Hacker schools offer different path to tech jobs

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Hacker schools offer different path to tech jobs

Hacker schools offer different path to tech jobs

Aaron Groch had a bachelor's degree in English and was writing for the Web when he went back to school to study computer programming. But after two years of computer science at Georgia State, he dropped out because he felt he wasn't learning to write code fast enough, the skill he needed to land a better job.

The Atlantan turned to an alternative that was billed as quicker, cheaper and effective. He went to hacker school, not a place where you devise ways to crack Defense Department security but where people learn code in a hurry and don't have to take anthropology.

In eight weeks at Tech Talent South in Atlanta, he had the skills he wanted and got an internship with a Web developer.

Hacker schools are an emerging niche education option, helping to fill a need in an important industry.

There is a shortage of qualified job applicants in the computer software category, said Tino Mantella, director of the Technology Association of Georgia.

That is where hacker schools hope to come in. Tech Talent South started its first two-month program in October with 15 students. Its current group numbers 22.

The Iron Yard, a hacker school based in South Carolina, opens shop on March 30 in Atlanta and is expanding into other cities. More than 60 students have graduated from its Greenville, S.C., campus.

Hacker schools don't offer certificates or diplomas. But some, such as The Iron Yard, guarantee job placement in six months, or students get their money back. The school says it hasn't had to issue a refund yet.

Tech Talent South does not make job guarantees, saying it does not want to push its students into a job that might not fit a student's goals.

While the schools have received compliments from students and employers, some observers caution that they are not regulated by independent or government monitors. They say students at traditional four-year programs get a deeper, more rounded education that helps their problem-solving capabilities.

But hacker schools appeal for different reasons.

Dr. Jenny Grace turned to Tech Talent South after 18 years as an ob-gyn. “Burned out,” she closed her practice in Alabama and moved to Atlanta. She found she liked writing code but “didn't have the luxury” of taking two to four years to study computer science.

After eight weeks at Tech Talent South, she was able to code and took an internship with a software developer.