San Francisco Edtech CEO Helps Students Find Tech Jobs
With the rising cost of a college education, many San Francisco tech students are turning to online education and edtech start-ups for their education. One of those companies is Mobile Makers Academy, where students can prepare themselves for a career as a programmer by learning how to build apps for the iPhone and iPad. Although CEO and co-founder Brandon Passley doesn't possess a traditional background in education, he's helping San Francisco students find jobs in the tech industry.
What is your background and education?
"I studied web design and development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Even in school I was building websites as a side business, and since then I've started and grown two companies that were acquired. In 2009 I co-founded Vokal Interactive, a mobile development company in Chicago, which we grew from a team of two to more than 40. That growth highlighted a problem in the tech industry: there aren't enough developers to meet the demand for iPhone and iPad apps, so I launched Mobile Makers to prepare beginners for a career in iOS programming."
What type of services do you provide?
"Our core program is an eight week iOS boot camp. Since there's a shortage of programmers, we designed the course for anyone who wants to learn, even if they don't have a computer science background. That's proven very successful, as we've added over 200 programmers to the market in just two years. This year, we added an online option and are exploring other forms to teach developers new skills in iOS and Android. Our high school program now serves 500 students; we teach the teachers and give schools a curriculum."
What advice can you provide to someone interested in a career in programming?
"Frustration and failure should be the expectation. It sounds odd, but being comfortable with failure leads to success. We help our students understand that it's safe to fail, and fail often—but not too much: we try to keep students at the 'optimal frustration level.' That's where the real learning happens. They're constantly trying new approaches, figuring out what works, then repeating that process again and again. It's amazing to see the magic that happens when students feel comfortable and supported when they fail. It allows them to go at problems from every direction to find the best solution."
Randy Yagi is a freelance writer covering all things San Francisco. In 2012, he was awarded a Media Fellowship from Stanford University. His work can be found on Examiner.com Examiner.com.
