Deep Dive: How GenSpark Leverages Tools and Connections to Help People Launch a Tech Job

Conventionally, people consider a computer science degree as a golden ticket to a tech career. But, this comes with limiting factors particularly to people from underrepresented communities. 

College students spend about $100,000 in the pursuit of a degree. This high cost, coupled with 3-4 arduous years of learning, doesn’t provide all that computer science graduates need to launch a career in tech. 

A HackerRank survey found that over 800 hiring managers seek candidates with “the right skills and culture fit”. Additionally, they expressed a strong preference for referrals because it means they don’t have to spend a lot of time assessing candidate profiles. 

These points suggest that getting a tech job is not a linear path. Beyond the technical training, tech aspirants can improve their chances by getting to know the company they wish to work for, tailoring their skillsets to match what future employers seek, and having industry connections.

GenSpark is designed to help you check all three things off the list.

What Is GenSpark? 

GenSpark, a division of Pyramid Consulting, is a business keen on transforming the tech workforce by building a diverse pipeline of tech talent. Behind it are founders Sanjeev Tirath and Namita Tirath who bring with them significant experience in business development, technical recruiting, staff augmentation, vendor management, and customer relationship management. 

GenSpark’s beginnings was—for lack of a better word—sparked by the founders’ simple interaction with a waiter at California Pizza Kitchen. While talking with the waiter, they discovered that although he had a degree in computer science, he was unable to find a job in the field. It was then that Sanjeev and Namita realized that a college degree or technical skills alone wasn’t enough to help people land a job. 

Through their combined experiences, they established GenSpark as a solution to introduce industry-geared talent to the workforce and at the same time, connect tech aspirants to job opportunities. These goals led GenSpark to develop a unique approach to training and recruiting.

How GenSpark Helps People Jumpstart Their Tech Careers

GenSpark helps people launch a tech job with a two-pronged solution: providing the connections and the tools to succeed.

The Connections: Employer Partners  

About 90 percent of participants, also known as GenSparkers, land a job through the program. This is made possible through employer partnership and paid training. GenSpark works with hundreds of clients to help them build a diverse talent pipeline. The process looks like this:

At GenSpark, learning comes with a stipend. Program length ranges between 6 to 12 weeks and you’ll receive a weekly stipend. After your training, GenSpark matches your skills with clients’ requirements, and you earn an entry-level software engineering salary.

What Can You Learn at GenSpark?

GenSpark offers over 20 training tracks that include some of the most popular topics and tools in the industry. Here are three of the most preferred tracks:

Java Full Stack Curriculum (10 Weeks)

The Java training program provides hands-on experience using tools like Java, React, Spring, MySQL, and Git. GenSparkers learn how to deploy them for debugging, object-oriented programming, and unit testing. Participants also improve their coding skills by working on one to two projects per week.

Cybersecurity Curriculum (6 Weeks)

The cybersecurity training track teaches the competencies needed to pass the CompTIA Network+, Cloud+, Cloud Essentials+, and Linux+ certifications. These lessons equip participants with troubleshooting, maintenance, management, and technical operation skills. 

.NET Full StackCurriculum (12 Weeks)

The .NET training track offers comprehensive lessons on databases, HTML, and Angular. GenSparkers also learn frameworks like SQL, jQuery, and TypeScript. A team project comes up in the last two weeks of the training.

Why Tech Talent Prefers GenSpark

Carmen Smith said GenSpark’s industry-focused training pointed their career change in the right direction. Carmen, a former finance professional and computer science graduate, added that she was able to make a smooth transition after completing the training.

“At GenSpark, I didn’t just learn Java. I gained other skills in communication and interview skills. All those skills in combination made all the difference for my career reboot,” Carmen said. “I’ve now been working with my client for a year where I combine my knowledge of the mortgage industry and my knowledge of software engineering to grow and learn.”

Practical and holistic training is also at the core of GenSpark’s ethos. It incorporates soft skill acquisition in its curriculum which can help participants round out their skillsets. It prepares GenSparkers for the tech world by providing the following:

• Dedicated, full-time, internal instructors and project managers.
• Daily/weekly assignments and group projects that help you gain real-world experience.  
• External and in-house certifications where applicable.
• Essential soft skill training on communication tools to help you thrive in the workplace.

How Much Does It Cost to Join GenSpark?

People seeking to acquire tech skills at no cost would find GenSpark’s program suitable. GenSpark invests about $15,000 in training each GenSparker. This initiative addresses the high fees commonly tied to learning tech skills.

Furthermore, GenSparkers earn a stipend as they learn industry-relevant skills. After the training, they tap into employment opportunities via GenSpark’s employers’ partnership. 

Overall, 95 percent of GenSparkers don’t pay a dime as they complete the program and kickstart their career with GenSpark. 

Launch Your Career with GenSpark

GenSpark offers industry-focused training in over 20 career tracks like AWS, cybersecurity, and DevOps, opening up employment opportunities with its employer partners or other tech companies. Apply to GenSpark today to kickstart your tech career at zero cost.