There’s a saying that the future belongs to those who can code. One Hawaii business is booming by providing the necessary skills. We get more from the editor in chief of Pacific Business News, A. Kam Napier.
In 2014, Jason Sewell and Russel Cheng saw an opportunity in Hawaii’s high-tech start-up scene. The state of Hawaii had just infused that scene with $6 million in seed money and small tech companies were beginning to take off. What they would need is software developers capable of writing the code that underlays every new application.
The two founded DevLeague to offer intensive bootcamps in software development out of classrooms in the Manoa Innovation Center. Now entering its fourth year of operation, DevLeague has graduated 122 students and is poised for growth. It’s adding three new tracks in what the founders call “hot markets” — cyber security, big-data analysis and enterprise software development.
If the word “students” makes you think of high school or college kids, think again. Sewell and Cheng say their typical student is nearly 30 years old, already working, and 90 percent of them already hold degrees. And they’re highly committed to gaining high-tech skills. The full-time version of DevLeague’s bootcamp is three months long, consisting of six 11-hour days per week. The part-time program lasts six months. Careful screening of applicants has kept the drop-out rate low.
Tuition ranges from $11,500 to $14,500 depending on the track. For some students employers are picking up the tab, imparting 21st century skills to the workers they already have.
