Campus Spotlight: Prism Shift- Launch Academy's new women-only coding bootcamp in Washington D.C.

Prism Shift, Launch Academy’s new women-only program in Washington, D.C., wants to “turn the prism” and view education, tech, and the workforce from a new perspective. And it’s launching this Fall 2017! With insight from Prism Shift’s Experience Manager, Jesse Norris, and Marketing Manager, Tamara Monroe, we uncovered why Launch Academy chose to expand the bootcamp to D.C. Read on to see why Prism Shift, along with Launch Academy, is tackling the imbalance for #womenintech and how they plan to aid women learning to code in the nation’s capital!

Describe Prism Shift – is it a new school?

Prism Shift is a new women-only program offered by Launch Academy. With Prism Shift, we seek to fill a critical gap in training and placing women programmers in tech roles. Prism Shift will take advantage of the immersive coding curriculum Launch Academy has refined and offers it in an inspiring and supportive environment for women only. In addition, we will offer an opt-in professional enrichment curriculum to help women level-up their skills in addressing the barriers and unique challenges that women are more likely to face in the workplace.

How have you both been involved with Prism Shift and the new Washington, D.C. campus?

Jesse: I've been involved with Prism Shift since inception. I really feel connected with the idea of a program that lowers barriers for women, because early on in my career, those barriers pushed me away from joining the tech space. It's been really awesome seeing Prism Shift evolve from this vague idea into the defined program that we’ve brought to fruition. There are still a lot of unknowns, and we're going to lean on the feedback of our students and our hiring partners to help us make changes as we go so we can best serve the students and the community.

Additionally, as a Launch Academy alum myself (I actually consulted with Course Report to help me choose Launch Academy!), I am excited to see us use an evolved version of the same curriculum that served as the baseline for my coding education for this new women-only Prism Shift program in D.C. I am strongly invested in the success of this program.

Tamara: Since I started at Launch Academy, a large focus of my time (and enthusiasm) has been supporting the efforts to get the Prism Shift program off the ground. I’m passionate about making sure that women are aware that this unique and potentially life-changing opportunity exists. I’m also learning more about our students so that we can continually improve the experience as we go.

I’ve always had strong feelings about higher education and how it’s been evolving in recent years. I am the type of hands-on learner who would’ve thrived in an immersive bootcamp program with strong, human-first values like we practice at Launch Academy. I want to make sure that other professionals know this type of education is available, and a person can legitimately make a major, positive career change in a matter of months.

Why does Launch Academy feel it’s necessary to create a bootcamp solely for women?

The U.S. Department of Commerce reports female employees fill fewer than 25% of STEM jobs – even though they make up nearly half of the overall workforce. Women (including any individuals who significantly identify as women) are faced with barriers that need to be removed.

One of our core values refers to “turning the prism” which means viewing things from a new perspective. With Prism Shift, we’re bringing together perspectives on education, tech, and the workforce to change the industry in a positive and permanent way.

Even with the best of intentions, mixed-gender environments inevitably lend themselves to creating barriers, and it can be challenging for a woman to fully focus, feel confident, and immerse herself in the learning environment in the same way she can in a women-only classroom.

The numbers tell us that there is a shortage of women in technical roles – but what types of challenges have you seen female Launchers face as they enter tech?

There are many challenges for women in STEM careers. For example, one that we have seen time and time again is that women are less likely to advocate for themselves in the workplace, starting as early as salary negotiations. In Prism Shift, we offer an opt-in curriculum to help women prepare for these scenarios.

Imposter syndrome also manifests more often and more strongly in women, and we’ve seen it in our students specifically. Women struggle to identify strong mentors who can represent them, even though studies show women who have female mentors find greater success in their careers.

Critics say that all-women coding bootcamps don’t emulate a “real-world” work environment. How will you prepare your students for the real world, where sexism and gender imbalance are real?

We agree! Classrooms, in general, don’t emulate “real-world” work environments. You don’t train for a marathon by running 26 miles a day. However, you need to best prepare your body and mind for when that day comes.

Between the rigorous coding curriculum and professional enrichment opportunities, Prism Shift is able to offer the most elevating, productive environment to ensure that women are set up for success in their future workplace. In addition, we have a number of allies who are men who will likely have some level of involvement with the program – be it guest-speaking or general support. Our goal is to create an environment that takes away the challenges presented in mixed-gender classrooms, while still acknowledging the realities of working in tech.

What will make Launch Academy stand out among the competition in Washington, D.C.?

There are other bootcamps in D.C., but there was an obvious need for a women-only coding program in the city. Prism Shift’s ability to combine a truly immersive and proven tech curriculum powered by Launch Academy, with professional enrichment opportunities, will provide the women of D.C. a unique experience previously out of reach in the city. As the city that leads the nation, D.C. is the ideal location for an innovative program intended to drive change in both education and tech.

Let’s discuss the Washington, D.C. campus. What is the classroom like? What neighborhood is it in?

We’re so excited — we are in the midst of building out a custom space within a coworking environment in a building conveniently located in Dupont Circle. This is a great way for our students and faculty to enjoy private learning and mentoring with access to great amenities in an attractive and modern space.

Will you be teaching Ruby on Rails at this Washington, D.C. campus?

Ruby on Rails will be a part of our Prism Shift curriculum, serving primarily as a back-end technology for our students. Recently, our core focus has been expanding our Javascript and ReactJS curriculum. Students will learn at least as much (if not more depending on your interest!) Javascript & ReactJS as Ruby on Rails. By teaching both languages as an integrated, single stack, we feel we're doing our students a greater service by providing them more in-depth knowledge that they can use immediately upon entering their professional roles.

Is the push for gender balance extending to the teaching staff? Will you have female instructors in D.C.?

Prism Shift will be primarily led by our female instructors. Jesse and the team develop all programming and initiatives with the goal of creating an inclusive space. This means we will also welcome male allies as guest speakers.

What kind of hours will students need to put in to be successful?

Our cohorts operate like families that get to spend a lot of time together. The Ignition (off-campus prep) curriculum generally requires around 20 hours of commitment per week. When students start the on-campus curriculum, they can expect to spend anywhere from 40 to 80 hours per week learning, coding, working with mentors, collaborating with other students, developing final projects, etc. It is a truly immersive experience!

How is the D.C. campus similar or different to the other Launch Academy campuses in Boston and Philadelphia?

Each city is truly unique! Our cohorts are quite different in Philadelphia than in Boston. We are looking forward to getting to know the Prism Shift students in D.C.—their needs, expectations, and learning styles. Even though we’re instructing them, we also spend a lot of time observing, listening, absorbing, and evolving to ensure we’re giving them the experience they desire and deserve.

In terms of the space, we’ve learned a lot from our other locations, and we’re taking those learnings seriously when it comes to building out the Prism Shift space. For example, when we opened our Launch Academy Philadelphia program, we realized quickly that natural light is a major factor in productivity and mood, and we had too little of it. As a result of the feedback, we packed up and moved to a space that offers great light and both the students and faculty are thrilled. It’s so important to have a great space when students are spending 40 to 80 hours per week in it!

How are you approaching job placement in a new city?

We do have hiring partners with locations in D.C. and are actively developing new relationships with organizations so we can give our students every possible advantage when it comes to career placement. Our hiring partners cover the range of organization size and type, from small start-ups to large enterprises.   

What meetups or resources would you recommend for a complete beginner who wants to get started in Washington, D.C.?

There are some fantastic groups we recommend. She Geeks Out works to build engaged communities via events, networking, and education. Girl Develop It is a nonprofit that provides programs for women interested in learning in a judgment-free environment. Lesbians Who Tech connects lesbians (and allies) and works to make queer women more visible in the industry.

In addition to these organizations, Prism Shift will be offering free learn-to-code events in D.C., with our first Javascript learning event on August 23. Jesse will be on site with our Ignition Coordinator and an Admissions team member. It’s a great way to see the space and get to know what we’re all about. We’ll have more details on our website closer to the event.

When is the first Prism Shift cohort starting?

The Ignition pre-flight program begins on October 2, with students starting on campus December 4, 2017. Enrollment has already started for this cohort.

Any final thoughts that you’d like our readers to know about Prism Shift in Washington, D.C.?

This program is about inclusion. Although this is a women-only program, Prism Shift is open to people who identify as a woman in a way that is significant to them. This includes trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who are significantly female-identified. We strive to create an environment that serves this underrepresented part of the coding world.

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