At Codesmith, our mission has always been to make quality education and life-changing career opportunities more accessible to broader audiences. Our students located outside of NY and LA have had the opportunity to use our online prep programs and join our weekly online workshops. But, as they are continuing their journeys, the demand for an online version of our top-rated Software Engineering Immersive program was growing rapidly.
Our students asked, and we listened! We are so thrilled to finally launch the new Part-time, Remote Software Engineering Immersive BETA Program at Codesmith. With the same curriculum, projects, and career support as the full-time, onsite Software Engineering Immersive program, our new program has been restructured and perfected to fit a part-time and remote schedule. Additionally, to ensure that the online environment is as engaging and supportive as in-person, we'll be incorporating many fun new ways for students to get to know each other even when they live all around the world.
The most apparent difference from the full-time onsite program is the length. The remote version is going to be 38-weeks long, so we are looking for driven and committed candidates who will be ready to learn and work hard for over six months.
To give our students more insights about the program, we decided to chat directly with the lead instructor.
MEET SHANE TAYLOR!
Shane has been in the tech industry for years and has extensive online teaching experience. After finishing our residency program at Codesmith LA, he worked as a front-end engineer. He later joined the Codesmith team as an Online Instructor for our part-time, remote prep course, CS Prep. Now Shane will be sharing his expert knowledge with our students as a Lead Online Instructor for the Part-time, Remote Immersive program.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your journey at Codesmith.
I consider myself to be from Los Angeles, been here for five years. Technology was always my preferred medium for empowering people, so I threw myself into learning the modern stack and trying to shape the culture of software engineers by being an example. Eventually, I heard about Codesmith and fell in love with the community and the collective drive for excellence. I am humbled to be a part of the team and passionate about bringing my absolute best to the organization.
In your opinion, why was there a need for the remote version of the Immersive program?
Changing lives through education is our passion, goal, and mission and a remote program is a natural extension. We can impact more people, specifically those that cannot take the time to be without income for three months and/or cannot move to LA or NY. This is a massive step forward for Codesmith on our journey.
Do you have a background in online teaching?
You bet I do! After finishing my time as a resident at Codesmith LA, I became an instructor for the online program, CS Prep, and have loved every minute of it. The students are engaging, driven, and inspiring. The medium is different from in-person lectures, but the same spark still shines in the eyes of someone who has a concept 'click' for them the first time. It's inspiring.
In your opinion, what are some techniques that help instructors engage an online class?
Engagement and connection during online lectures are the most important things to get right and I couldn't be more excited about the Codesmith approach to these aspects of the Part-Time Remote Immersive. First, keeping lectures concise and focused on sharing the mental model of the complex topics is key. Next, you've got to ask direct questions to students (keeps everyone on their toes). Finally, bringing passion and energy to the material covered in lectures.
What excites you the most about teaching the program?
Each of us is on our own journey through life and it's truly special when we can work with others who share common goals and push one another to grow. From an early age, I valued the experience of collaboration, honest communication, and electrifying results that I found making music with my friends. And in college, my collaborative environment was local municipalities, and the goal was funding for affordable housing. No matter the circumstances, my priorities remain the same: connect with others through honest and vulnerable communication and push everyone to do their best. The Codesmith Part-Time Remote Immersive program allows me to do that in the place where it all started for me: the internet.
What is your favorite unit to teach? What is your favorite thing about teaching?
This varies, of course! In this particular moment, on this particular day, I'd have to say that my favorite unit to teach is OOP/Data Structures. The unit covers a few of the fundamentals in JavaScript that are used in every library and framework. It's in this unit that I see my favorite thing about teaching: the sparkle in a person's eyes when a new concept 'clicks' for them.
What cultural things are you going to do to keep the class engaged?
Saturday Snacks and Shoutouts will be a huge part of creating community in the program. Additionally, we'll have time for residents to connect about anything other than code during our monthly 'circles' time. Circles were one of my favorite parts about going through the Codesmith program - I got to hear directly from my peers some of their most personal stories. We'll also have time to relax and play games together. Bonds are formed in Codesmith that last a lifetime and we'll be keeping that up in the Remote program.