SoftStack Factory 2 Day Qualifier Camp

SoftStack Factory is looking for motivated individuals primarily millennials (18-27 years of age) that want to change their future and go into a field of work rich in opportunity. To find out if you would be a perfect fit for our program, we are having a 2 Day Qualifier Camp, sponsored by the great folks at Co-Merge in downtown San Diego.

This qualifier event is on the weekend of 1/16-1/17 2016 from 9am to 5pm, where applicants will get the chance to demonstrate to us their propensity to learn the materials and also learn about SoftStack Factory.

All participants will spend the 2 days learning JavaScript concepts, so after spending the weekend with the SoftStack Factory team participants will have gained an introduction to programming  concepts and the JavaScript language. All the applicants will also get a chance to talk a little about themselves, tell us what motivates them and their plans to the future.

If you are motivated and want to learn how to code then apply to participate in our 2 day qualifier. Please fill out our form on our website and to apply!  If this is not for you but you know a person that fits our profile nominate a candidate and fill out the form, but let them know you did!

                      www.softstackfactory.com/apply-or-nominate-a-student-today/

Technology and how you could be part of that world

The year is coming to a close and as we know many people make their resolutions list, the time to make changes in our everyday life, like change to a new job, or starting a career. Maybe you’re thinking about technology and how you could be part of that world.

As 2016 arrives we see ourselves depending everyday more and more on technology, our bank, our phone, it’s how we get our daily information and even our car is relying on computer software technology as we drive to and from. Technology needs are ever increasing and so is the requirement for qualified people to work in this area, but unfortunately, at the same time many American businesses complain they can’t find enough “skilled workers” to fill these positions.  

Last March the White House looking to fix this problem launched the Tech Hire initiative, which aims to empower Americans with the skills they need to acquire these Technology jobs. “When these tech jobs go unfilled, it’s a missed opportunity for low-wage workers who could transform their earnings potential with just a little bit of training,” Obama said in March. “And that costs our whole economy in terms of lost wages and productivity.” This initiative will combine forces from colleges, high quality online courses and also non-traditional education like coding bootcamps.

According to the White House, more than 6 million Americans from 16 to 24 years old are out of work and not in school while at the same time, our modern industries need workers with technical skills in areas such as software development, network administration and more. Initiatives like Tech Hire are designed to provide these young workers the opportunity to fill the technology skills gap that has been discussed for a while. For young workers the timing to get into technology today couldn’t be better.

A new report made by CareerCast shows 10 jobs that they expect will be especially difficult to fill next year, among those jobs we find tech jobs like Software Engineer and Data Scientist (you can check the whole list here:http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mkl45ekfji/data-scientist/).  It is no surprise to us that Software Engineers are on the list, since the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a faster than average job outlook through 2022.  222,600 Software engineers will be needed to fill those job opportunities. The Conference Board also made predictions about tech jobs, the non-profit research group organization estimates there will be three jobs available for every new computer science college graduate in 2016.

Opportunities in technology continue to grow year over year and 2016 will continue the pattern. If you want to invest in a career in technology don’t waste any time, a college degree, an online course or a coding bootcamp are all good options, you just have to start!

A little bit on Agile Software Development Methodology!

A couple of weeks ago we received a visit from Erik Birkfeld, one of our guest speakers. He came to SSF to talk about Agile Software Development Methodology, our students were very excited to learn a bit more about this very cool methodology.

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And for those who have no clue of what we are talking about, here is a little bit on Agile Software Development Methodology!

In 2001 a small group of software developers got together to discuss the traditional way to approach the making of software development projects, they thought that those ways were failing too often, and it was time for a change.  It was then that this group came up with the Agile Manifesto, that described 4 important values applicable and relevant until today. The 4 values written in the document said:

We value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.”

Agile Software Development Methodology, let’s called it Agile here to make it simpler, is focused on helping teams respond to unpredictability by keeping code  simple, testing often and delivering parts of the application as soon as they are ready. It breaks the dependency on requirement stability and comes up with a process that takes changes in account.

Since Agile works in cycles, it gives the opportunity to present the client with parts of the project, pre-approving it by steps, revisiting the project every cycle, creating the perfect piece and empowering the team to optimize the value of the final product throughout the development. Instead of committing to a product that might not be ideal, the ASDM ensures a competitive final product with the critical relevance that the market needs.

Agile has been extensively used for development of software products, however these techniques can be applied to non-software products, such as computers, food, clothing and music. Those principles are even found in management, being created the terms Agile Business Management and Business Agility.

If you want to find out more you can access the full Agility manifesto here: http://www.agilemanifesto.org/

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is here, and with that comes the feeling that we should look back and appreciate all the good things that happened this year.

SoftStack Factory finally came out from being a thought on paper and now it’s close to graduate the first class of amazing students.

We have new students applying, in which we found a great will to change their lives, to learn something new and not only help their families, but also help others around them.

We have sponsors that believe in the SoftStack Factory model, and believe in the future of San Diego Millennials.

We live in a time where the tech industry keeps growing, creating new jobs and opportunities every day.

We are thankful for being able to change people’s lives, we are thankful to inspire and to be inspired by so many around us.

Yesterday, as a way to say thanks, the SoftStack factory team and students got together to make lunches for the homeless and drive around downtown handing them out. With that little action, we would like to remind everyone that a great way to give thanks for the things we have, is helping others by sharing a little bit of food, clothes and etc.

For all of that, and also the little things, we are thankful.

 We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and amazing start of the holiday season.

SoftStack Factory team.