Codepath has been my favorite group to work with. After I left Enki.com, I was looking for an organization that met 3 criteria: Ethical, Effective, and Sustainable.
When I met Tim and Nathan, some of the Founders of CodePath, I was struck by the experience. Never before had I met anyone so purely intent to help others and put student needs first. Their focus, diversifying the pipeline of technical talent, is an enormous project, and they work tirelessly with zeal to better every aspect of one’s entry into tech. Their pedagogy is top-notch, their programs are incredibly efficient and well-run, and I have just never seen a community or non-profit that has been so effective in truly transforming someone’s career.
I created, staffed, taught and administered an interview prep class through them with the Computing Talent Initiative, which is a multi-school, mostly California-State based initiative to help CS students outside of the top schools compete in the job market, by learning not just the CS theory, but practical skills that will help them pass interviews. Though this initiative, I met my next client, Karat.io.
While continuing with the Computing Talent Initiative, I ran programs for CodePath the next year, overseeing the Tech Fellow (course instructor) Training program, and improved their pedagogy a bit more by adding my own flavor. We built the SE101 course featured on my Learning Resources page, and I ran the CyberSecurity program for several runs. I helped pick the next Tech Gurus (regional managers of instructors) from among the top Tech Fellow talent, and trained them to organize and run the course. Together we built what I call a “Reverse Pyramid Scheme of Seizing The Means of Production”, which I think explains how CodePath scales empathy as well as content delivery. Today both courses are immense, running across more than 28 universities.
I always wanted the opportunity to teach at Howard University, as one of my ancestors, Otis Howard, founded the university. Before my father passed away, I was able to tell him that my courses were running at Howard, and thus I had achieved a dream we both shared. I will always be thankful to CodePath for giving me this opportunity to give to Howard University without needing to take any resources from the school. I am incredibly proud of all of the work I did in education, but this was the most personally meaningful work I have ever done. Thank you CodePath, you are the best in the world at what you do.