The job market is bright for software developers. Across the US, there are more than 500,000 open software development jobs, and this number is expected to grow by 20% in the next seven years. To land a job in the field, you don’t need a college degree; you need to become excellent at writing code.

Even for the most capable devs, searching for and landing a job—especially the first one—can be hard work. To ease the process, we match our strong technical instruction with equally impressive career development training and support, and we stay with our grads every step of the way as they search for roles in software development.

Two full days of Code 401, our most advanced course, are dedicated to career development training. By the end of this series of lectures and workshops, students will have created effective resumes, LinkedIn profiles and online brands, and they will know best practices for interviewing and job search techniques.

During Code 401, two of the 10 weeks (or four of the 20 weeks in the Nights & Weekends track) are fully devoted to product development. Students break into teams, sometimes pairing up with other classes, to create portfolio-building projects, ensuring that when they graduate, they have real software development experience to put on their resumes and online profiles.

Code 401 students are encouraged to work on apps that prompt social change or support their community. Projects that focus on bringing real value to the lives of others not only shine on a resume, but help students focus on solving real-world problems with just their computers and an internet connection.

To ensure that our training prepares students for successful careers, we partner with local companies—small and large—to stay up to date on market trends and technology.

As our partners share which frameworks and tools they’re are looking for, we incorporate the most in-demand skills into our curriculum. Our partners are involved in the education process by speaking to classes and actively hiring graduates.

Our support and guidance extends well beyond graduation day. After successfully completing the course, Code 401 graduates receive job search tips and leads, gain access to our alumni network, and can continue to get one-on-one feedback and guidance on their job search.