Why I Chose to Teach at Codeup

Hi, my name is Douglas Hirsh, and I’m a Web Development Instructor at Codeup Dallas! I’m passionate about technology, software, human behavior, and teaching. As we prepare to launch our first cohort in Dallas, I want to share why I decided to teach at Codeup.Quick about me: I’m a self-taught developer! I have enjoyed an 18 year career in tech, during which I’ve worked at companies ranging from small startups to Fortune 50 and made my way up through the ranks to Senior Developer. I’ve also worked as an instructor at another coding bootcamp and a CTO of a local startup. How did I hear about Codeup? I saw them post on Slack! I was excited about the idea of returning to teaching, and reached out. We began talking, and I spent over a dozen hours getting to know their team, from management to instruction. During our conversations, I made up my mind: I wanted to work for Codeup. Here’s why!#1: Codeup has a well-thought-out and high-quality curriculum. Not only that, but it teaches programming fundamentals. Some bootcamps teach programs that cover a dozen different technologies: React, Angular, Node, Ruby, Rails, Mongo DB, MySQL, Python, etc. As a developer, I can tell you: that’s crazy. Instead of a list of keywords, I discovered Codeup teaches a narrow scope of technologies with a focus on teaching students how to learn software development, giving them the power to go learn whatever technologies they want.#2: Codeup promises, and follows through, to refund 100% of a student’s tuition if they don’t find a job after graduation. A lot of places say, ‘Hey come on over, we’ll help!’ I knew Codeup was for real and not just a money grab when they told me: “if a student does everything they’re supposed to and doesn’t find a job, that’s on us, not them.”#3: Codeup has an impressive network of employer partners. They place graduates at companies like USAA, Accenture, Oracle, SWBC, and other large companies with a reputation. Having worked at a bootcamp, I know exactly how hard it is to get a company like USAA to consider bootcamp grads. That upped their cred in my book WAY high.#4: Codeup accepts the GI Bill. In my eyes, the government legitimized them with their stamp of approval.Lastly, and most importantly, Codeup helped me realize my passion for helping bring other people into this amazing field. I'm so excited that I get to teach at Codeup, and help so many find a career they love. If you want to learn to code or start a new career, reach out to us - we’d love for you to decide to learn at Codeup.