image

Coming into a coding bootcamp, students often have one goal in mind: get a job. Finding employment as a Software Developer when you’re new to the industry can be overwhelming, with unique technical interviews and the burning question; who is going to hire me when I’ve only been coding for 12 weeks?

This is where the Career Services team comes to the rescue. They are the bridge between Bootcamp and the crowd of employers seeking Developer talent. They work with each of our graduates to prepare them for their new career and navigate the complexities of the tech industry’s job market. With the support of the CS team, 93% of our job-seeking graduates have found employment within 120 days months, which you can learn more about in our five-year Student Outcomes Report.

Our education philosophy is centred around the idea that Developers need to be immersed in projects and have a ton of hands on experience. During your 12 weeks of Bootcamp, you’ll barely scratch the surface of what you’ll need to know to become a master coder. You need the industry knowledge that only comes from being employed and surrounded by experienced Developers. That’s why we aim to take you from classroom to the real world as quickly as possible so you can continue learning on the job.

Consider your Bootcamp experience a year-long journey - you’ll spend four weeks preparing, 12 weeks immersed in the classroom and then you’ll dive into the industry head first to practice and build on the solid foundation that Bootcamp provides. Our Career Services team is how you will make that happen.

Not only will the CS team help you put your best foot forward, they’ll also be connecting you directly with employers who are ready to hire. Lighthouse Labs is well established in Canada, with more than 1,500 graduates working as Developers across the country, and our network of employers is always expanding. The demand from employers for Lighthouse Labs graduates is both a testament to our education quality and to the amazing people who are admitted to our program.

Our graduates go on to work at companies of all shapes and sizes, from tech startups to multi-national organizations, working at companies like Mobify, Telus, Uber, Axiom Zen and Mozilla. The Career Services team will work with you on how best to reach your individual career goals, and if you have a specific company or industry in mind, they will do their best to leverage their connections. Each employer is vetted and expectations are set so both our students and our employers know what is required to best support your growth as a Developer on the job.

How Does Career Services Work?

Around Bootcamp's halfway point, our Career Services team will meet with students to discuss their personal career goals. They will give you an overview of the steps they take to connect you with employers, on top of what will be expected of you while hunting for a job. They’ll provide resume workshops, practice tech interviews, coach you to discover your career goals and give you valuable insight into your tech community. Career Services will help you pair your past experience with your new coding skills to position yourself to prospective employers and land your first job as a Junior Developer!

There are many different ways the Career Services team will connect you with potential employers. They’re constantly sending curated resumes for our graduates and will connect with organizations on your behalf if you have your eye on a specific company. Our network is large and spans across Canada, and we’re often able to find connections for students in a wide variety of locations and industries. The CS team will also organize employer events to put you face to face with companies looking to hire - two of our favourite events are Employer Speed Interviewing and Employer-Only Demo Day.

Employer Speed Interviewing is exactly what it sounds like. Our upcoming job-seeking graduates will meet face to face for five-minute micro-interviews with employers who are looking to hire. You’ll have the chance to network and get a feel for the Developer hiring experience, while also discovering more about potential positions that may interest you! Each student will cycle through the employers and have a chance to speak with each hiring manager. If an employer likes what they see, they’ll connect with a member of the Career Services team to arrange a more formal interview.

Employer-Only Demo Day takes place just hours before our big public Demo Day. Students have the opportunity to show off their final projects directly to representatives from companies looking to hire. You’ll demo what you’ve created, talk about your tech stack, the development process and how your team brought the project to life. Employers will ask questions about the project and often will grill you on the components of your Demo, giving you a chance to show off your technical knowledge.

Come graduation, the Career Services team will have prepared you with everything you need to hit the ground running on the job hunt. While some students who hustle hard do get hired before Bootcamp even ends, there is still hard work ahead for those still looking for their first job. All incoming students are required to sign a jobseeker's agreement that highlights the effort required when you’re actively looking for your new position. This includes keeping the CS team in the loop on your status, actively applying for jobs, attending meetups and always be coding! Keeping your skills sharp while on the job-hunt is crucial.

To facilitate the jump from classroom to real world environment as quickly as possible, the Career Services team often works with employers to arrange a paid internship or apprenticeship-style employment that lasts three- to four-months. During this time, your employer would provide dedicated mentorship from a senior member of the development team who will be able to support the transition and help build the career skills needed to grow as a Developer.

In this situation, employers would pay a minimum of $500 a week during the apprenticeship period and often offer the student full-time employment at the end of the term. This option is a great fit for students who are eager to jump into a career as quickly as possible after graduation. If at anytime a graduate decides to not continue a position or leaves a previous employer, they are always welcome to re-engage with the Career Services team to help find their next position!

The CS team can be seen as your employment guardian angels. They are there for you throughout Bootcamp and beyond as you grow as a software developer. Our goal at Lighthouse Labs isn’t just to pump out graduates who know how to code - we want our alumni to contribute to the Developer community and continue to build amazing things. Being a Lighthouse Labs grad resonates with employers in the tech community, and the CS team will connect you with those who are well aware of both your capabilities and limitations as a new Bootcamp graduate. They are there to facilitate your growth and allow you to transition from Bootcamp to the industry without skipping a beat.

Join The Classroom
Which skills will you learn next?