7 Places For Beginners To Learn To Code In Washington, D.C. — 6 Are Free!
The nation’s capital is home to hundreds of political organizations, a bustling tourism industry, and a hub of international finance. But this city is also becoming quite the tech center — in 2013 Forbes declared Washington, D.C. the No. 1 “New Tech Hot Spot” in America.
The good news for those who are learning to code: D.C. has its fair share of traditional, paid, bootcamp-style coding courses (including The Iron Yard, listed below). But it also has quite a few classes that are more informal (and free!) if you’re just looking for support and mentorship to supplement your self-directed learning. No matter what learning style you’re looking for, D.C. definitely has something to suit your needs.
Hear Me Code
Course level: Beginner
Example courses: Intro to Python
Price range: $0
Founded in 2013 by Shannon Turner, Hear Me Code offers free, beginner-friendly coding classes for women in D.C. “It’s very important to me that the classes remain accessible to as many people as possible,” Shannon explains, “Which is why they’re free, on the weekends, and near the Metro.”
The courses focus on Python, but students learn some HTML, CSS, command-line, and git as well. What makes the program unique, though, is the supportive community it offers to students. “It’s an incredibly supportive environment both inside and outside the classroom,” says Shannon. “We’ve had nearly 100 students give back to the community by becoming teachers and teaching assistants.”
NodeSchool DC
Course level: Beginner — Advanced
Example courses: Monthly Self-Paced Node.js Workshops
Price range: $0
NodeSchool consists of a set of online, open source workshops that cover everything from basic JavaScript to advanced Node.js electives. At the informal NodeSchool DC meetups (part of the wider NodeDC community), attendees are paired off with another student of the same level, and the two work through a NodeSchool workshop together. As Organizer Robbie Holmes explains, mentors are present “to assist if attendees get stuck, want clarification, or to discuss any of the workshop exercises.”
Robbie notes that the NodeSchool meetups are aimed at “everyone from newbies to experts. NodeSchool has a wide variety of electives for advanced students, and we’re always happy to have new mentors emerge from our pool of attendees.”
The Iron Yard
Course level: Beginner
Example courses: Ruby on Rails; JavaScript and MVC Frameworks
Price range: $13,900
Looking for something more formal? The Iron Yard offers multiple 12-week full-time, immersive courses for beginners on their downtown D.C. campus, just two blocks from Dupont Circle. According to Su Kim, The Iron Yard’s D.C. Campus Director, class sizes are kept intentionally small and instructors (who are full-time employees of The Iron Yard) “are 100 percent devoted to their students for the entirety of the 12 week course.”
Su explains that The Iron Yard’s D.C. courses are specific to the local tech job market. “The format for our 12-week immersive courses is same across the board but the content is contextualized.” Local events and partnerships with community groups also “reflect the local flavor.”
Women Who Code DC
Course level: Beginner
Example courses: Algorithms Meetup; Front End Lab
Price range: $0
Women Who Code is a U.S.-based nonprofit focused on supporting women in tech, with dozens of chapters worldwide. The group offers weekly meetups “ranging from open project work, to tech talks, to insert-language-for-beginners,” describes Katherine McClintic, the D.C. chapter’s Director of Education. These offerings are currently geared towards beginners, but higher-level students should stay tuned! The group is hoping to increase its ability to support more advanced students in the next year and beyond.
Katherine notes that Women Who Code DC provides its members with a supportive community of women in tech. “Even though we aren’t directly responsible for [students’] accomplishments, having strong support can give people the confidence they need to push themselves over the finish line.”
DC Ruby Users Group
Course level: Beginner — Advanced
Example courses: Monthly Tech Talks; Monthly Hack Night
Price range: $0
DC Ruby Users Group hosts monthly tech talks and informal hack nights. The meetups are “for anyone who is interested in Ruby,” says Organizer Josh Szmajda. “We cater to both beginners and advanced folks. We’re all about building a strong community and helping everyone engage and grow.”
Although the events do not offer formal instruction, Josh explains that the hack nights “have been well-attended by folks who are interested in leveling up and I’ve seen them get great value out of the events.” And hey, sometimes there’s even free pizza — what could be better?
PyLadies DC
Course level: Beginner
Example courses: Learn Flask in your PJs!; Learn Django in your PJs!
Price range: $0
As stated on the website, PyLadies is an “international mentorship group with a focus on helping more women become active participants and leaders in the Python open-source community.” The PyLadies DC chapter was formed in 2011 (as the second ever PyLadies chapter).
The group offers a variety of classes, both in person and remote. According to Organizer Jackie Kazil, most of the classes are focused on Python beginners, but the group intends to offer more advanced classes as demand increases.
Code for Progress
Course level: Beginner
Example courses: Front-End Web Development Fellowship; Back-End Web Development Fellowship
Price range: $0
According to a 2014 article by FastCompany, “Code For Progress … focuses on teaching social activists coding skills that they can use to address issues of inequality.” The program, which is offered to women and people of color, has two fellowships: one focused on front-end development, the other on back-end development. Each fellowship consists of a 5-month training program in D.C., followed by a 7-month full-time internship in the tech sector.
A look at the list of alumni on Code for Progress’ website shows how dedicated these students are to using their new skills for good. Equipped with a year of training and experience in tech, alumni have gone on to work for places like Detention Watch Network, AFL-CIO, and United We Dream.
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