If you’re a female who wants to learn how to code but aren’t quite willing to shell out the dough to do so, there’s a new year-long program in Seattle that might be just for you.
Ada Developers Academy (Ada) is offering up a free, intensive 24-week class designed to teach women everything from Ruby on Rails to HTML/CSS to JavaScript. Once instruction is completed, students will be placed in a six-month apprenticeship with a local tech company to apply their newly-learned skills.
Elise Worthy, a Seattle-based developer, is Ada’s program manager and said she’s passionate about helping more women learn how to code.
“We’re really excited about our first class,” she said. “We’ll be directly addressing the gender imbalance in software as well as the pay gap in Seattle.”
Operating as a non-profit project of the Technology Alliance, the academy has already raised a good chunk of money from the Washington State’s Department of Commerce and local sponsors. But it is looking to bring in an additional $35,000 through an IndieGoGo campaign to cover costs like classroom rent and supplies.
Ada, named after one of the first programmers ever and Geek Madness participant Ada Lovelace, will still launch if the IndieGoGo doesn’t reach its goal. However, the program may be delayed and/or admit fewer students. The first cohort is expected to be around 15-to-20 programmers, but Ada wants to eventually graduate 80-to-100 per year.
If you’re interested in Ada, head here to apply. You must be a woman, not have prior programming experience and own a Mac laptop. Applications are accepted through Sept. 30 at 5 p.m. PST.
