as other game changers in the tech space like Hulu, Hyperloop, Riot Games, TikTok and Blizzard Entertainment.

                 Figure 1.1

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CODESMITH HIRING AND CAREER SUPPORT

The Hiring Program and Career Support at Codesmith are critical to the resident experience and set up grads for a lifelong career of challenging and gratifying work. Career Support team members are dedicated to helping each graduate achieve their goals through personalized support and tailored guidance based on industry knowledge. The Hiring Support Program begins during the second half of the immersive and covers all aspects of the Software Engineering job search - from building a stand-out technical resume all the way to salary negotiation! At Codesmith, career support is for life - it is common for grads to consult with the Career Support Team on their second, third and fourth job searches after completing the program. Our grads take advantage of the continually evolving resources that adapt to changes in the Software Engineering industry. 

During Codesmith’s Hiring Program, you can expect: 

• Tailored Resume Guidance and Feedback 
• Residents attend lectures covering resume best practices and are pushed to craft their experiences in a way that is both technically sound and authentic to them. Residents receive three revisions with specific feedback from an engineering fellow to ensure the content and quality of their resume is top notch, before going to a final sign off with an engineer working in the field. After the program, graduates are able to continually book one on one support sessions with a Career Support Engineer to make adjustments to their resume as needed. 
• Building a High Quality Online Presence 
• The Codesmith Career Support Team walks residents through best practices for online job platforms like LinkedIn, AngelList, Hired, Triplebyte, and BuiltIn. Career Support Specialists review each resident’s LinkedIn profile to ensure residents are representing themselves and their experiences in a way that will make them stand out in the job market. Many residents receive numerous inbound leads from potential employers before even leaving the program! 
• Interviewing Skills and Resources 
• Residents attend multiple lectures to review interviewing best practices and to instill a growth mindset around self-improvement in the job search. Each resident is also paired with an alumni working in the field for a mock interview to prepare for the job search prior to leaving the program. 
• Networking Events 
• Residents attend “Networking Days”  - where they are given the opportunity to interview with multiple alumni who are working for companies that are actively hiring. Residents also attend Alumni Panels to learn more about the experiences of multiple different alumni as they navigated the job search after finishing Codesmith. 

Upon graduation, the Career Support services you can expect:

• Community, Alumni, Building Connections 
• Codesmith is proud to foster a supportive and active community both during and after the program. Alumni actively support one another through mock interviews, referrals, and support groups. Many alumni obtain their roles through networking with other graduates. 
• Continual Career Support 
• After the program ends, residents have the incredibly valuable opportunity to schedule one-on-one support sessions with our Career Support Engineers (Codesmith grads who are now working as engineers and involved in hiring at their companies). Grads can schedule sessions to go over resumes, applications, narrative practice, mock technical interviews, etc. Apart from one-on-one support, all grads are able to join Codesmith’s Career Support Workshop series, which includes topics like “how to submit a successful application” and “Job Search Office Hours”. 
• Constant Communication 
• The Career Support team holds regular check-ins with graduates to stay up to date on their progress. Each graduate has a dedicated Slack channel with their Career Support Team where they can ask questions and get quick responses about any aspect of their job search. Career Support team members check in with grads on a regular basis to encourage accountability and self-reflection. 
• Salary Negotiation Training 
• Codesmith holds weekly workshops to support grads who are preparing to negotiate their salaries. The workshops - led by an expert in the field - cover topics such as how to approach conversations around negotiations, and understanding all aspects of engineering compensation, such as stock options and sign-on bonuses.

As the Software Engineering space evolves, so does Codesmith’s Hiring Program and Career Support. Our team is dedicated to continually improving our support and adapting to changes in the industry. Codesmith’s Career Support Team deeply values personalized support and aims to provide each resident and grad with the resources they need to achieve their personal career goals. 

ADDITIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES

If you want to get started with JavaScript and build your coding skills alongside other members of the Codesmith community, feel free to check out our free weekly workshops, which cover a wide range of JavaScript concepts. You can also use CSX, Codesmith’s free online JavaScript learning platform, to work through 11 multi-faceted units taking you under-the-hood of JavaScript concepts, from the fundamentals of the language to advanced topics such as recursion and asynchronous JavaScript. If you’re looking for a more structured learning experience in preparation for the Immersive, check out this blog post, which highlights a Codesmith grad’s take on CS Prep, our two-week prep program designed to prepare you for the technical interview.

Not sure where to start? Feel free to take a look through our JavaScript Learning Resources, specially curated by skill level. We look forward to welcoming you to the community!