Code Platoon

On episode 2 season 5 of Bytes Over Bagels Mary Brown and I sat down with Rod Levy the founder and CEO of the indomitable coding bootcamp for our military veterans, Code Platoon.

As a bootcamp grad himself, Rob was inspired when he learned — via his 13 year old son — about the Call of Duty Endowment. Rod found his calling: he poured his energy into combining something he was passionate about — helping Vets — with the familiar bootcamp model. In my experience running my own coding bootcamp, military students always displayed the a lot of grit; even in the face of challenging material, they tend to charge forward. After several years in operation, Rod can confirm that military students are nearly unstoppable.

Funded through grants and corporate sponsored scholarships, Code Platoon is a non-profit bootcamp with a singular mission of training military veterans as working software developers.

Being on the board is a career high for me. It’s viscerally rewarding being involved with Rod and the impressive crew he’s assembled: top-level folks on his board and a staff equally as mission-driven and charitable as Rod.

Check out the episode, it’s pretty fun and inspiring to hear Rod talk about the cohorts, the staff, and the mission. *Spoiler* Rod is trying to grow out his hair and I call him out.