The modern workplace is rapidly changing. Both employers and job-seekers need to rethink their views of what makes an employee highly marketable and valuable. When looking for tech talent, recruiters and HR managers no longer rely solely on credentials and previous work experience. Instead, they look for proof of skill.
With the rise of bootcamps, organizations are bringing in more non-traditional employees who have received practical and relevant training. One bootcamp that offers this kind of training is Qwasar Silicon Valley.
Qwasar is grounded in its founders’ years of experience designing education programs for software engineers. Leveraging on this extensive experience, its programs focus on innovative skills-based learning and tech talent development. These programs give learners valuable 21st-century skills that make them future-proof and highly marketable in today’s job market.
Qwasar Silicon Valley’s project-based curriculum provides students with an effective active learning experience and helps them develop skills that can future-proof their careers.
Learn more about Qwasar Silicon Valley.Why Qwasar Silicon Valley Uses Project-Based Learning
Qwasar Silicon Valley uses project-based learning to equip students with in-demand digital and programming skills. Why? Because coding skills are not developed through knowledge transmission, standardized tests, or archaic grading systems. They are developed through practice, repetition, and hands-on learning experiences. In other words, students learn by being presented with situations that require applying these coding skills.
According to the International Bureau of Education, project-based learning fosters learners’ engagement in studying authentic problems centered on a particular project or idea. Instructors provide the assignment and it is up to the learners to research and identify possible solutions. Ultimately, learners must build a working solution that will render the project complete, while instructors serve as coaches instead of a single source of knowledge.
Project-based learning develops the skills a person needs to succeed in the modern workforce. Using hands-on projects as a basis for learning allows students to develop applied skills, a comprehensive understanding of technical concepts, and key modern skills.
At Qwasar Silicon Valley, programs and projects are not designed for learners to acquire knowledge, but for learners to become highly proficient and gain the hands-on experience that employers look for in potential employees. Put simply, they’re designed to set learners up for success.
Case in point: according to Qwasar, the vast majority of other programs train to A1 or A2 programming levels based on a programming skills self-assessment matrix.
This matrix is used to “identify the proficiency of programmers of a programming language in the context of different programming activities”. If a person is at A1 or A2 programming level, they are considered a “basic user.” However, top-tier companies hire at C1 and C2 levels, or programmers who are considered as “proficient users”.
Qwasar works to leverage its project-based learning model to elevate its students to C1 and C2 levels of programming, which in turn increases employment opportunities in the short and long term.
How Qwasar Prepares You for the Modern Workforce
Qwasar uses project-based learning to future-proof its students. Learners receive projects that together form a pathway to training to advanced capabilities and entry-level job requirements. All projects begin with basic concepts. Over time, each project builds up to become more difficult and complex.
The gradual increase in difficulty ensures that each project challenges the learner without the risk of overwhelming and discouraging them. Through this structure, learners develop the technical skills and development experience employers are looking for while growing in confidence and competency.
The real skills learned, though, that help to future-proof, are the ability to learn on your own, the ability to tackle a new topic or technology with confidence, and becoming a structured problem-solver: these three are key to surviving any new advances in technology this century.
Students are allowed to structure the project as they see fit, break down the problem into smaller chunks, and lay out a plan to complete the project. Throughout the program, students develop a holistic skillset.
Technical Skills
Since the projects in Qwasar curricula center around coding, you will learn a host of languages, tools, and frameworks. Programs are also focused on developing a foundational and fundamental understanding of data structures and algorithms, going as deep as a computer science degree but without the boredom of lectures.
In the context of coding and software development, Qwasar projects are an opportunity to develop the skill of translating a project description into architecture and codebase. This allows students to gain significant experience with the software development lifecycle (SDLC), a key element that employers are looking for in today’s job market.
In fact, lack of experience with the SDLC is one of the major reasons why many employers demand at least one year of work experience for entry-level jobs.
Soft Skills
Project-based learning also hones crucial soft skills including structured problem solving, collaboration, communication skills, and critical thinking. Qwasar graduates come out of their programs knowing how to apply these skills in various situations they are faced with, not with a fixed set of skills or canned knowledge.
- Students develop their problem-solving skills by finding solutions independently instead of receiving instructions on how to solve problems.
- These situations also develop students’ creativity as they learn how to think outside the box to come up with innovative solutions.
- Teamwork and collaboration skills are developed when students work on projects with other learners.
- With each new project at Qwasar, students “learn how to learn” when they figure out new languages and tools. When students need to debug until their code works, other soft skills such as grit, determination, and perseverance also come into play. This is a situation a programmer will commonly face on the job.
Because of the solid tech and soft skills students gain through the project-based approach, each Qwasar graduate enters the workforce confident in their skills. By creating numerous projects consistently, they continue to build and advance their skills until they finish their program. From their first day at Qwasar until they graduate, students become used to solving problems, writing clean lines of code, debugging until their code works correctly, and learning new things quickly.
This confidence is also ingrained because students are already familiar with working with industry tools even before their first day of work. In short, students would have already assumed the role of a programmer during their time at Qwasar. Graduates pair their technical skills with a strong portfolio to demonstrate the depth of their skills during technical interviews, further instilling confidence in themselves.
The world is changing, and technology is changing rapidly. To keep up, we need to be open to learning for the rest of our lives and regularly update our skill sets. This is especially true for those who want to have a long-term career in tech. Qwasar’s project-based learning programs give students the tools to succeed in today’s world while staying fully prepared for the future.
Qwasar Silicon Valley: A New World of Learning
Today’s IT managers look for the following skills when hiring new talent: problem-solving, teamwork, user experience, depth of skill in a particular technology, and communication. And it’s these skills that Qwasar seeks to instill in its students through project-based active learning.
The result? Students graduate from Qwasar with solid hands-on technical experience paired with a strong technical portfolio. They also come out of the program with critical soft skills that hiring and IT managers look for in employees.
By doing away with traditional learning methods, Qwasar Silicon Valley’s mission of training millions for the digital economy is steadily becoming a reality. Because Qwasar uses project-based learning in an accessible platform, peer reviews, and a cloud-based integrated development environment (IDE), more people from underrepresented communities can easily access their programs and start their own tech careers.
In addition, affordable pricing (tuition starts as low as $100 a month), and minimal gadget requirements (Chromebook and Internet access) make Qwasar programs even more attractive to people worldwide.
If you would like to prepare yourself for the modern workplace through active learning, visit the website to learn more about Qwasar Silicon Valley’s programs.
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.
