Ashley Pean, a technical support agent and Psychology major, realized early on in her job that the problems her customers were facing could only be solved by software engineers. Her growing frustration led to her lightbulb moment to transition into tech and pursue a new career as a Software Engineer.
In her search for the perfect coding bootcamp that would cater to her needs—especially as a working student—Ashley found Codesmith and enrolled in its flagship Software Engineering Immersive.
We often think of coding bootcamps as full-time commitments, but Codesmith, a renowned software engineering residency, keeps its students at the center of its programs by offering the Part-Time Remote Software Engineering Immersive.
With Codesmith’s part-time remote immersive program, you can take charge of your career and learn software engineering at a more flexible pace.
Get to know Codesmith.A Review of Codesmith Part-Time Software Engineering Program
Codesmith’s Software Engineering Immersive program is an advanced residency designed to help engineers from diverse backgrounds launch meaningful careers in software engineering.
The Part-Time Remote Immersive offers the same rigorous curriculum, impactful team projects, and lifelong career support as the top-rated full-time program in a part-time setting.
Classes are held live online—between 5pm and 8pm from Mondays through Thursdays and from 9am to 3pm on Saturdays. This flexible but immersive pace is specifically designed for anyone who cannot quit their jobs and have other personal commitments, including parents and working professionals.
According to Reid Klarsfeld, Codesmith’s Part-Time Remote Immersive Lead Engineering Instructor: “The Part-Time Immersive program is unique in that it is designed for individuals who cannot dedicate three months full time to our other immersive programs. This means we have students who have to work full-time jobs to support their families and loved ones, and yet have still decided to spend 18 hours a week to change their lives.”
Structured Live Instruction at a Flexible, Part-Time Pace
Compared to Codesmith’s three-month Full-Time Software Engineering Immersive, the part-time program lasts nine months. This gives residents more flexibility with their lives. They can maintain a full-time or part-time job, spend time with family, and meet their commitments while preparing for a new career.
While the program is part-time, it does not compromise the quality of education it provides. The program is broken into three sections—junior, mid, and senior—and is just as demanding and rigorous as the full-time immersive. These portions include real-world projects in computer science, front end development, backend development, machine learning; impactful team projects; and lifelong career support.
With residents joining from all over the world, the Part-Time Remote Immersive offers location-based and personalized career support to every resident, including resume formation, interviewing and networking skills, mock interview sessions, and salary negotiation advice.
Learning with a Supportive Community of Engineers
Codesmith is built upon a supportive community and makes sure it has a strong support system in place for its part-time residents. During the Part-Time Remote Immersive, residents learn with the support of the Codesmith community of empathetic learners who encourage hard work and motivate each other to grow.
Codesmith also integrates small events where students can bond with each other, share ideas, and take a break from learning to code. Some of the program’s community-building activities include Saturday Shout-outs & Snacks, Circles, and Questions of the Day. These activities provide residents with a break from their studies, allowing opportunities to bond and share ideas.
Reid says, “At Codesmith, we understand that our part-time students have unique situations they may be facing. This includes work, family, and other life events that occur throughout a nine-month part-time program. Our team is adept at offering support to the students to address those very specific needs.”
“Codesmith changed my life in so many different ways, and it honestly cannot be overstated,” shares Ashley Pean, Part-Time Remote Software Engineering Immersive alum.
Hear from Ashley about her experience in the program.
Is Codesmith’s Part-Time Remote Software Engineering Program Worth It?
Ashley had always been interested in learning to code, leading her to pursue an undergraduate dual degree in Computer Science and Psychology. However, her circumstances pushed her to drop the former.
With a stroke of luck, Ashley was reacquainted with her passion for coding while working part-time as a technical support agent. She was responsible for communicating with clients and offering temporary solutions to their problems.
In her words, “Working as a technical support agent was frustrating because you can’t actually solve people’s problems. It became clear to me very early on that the only people who have the power to solve the problems are the people who are engineering the product itself.”
She demonstrated this when she sought to solve an issue she had been struggling with at work. As a technical support agent, Ashley had to log data manually, something she found menial as it took time away from doing other, more important tasks. Leveraging her coding skills and after tons of research, Ashley wrote scripts that would automate data logging. And it worked!
Ashley shares, “I was able to reduce our logging time by 60 percent because we can run the script instead of having to do everything manually. From then on, I was hooked [on coding]. I started teaching myself JavaScript because I didn’t know that coding bootcamps existed.”
Codesmith eventually came on to her radar after seeing an interview with Will Sentance, the bootcamp’s co-founder and CEO, where he explained Codesmith’s vision. Ashley liked Codesmith’s approach to bridging the gap between the tech industry and aspiring tech professionals. But it was Codesmith’s part-time program that stood out to her the most.
Ashley explains, “I was just a broke college student, and I could not afford to not work and not pay my bills.”
Ashley had three things going on during the 38-week program. She was completing an internship for her bachelor’s degree in psychology, freelancing as a web developer, and learning software engineering part-time at Codesmith.
“People thought I was a little bit crazy for doing that,” she says. “But it made sense for my situation because I was about to finish my college degree, and I didn’t want to take another psychology course.”
What helped was how Codesmith provided periodic schedules to part-time residents in advance. This allowed Ashley to map out and sync the schedules ahead of time. Ashley shares, “[The structure of the part-time program helped me] make sure that I’m in a good headspace when I go to class. I have enough energy, I’m getting enough sleep, and I’m not overworking myself.”
She adds, “I developed a self-care routine. I became really transparent with myself when it came to taking a break and stepping away [when I needed to].”
Codesmith’s training and Ashley’s experience working outside the program solidified her competencies in software engineering. “I spent a lot of time building stuff outside of the program, as well as working,” she explains. “…[It] gave me insight into how engineering teams work, how Scrum works on a realistic scale, and how to hold and manage your meetings.”
Codesmith’s Part-Time Remote Software Engineering Immersive program transformed her life beyond expectations. Her job search led her to work as a Software Engineer at Eventbrite. Ashley shares, “My family experienced homelessness and having a six-figure income and knowing that if anything happens to my family, I got us covered is really important. I’ll be able to have my mom retire in a couple of years.”
The Codesmith Formula
Whether you are exploring a new career path or a passion for tech, your journey to success begins with a strong foundation. While Codesmith sets a high bar to get into the Software Engineering Immersive, they also offer all the resources applicants might need to best prepare and be successful in the program and beyond.
Check out Codesmith’s free beginner workshops, prep courses (JavaScript for Beginners and CS Prep), YouTube Channel and free CSX learning platform.
Codesmith is also committed to diversifying the tech talent workforce by making its programs accessible, offering financing opportunities, as well as scholarships to students who are part of underrepresented groups like BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and veterans, to name a few.
Brian Grosso, a Codesmith alum, says Codesmith excels in “giving you the fundamental knowledge to utilize React, Node, databases, and all things Javascript, as well as the tools to confidently sell yourself…[Enrolling in Codesmith was] one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, and, I believe it’s the best educational investment available in the United States.”
Jinhee Choi echoes the sentiment: “…I can see why Codesmith has the best hiring outcomes. [Codesmith] provides the best curriculum for people who want to be engineers and teaches them how to think and code like mid to senior-level software engineers.”
With Codesmith’s Part-Time Remote Immersive, you will get the education you need to start your career journey to become an in-demand software engineer—without giving up your day job.
Learn more about Codesmith’s Software Engineering Immersive programs and free learning resources 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.
