In 2010, coding bootcamps emerged in the tech education industry to provide an alternative path to IT careers. The goal was to offer fast-paced, immersive programs to provide learners with the opportunity to break into tech at a fraction of the cost and time it takes to earn a degree.
According to Career Karma’s 2021 State of the Bootcamp Market Report, most coding bootcamps charge between $5,000 and $15,000, with the average being $11,727 in 2020. While this is significantly lower than the average cost of attending a college, which is $35,720 per year, it can still be challenging for students to afford a coding bootcamp’s tuition fees.
This is why Coding Dojo bootcamp offers five major scholarships to alleviate the financial burden of much-needed tech education.
Coding Dojo offers five need-based scholarships to help aspiring tech professionals build the technical skills they need to kickstart a career.
Apply for a Coding Dojo scholarship here.A Guide to Coding Dojo’s Scholarships
Coding Dojo currently offers five scholarship programs, namely, the Fresh Start Fund, Career Reinvention, Military Re-training, Women in Tech, and Diversity Scholarships. These can be used to partially fund your training in any of Coding Dojo’s immersive programs in software development, data science, cybersecurity, and UX design.
Coding Dojo students can apply for a scholarship up to the enrollment deadline (usually the Wednesday prior to the first day of class), and a scholarship community committee will review their application within 48 hours. There is no cap to the number of recipients per cohort. Once approved, the scholarship can be used as a direct discount on the tuition fees or as a deposit for students opting for other payment methods such as third-party loans with Ascent Funding or Climb Credit.
“As an organization, we [Coding Dojo] try to provide as many ways possible to lower your cost,” said Sam Schiro, Lead Assistant Director of Admissions at Coding Dojo. “Currently, we are only accepting one scholarship per student, but we have several, so there’s really no limitation. It doesn’t matter what background you’re coming from, you’re eligible to receive one of these scholarship opportunities, and it doesn’t require much.”
Fresh Start Fund
- Scholarship Amount: Up to $1,500
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in a global economic fallout, with 56 percent of the United States’ low-income earners rendered unemployed. This has led to an increasing need for financial relief for low-income or unemployed individuals looking to start a new career in tech.
The Coding Dojo Fresh Start Fund was created to assist prospective students in tackling income shortages or other challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The school offers a grant of up to $1,500 for those applicants who are 18 years old and above and make less than $40,000 per year. All of Coding Dojo’s programs are eligible for the Fresh Start Fund Scholarship award.
To apply for the scholarship, you need to visit Coding Dojo’s Fresh Start Fund, provide proof of your income, such as a recent pay stub, and complete a 300-word essay on the topic provided.
The school emphasizes, “Coding Dojo doesn’t want to just help make 2022 the year people ‘get back to normal.’ We want this to be the year that people change to a career that provides them a better quality of life than before.”
Career Reinvention Scholarship
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Did you know that despite massive layoffs in 2020, less than one percent of the 21.4 million job losses were in tech? In this digital age, where workers are more acutely aware of the industry’s resiliency and the benefits it has to offer—from a positive job outlook to flexible working arrangements—upskilling and reskilling have become the standard.
Coding Dojo’s Career Reinvention Scholarship is intended for experienced professionals who want to transition to tech but can’t afford the expert help they need to reskill. The scholarship is $1,000 for career switchers. To be eligible for the Career Reinvention Scholarship, applicants should be at least 18 years old.
Those who wish to pursue this scholarship can visit Coding Dojo’s scholarship application page and complete a 300-word essay. They will be asked to answer questions such as, “What has previously kept you from joining the tech workforce, and what will you do with this new knowledge?” The application does not require proof of income.
Military Re-training Scholarship
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
While the unemployment rate among veterans has been dropping, underemployment remains an issue. A recent LinkedIn study found that 33 percent of veterans are underemployed, and 15 percent more likely to remain without a job compared to civilians.
Among the reasons behind this is the so-called civilian-military divide, where employers overlook veterans due to their lack of familiarity with the skills that veterans can bring to the workplace. So, what kinds of occupations can veterans pursue considering their existing skillset?
According to PayScale’s analysis, IT jobs are at the top of the list for veterans. With their ability to work under pressure, collaborate with peers, and adapt to ever-changing environments, military vets have all the essential skills tech companies seek. Coding Dojo is helping military personnel gain access to the technology industry and achieve their career goals with the Military Re-training Scholarship.
Coding Dojo grants $1,000 for military veterans who want to acquire skills in fields such as software development, machine learning, and software engineering. To be eligible for the Military Re-training Scholarship, applicants must be 18 years or older and have, of course, served in the US military.
If you are eligible, you can apply for the scholarship by accessing Coding Dojo’s scholarship application web page and writing a 300-word essay based on questions like, “How has your military experience molded you into the person you are today?” and “What would you do to promote more veteran representation in the tech community?”
Women in Tech Scholarship
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
Despite repeated appeals to address the gender gap in the tech industry, new research has revealed that women are even less represented in the field than they were in 1984. According to Statista, men in technical positions outnumber women by more than four times.
Some have attributed this gap to a lack of diversity initiatives. According to PwC’s Women in Tech research, only 16 percent of women were encouraged to pursue a career in STEM while in school, compared to 33 percent of men. “There are not enough females in the development world. So we’re really trying to push this gender gap in the opposite direction,” notes Sam.
By exposing more women to software development career opportunities, Coding Dojo hopes to make a difference. The Women in Tech Scholarship is the first step toward increasing female representation in tech. The school offers $1,000 for aspiring tech professionals who identify as women.
Students that want to apply for the scholarship can go to Coding Dojo’s scholarship page and compose a 300-word essay. Among the questions you’ll answer are as follows:
- What needs to happen in the tech community to narrow the gender gap between male and female developers?
- What would you do to promote more female representation in the developer community?
Diversity Scholarship
- Scholarship Amount: $1,000
According to a special report of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, African Americans, Hispanics, and women make up a smaller part of the technology industry sector. Coding Dojo seeks to change the face of Silicon Valley through its Diversity Scholarship, which aims to increase access to tech education among underrepresented groups.
The school offers a $1,000 scholarship for those that belong to underrepresented groups. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and belong to a minority group.
Eligible students can apply for the scholarship by going to Coding Dojo’s scholarship application page and writing a 300-word essay answering the question, “How would you contribute to promoting more diversity in tech?”
How to Get a Coding Dojo Scholarship
To apply for your selected Coding Dojo scholarship, you’ll need to follow the steps below.
- Submit an essay for a scholarship. Applicants for any Coding Dojo scholarships must contact admissions and write a 300-word essay based on one or two questions that vary depending on your chosen scholarship.
- Wait for Coding Dojo to review your essay. It usually takes from 24 to 48 hours for the Coding Dojo admissions team to review your application and reply with a decision.
- Submit proof of income (recent pay stub or equivalent). This step is only required for those applying for a Fresh Start Fund Scholarship. Note that only those who make less than $40,000 per year are eligible for this funding.
Criteria for Scholarship Approval
At Coding Dojo, students are expected to commit 70 to 90 hours per week, so the school’s admissions team wants to ensure that attending the program is the right choice for you. We asked Sam, Coding Dojo’s Lead Assistant Director of Admissions, to discuss the scholarship approval criteria that the admissions staff employs when evaluating applicants.
Sam reveals, “We’re looking for people who are not coming into this for the wrong reasons. And what I mean by that is we’re looking for people that are willing to get their hands dirty with coding, and [are] not afraid to dive into something because this is a big leap.”
Sam offers one final piece of advice to all Coding Dojo applicants: “Don’t be afraid to be you. Tell us who you are, be yourself, and we’re going to give you an honest response and a personal response. We read each one of these applications. So it’s not like a robotic system. A human being is involved in every step of the process.”
Access Affordable Tech Education with Coding Dojo Scholarships
At a time where digital skills training has become an imperative, Coding Dojo bootcamp is offering five need-based scholarships to lower Coding Dojo costs and make fast-paced and immersive tech education available to everyone. Taking it a step further, Coding Dojo does not cap the number of scholarships recipients per cohort, and the admissions process can be fairly quick and easy.
If you’ve been looking for a way into tech with fewer financial hurdles, apply for your Coding Dojo Scholarship and kickstart your career in tech today.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
