Launch School Podcast

In this episode, Brandi interviews Katelyn, a current student finding her footing in the first few courses of the core curriculum. Katelyn is in a career transition, with a background in project and construction management, having majored in civil engineering in college. We reached out to Katelyn to see if she wanted to share her story after she wrote and shared an article about her experience receiving a 'Not Yet' on an assessment. Every student has a different approach when they don't pass an assessment, but most approaches don't involve telling everyone in the community how and why it happened, in hopes of helping others. We wanted to hear from her! They discuss her 'Not Yet' and what changes she made to her study habits. Katelyn also discusses her approach to having an online presence, and how she's taken as many opportunities as possible to work on her soft skills in conjunction with the technical skills she's learning from the coursework. This is a great episode for gaining insight into what you can expect from your first few courses at Launch School, and the learning curve that many students face as they find their footing.

In this episode, recorded at the end of 2023, Brandi asks Chris the most frequently asked questions that current and potential students have. Chris starts the episode with a recap of the story of Launch School, and how his journey into teaching software over 10 years ago led to the Launch School curriculum as we know it now. This story explains how the curriculum is chosen and why adding assessments was a necessary step in the evolution of his teaching platform. The story of Launch School gives a lot of insight into why things are the way they are now, but there were still questions to be answered. Chris spends the last hour of the episode answering questions that we see again and again, whether it's from current students, potential students, or those who've chosen a different path for their education journey. This episode highlights how intentional every piece of Launch School is. It's an educational system built with an engineering mindset. We hope you come away with a better understanding of Launch School, and as always, we're happy to answer your questions or hear your ideas. 1:19 - The History of Launch School 22:43 - Why do students have to participate in interview assessments? 28:40 - Why is there a limit on the number of ‘Not Yet’s a student can get? 36:11 - Why is the standard or required grade to pass an assessment so high? 43:45 - Why can’t students test out of the core curriculum if they already have experience? 55:15 - How do you decide what content and the level of difficulty of the core curriculum? 58:51 - Why doesn’t the Launch School curriculum have a portfolio? 1:02:59 - Why are the community guidelines so strict? 1:08:15 - Why isn’t there any support to help core grads get jobs?

In this episode, Brandi interviews Trisha, a current student who is about two-thirds finished with the core curriculum. Trisha opens up about receiving a 'Not Yet', a non-passing grade, on her first assessment over a year ago. She talks about the aftermath of doubt and insecurity. Trisha's trajectory changed drastically when she immersed herself into the community, finding a supportive group of peers to help her stay motivated, push her technically, and gauge her readiness for assessments. This is a positive first-hand account of how your study habits can make or break your success at Launch School. We hope you enjoy the episode!

In this episode, Chris meets with JD and Daniel, two SPOT Admins and current students. They chat about what the SPOT is, who it's for, and how it can complement your Launch School studies, both technically, but also as a jumping-off point for joining the community. The SPOT, which stands for Study, Practice, Overlearn, Teach, is a student-led community within Launch School that facilitates virtual study sessions for every course in the Core Curriculum. They discuss the deterrents that often stop students from utilizing the space, such as being unaware that it exists, feeling inadequate to participate, or being intimidated by stepping into an existing community. In addition to encouraging students to attend SPOT sessions, they discuss what it means to be a 'SPOT Lead', and how it can push you even further as a student and leader. They also discuss and show off GatherTown, the virtual study space where you can quite literally 'bump into' your peers. As a virtual school, it takes effort to deisolate your studies. GatherTown is a great place to go, whether you're joining a study group, meeting with a peer, or hanging out near others as accountability buddies. Have a listen, and we hope to see you in GatherTown!

In this episode, Chris interviews Ginni Pinckert, a software engineer at Sudowrite. Ginni is a recent capstone graduate, finishing in early 2023. She has a diverse background pre-Launch School, having studied classical languages, literature, and linguistics with a mild obsession with Greek mythology and Sci-Fi. She worked in the fashion industry for several years and then worked as a small business owner creating organization systems to help clients with productivity. Her Launch School journey was a relatively long one, spending about 2 years working through the core curriculum as a mostly full-time student, with some of her time dedicated to being a TA. After Capstone, it's no surprise that Ginni ended up with a company just as passionate about writing as she is, now working on a small team developing a text editing interface that integrates AI to help writers write. Ginni gives great insight into what it's like to apply for jobs as someone without any prior experience in tech as well as a refreshing perspective on the tough job market. As someone used to donning many hats, it's clear that Ginni is open to new experiences and putting in the work it takes to do a job well, and her time through Launch School, Capstone, and now her new career, are no exceptions. We hope you enjoy the conversation!

In this episode Chris and Karis discuss the latest Capstone Salaries page update. Chris shares important data to look out for on the new salaries page, and provides advice when comparing other career-launching programs out there on the market. This discussion is to be used as a companion guide to the salaries page, and is especially helpful for those looking to have more clarity on Capstone. The episode finishes with some announcements and upcoming events. Because the Capstone Salaries page is discussed in depth it might be a good idea to have launchschool.com/salaries open as you listen to this episode. to listen to the podcast click on the play button above the RSS and SHARE buttons Introduction Salaries Page Discussion Conclusion & Karis Sign-off Announcements Show Notes Capstone Salaries Page Article: Our New 2021 Salaries Page Winter holiday forum announcement Do you want to be a TA? Information Post Capstone Presentation Videos Fill out our form below if you have any questions about anything Launch School related whether its our prep course, Core Program, Capstone and beyond. Your question could be answered in our next episode! Ask a Question Form

In this episode Chris and Karis conduct a Q&A session about Launch School's new Programming Essentials Workshops, what they are why new programmers would want to attend. Karis then catches up with Launch School Alumnus Kelvin, who shares his experiences as a UK Capstone student and what it's like working as a software engineer based in the UK. The episode comes to a close with some Launch School announcements and upcoming events. to listen to the podcast click on the play button above the RSS and SHARE buttons Introduction Workshop Q&A: What are Programming Essentials Workshops? Workshop Q&A: Who are the workshops for? Workshop Q&A: How do workshops differ from study sessions? Workshop Q&A: What do I gain from attending a workshop? Workshop Q&A: Would I learn anything new if I'm already going through the Prep Courses? Workshop Q&A: Is it mandatory to attend a workshop for Launch School Students? Workshop Q&A: Will there be a recording of these workshops available? Workshop Q&A: More Information Interview with UK Capstone Graduate Kelvin Annoucements Show Notes Latest Programming Essentials Workshops How to navigate a recession webinar/medium post Launch School's Reddit Community Do you want to be a TA? Information Post Introduction to Programming with JavaScript Book with 78 new video walkthroughs Launch School Women's Group October 9th Meetup Fill out our form below if you have any questions about anything Launch School related whether its our prep course, Core Program, Capstone and beyond. Your question could be answered in our next episode! Ask a Question Form

In this episode Chris discusses the latest 2021 Capstone salaries, and provides some advice for students that have concerns about the recession. Karis catches up with younger students, Ethan and Tyler, and learns how their Launch School studies are already making an impact on their software engineering journey. Karis ends the episode with a few announcements about the latest events at Launch School. Introduction 2021 Capstone Salaries Recession Question about student impact on Recession Question about increasing cost of Core and Capstone Question about Capstone Admissions Capstone Introduction and Breakdown Interview with Ethan Interview with Tyler Annoucements Show Notes 2021 Capstone Salaries Capstone Information Page Jason Wang's Article on Building an App during Launch School New Practice Problems for RB109 Interview Post New Practice Problems for JS109 Interview Post New Practice Problems for JS210 Assessment Post Cloud9 Support Group Information Post Launch School Women's Group August 7th Meetup Do you want to be a TA? Information Post Excellent Student 175/185 Backend Projects! Jason's Project Ethan's Project Ricky's Project Zach's Project Student Rich's Article: What Century is After Midnight? If you have any questions about anything Launch School related whether its our prep course, Core Program, Capstone and beyond please fill out our form below and your question could be answered in our next episode! Ask a Question Form