Mattoon, IL -(Effingham Radio)- The first class of Lake Land College’s new IT-LaunchCode completed the 20-week web development program in October.
The new IT-LaunchCode program offers students an opportunity to train for a career in the fast growing field of web application development.
In just 20 weeks, students gained skills in Python, C#, SQL and full stack web development. Those who complete the program earned a Lake Land College certificate as well as the opportunity to test for eight industry-leading Microsoft certifications.
Web programmers and coders are in high demand. The US Department of Labor, bls.gov, estimates that 1 million coding jobs will go unfilled by 2020 and that employment of web developers is projected to grow 32 percent through 2026.
James Munger, IT instructor, program coordinator, IT-web technology and LaunchCode instructor, said some of his best students were people with little prior knowledge of computer science. “One was a fork lift driver for seven years. Another one worked at Quad Graphics on the factory floor for 20 years and now is talking about getting his PhD in mathematics,” Munger said.
With the skills that one student gained in the course she was able to create her own inventory app to keep track of ingredients she used in her micro-brewing business. “She built that app herself and it works,” Munger said. “The technology that she used to do that is the same technology they used to do LinkedIn and Pinterest.”
The boot camp format is ideal for those who enjoy coding as a hobby, those who are seeking to advance in their careers or those who are good at logic puzzles and troubleshooting. Students can expect the program to be largely hands-on and project-based. “The LaunchCode program for web development stacks directly into top of my two year associates degree for web development,” If you have completed the LaunchCode program you have basically completed a fourth of the associates program.
One student that recently completed the program, Patrick Pape, said that he was impressed with the content the course covered. “The depth and breadth of topics covered was fascinating. From operating systems, hardware, program languages, servers, web browsers, and database management; the foundation for understanding has been firmly established.”
“I really would recommend this program to someone interested in the field. The course is accessible to people of really any age, and without much familiarity with coding,” Pape said.
The next IT-LaunchCode class will begin January. Students interested in IT-LaunchCode need to apply by January 23, 2019. An aptitude test is required. Classes will meet in an online format, including some optional lab nights at Lake Land College in Mattoon from Jan. 28, 2019 through June 27, 2019. The class is available until all seats are filled. For more information, visit lakelandcollege.edu/high-demand-programs/it-launchcode/.
LaunchCode is an innovative non-profit providing job seekers opportunities to enter the technology field. Jim McKelvey, the co-founder of Square, the payments processing company, founded LaunchCode to create pathways for people seeking careers in technology. Lake Land College is partnering with LaunchCode with the support of The Effingham Regional Growth Alliance, the countywide economic development organization. The Alliance will be seeking local companies and individuals who are interested in supporting students with scholarships or internship opportunities.