Coding Bootcamps with a Mission
The Problem
It’s going to take more than a facelift to fix the gender disparity in the tech space. Think pictures of women strewn over marketing materials and 10% discounts off courses, the type of half-hearted attempts to solve a difficult problem pulled straight out of the old, ‘Ladies enter for free’ handbook.
The Solution
So, there’s nowhere else the biggest change could start but here, in education, in a school like CodeOp with a mission to help solve the diversity and inclusion problem in tech. We believe educational spaces have always been sacred. They’re places where transformations take place, a base from which to navigate a complex world. Education gives birth to new worlds and helps old worlds vanish, almost like magic. We take what we know has worked and leave the rest behind.
The Mission
CodeOp is providing the resources needed to encourage, support and equip women and individuals in the TGNC community with the skills to become leading developers and data analysts. We’re building an educational space and program that fosters diversity and inclusion and how we do this is important.
Because I’ve had the privilege of always developing long-term mentorships with my professors since college that have had a profound impact on my life direction, it’s my bias that cultivating close, mentor-like relationships are critical to development. This means making sure everyone at CodeOp from our leadership team to our volunteers, reflects and supports our students. I try to foster this at CodeOp by keeping class sizes small, and attempting to convince every single cool, unique person I know, who has something to give to our students beyond coding, to join us.
Katrina Walker
CEO & Founder
The Vision
We’re cultivating an empathetic, community of professionals from around the world who believe in our mission—people across and outside of the gender spectrum who are going to believe in and support what we’re doing for years to come. And many of those who supported us from the beginning are cis, showing the strength of solidarity that exists in making this mission global.
We’re here to challenge the reductive approach to tech, to humanize it and embrace a more holistic approach, while still giving our students, who come from all around the world, the rigorous training program they need to be prepared. This is how we change the face of tech.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CodeOp's mission?
To encourage women, trans, and gender nonconforming individuals to pursue fulfilling careers in tech; to equip them with the skills needed to become leading developers and data analysts in their fields; and to launch a supportive network of professionals who will transform the culture of tech.
Why is CodeOp just for women, trans, and gender nonconforming people?
CodeOp was created to reduce the gender disparity in tech. We were surprised that in Barcelona, an up and coming tech hub in Europe, there was no all women coding school, so we started here. We believe that the lack of representation for women and TGNC people in this industry is a complex issue that will require more than one solution. Our approach is to create an environment that teaches advanced material while also fostering an ever-expanding network of individuals who understand the issues uniquely faced by women and the TGNC community in tech.
Why is there such a massive gender disparity in tech?
There are many reasons that researchers, women and individuals in the TGNC have listed as precursors to women not entering into this field, or indeed leaving it prematurely. Check out StackOverflow’s latest annual survey to see the numbers yourself. We believe the primary reason for the gender parity we see in tech now is due to the fact that young girls have not been socially encouraged and structurally supported to pursue STEM fields traditionally.
How can I deal with these inherent issues when I start a job. Does CodeOp help prepare me?
Throughout the course, you will be mentored by a career coach in addition to learning from individuals who work in different areas of the tech ecosystem.