One of the best things to come out of the tech boom is the variety of digital products and services that consumers get to experience. This has also shaped the way entertainment is packaged and delivered.
The Evolution of Game Development
Let’s take a look at video games as an example. A video game can stay in the development phase for up to 15 years before it is officially released. Why? Because games have outgrown their analog phase and initial purposes. Today, games are viewed as an art form in their own right with a massive fanbase—close to three billion gamers in 2020 alone. As such, developers work hard to ensure their games are better than others in the market—even if that means putting in thousands upon thousands of production hours.
As the Game Maker for The New York Times, Sam Von Ehren, explains, “A digital game takes input from the player 60 times per second, resolves it with a potentially very complicated ruleset, and renders a new image of the game state. This rapid feedback loop engages our proprioception [the perception or awareness of the position and movement of the body], that is our sense of embodiment and physicality.”
With such an interesting evolution, it’s no surprise that game development roles are in high demand. According to LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise in 2021 report, specialized engineers like game developers are needed in a time where most interactions are taking place online. The job prospect is looking positive too, with a reported average salary between $77,500 to $104,000.
The Rise in Cyber Threats and Cyber Security
Simultaneously, as our reliance on technology grows bigger, so does our need to safeguard our data and digital infrastructure. This is where cyber security experts take center stage. To sum it up, cyber security specialists act as the defense layer against external threats to an organization’s data and information systems.
Cyber security experts shoulder a huge responsibility and they are slowly becoming an instrumental part of any organization. LinkedIn’s Emerging Jobs report highlights the importance of the role across a slew of industries like Defense and Space, Management Consulting, and Financial Services, adding that the field sees a 30 percent annual growth.
As a keen observer of the job market, The Tech Academy took notice of the trends and made a proactive decision to offer the entryway that aspiring game developers and cyber security specialists are looking for.
“A couple of years ago, we surveyed our admissions team to locate the most popular topics that prospective students asked about that we did not already cover. We came up with a list of subjects and then compared those with industry demand. Two of the subjects that came up during our research were cyber security and video game development,” Co-Founder Jack Stanley said.
“We then got to work on developing boot camps to cover these and other in-demand subjects. Now, it takes a lot of work to develop new courses—curriculum development, testing, obtaining the proper certification licenses, etc. After thousands of hours of work, we are proud to offer 11 coding boot camps.”
The Tech Academy’s Game Developer Boot Camp
Duration: 22 weeks (full-time), 40 weeks (part-time)
Tuition: $11,660 (full-time), $14,000(part-time) after upfront payment discount, excluding sales tax
Start date: Open enrollment
“The basic software behind computer games and video games is called the game engine and the two most popular game engines are Unreal Engine and Unity. Many of your beloved games like Fortnite, Pokémon GO, the remake of Final Fantasy VII, and Angry Birds 2 were created with either Unity or Unreal Engine,” Jack explained.
The Tech Academy Game Development Curriculum
In this course, students will learn programming languages behind Unity and Unreal Engine which are C# and C++. Proficiency in these languages will not only allow students to leverage the game engines but also other tools that require knowledge of full stack development.
To round out the program, The Tech Academy has incorporated an experience-building phase where students get to create two live projects that they can later include in their portfolio. Additionally, students will be exposed to both the front and back end sides of development using tools like JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and SQL.
The Tech Academy’s Cyber Security Boot Camp
Duration: 20 weeks (full-time), 38 weeks (part-time)
Tuition: $10,600 (full-time), $13,000 (part-time) after upfront payment discount, excluding sales tax
Start date: Open enrollment
“In this program, students learn full stack web and software development and how to protect all associated data. This program covers how to develop and protect all points of a potential attack,” Jack said.
The Tech Academy Cyber Security Curriculum
Other topics that the boot camp covers include fundamental computer and server hardware, hardware and network security, utilizing Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), securing the front and back end of websites, and protecting databases.
As students move through the program, they will become familiar with cyber security terminology, certificate authorities and security certificate fundamentals, protection against the most common cyber attacks, software security, mobile app security, computer ethics basics, and more.
Similarly, the Cyber Security Boot Camp also includes a live project to ensure students gain that real-world experience—a criterion that most recruiters look for in a resume.
How The Tech Academy Works to Offer Top-Tier Programs
According to The Tech Academy, the key to producing a comprehensive curriculum is active industry experience. This, coupled with extensive surveys and research, is what steers the school toward skills-building programs that are appealing to hiring managers.
“Not only do we have hundreds of graduates holding tech positions around the world, but some of our staff including the co-founders are also actively working on real-world software development projects,” Jack shared.
“By keeping ourselves up-to-date and current, we know what skills are in demand and lasting, versus ‘flash in the pan’ tools. We base our curriculum choices on one thing: the employer’s demand for talent.”
Tech Academy Instructors
The Tech Academy believes in lifelong learning and this is evident in its choice of instructors. All instructors are actual graduates of the school. Jack explained that The Tech Academy understands the clear distinction between knowing how to code and knowing how to teach. As such, instructors are hired based solely on their teaching skills.
To ensure that the candidates for instructors are on par with industry standards, the founders—who are both highly experienced in the field—have curated an in-house training program that is directly overseen by the Dean, Hanna Wilson.
“We choose our instructors based on their ability to teach rather than their technical expertise as these two things don’t always necessarily coincide. All of our instructors are graduates of the software developer boot camp so they are familiar with the content from the outset, but then they undergo extensive in-house training for one month,” the school explains.
“This training includes an instructor course that takes about 40 hours to complete, and then they do an apprenticeship where they work closely with current instructors and the Dean for about two weeks practicing the skills needed like doing screen shares to work remote students through blocks.”
The instructors also go through a licensing process with the Higher Education Coordinating Committee concurrently while instructing. One of the requirements is 2,000 hours of experience in the technical field.
Job Placement Services
At The Tech Academy, Job Placement Services is laid out as an individual course that comes with materials like articles, videos, and assignments. This demonstrates the emphasis that the school places on job placement.
During the course, students will learn how to conduct phone and in-person interviews, white-board presentations, resume and cover letter writing, and more. In the final leg of the course, students will go through weekly technical roundtables and coding challenges to ensure that their core skills are strong.
Students are matched with a job placement instructor, commonly referred to as a career coach. On top of the career prep exercises, the instructor will also forward job openings and job boards to students that they think may make a good candidate. This service is available for up to six months after completing the program.
Financing Options
Aside from upfront payment, there are several financing options at The Tech Academy that students can opt for including monthly payments, Income Share Agreements (ISAs) loans, and traditional loans with its lender partners.
The Tech Academy, in partnership with Leif, offers a deferred payment plan that allows students to learn first and begin paying their tuition once they earn above a predetermined minimum salary.
ISAs are open to students enrolled in these programs: Full-Time Software Developer Boot Camp, Full-Time C# and .NET Framework Boot Camp, Full-Time Python Boot Camp, Full-Time UI/UX Designer Boot Camp, Full-Time Game Developer, Full-Time Cyber Security, Full-Time Mobile App Developer, Full-Time JavaScript Developer, Full-Time Java and Android Developer, and Full-Time Data Science Boot Camp.
Students can also choose to fund their tuition with credit cards or personal loans with any of The Tech Academy’s lender partners.
Special May Promotion
For the month of May, students opting for upfront payment will receive a special 40 percent off of the tuition—15 percent more than the normal 25 percent discount. The discounted rates are now reflected on the boot camp listing page. This discount applies to all boot camps, both part-time and full-time schedules.
What Do I Need to Succeed At The Tech Academy?
When asked to describe the ideal student candidate, Jack said, “Everyone! We are looking for anyone interested in working in the tech industry. If you’re interested in problem-solving and creating, technology is a great career choice. We can also improve the skill sets of those already holding technical positions.”
The Tech Academy has always maintained an open-door policy by making its programs beginner-friendly. There is no coding assessment involved prior to your enrollment. All you need is the enthusiasm and the drive to make the most out of your experience at The Tech Academy.
Explore An Exciting Career Path With The Tech Academy
“The Tech Academy is all about assisting everyone in breaking into the tech industry. Whether or not you have any tech or coding background, we want our courses to be accessible to you,” Jack said.
If you’re looking for a clear path toward a career in game development or cyber security, The Tech Academy may be the right boot camp for you. The school also offers nine other programs for tech newcomers looking to explore areas like software development, UX/UI design, or data science. You can contact the admissions team at info@learncodinganywhere.com or call (503) 206-6915 to learn more.
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.
