The European coding institute will open its first Irish campus next week, welcoming ‘strong interest’ from across the country.
Is a career change on your agenda for 2020? If so, coding could be the way to go.
So says Wild Code School, a European coding institution that is due to open the doors to its first Irish campus next week. The school operates across 24 locations in Europe, having originated in France in 2014.
Explaining the timely opening of the new site, Marek Wystepek, Wild Code School’s Dublin campus manager, said: “This is the time of year when, inevitably, people start thinking about the changes they want to make in their lives. Often, those who want to change their careers are put off by the thoughts of having to retrain or go back to college for a long period of time.”
According to Wystepek, applicants to the Wild Code School can avoid some of the time, energy and financial issues associated with taking on a whole new range of skills.
“The beauty of the Wild Code School model is that our courses are only five months long. So, by summer 2020, you could have completely transformed your skillset, acquiring the coding skills you need to land yourself an exciting new job this year,” he said.
‘12,000 unfilled IT jobs’
Wild Code School’s courses are based around three projects that students complete, one of which involves working in partnership with tech sector companies.
But who can apply? The school accepts people from “hugely diverse backgrounds”, according to Wystepek, with many having “no prior experience in tech”.
“The other great thing about Wild Code School is you don’t need any specific qualifications or experience before you start with us. We accept applicants of all ages, from 18 upwards, and trainees come to us from hugely diverse backgrounds.”
The benefits, he added, include “acquiring future-proofed skills for an industry in which there are thousands of exciting job vacancies”. Wystepek said that Ireland currently has an estimated 12,000 unfilled IT jobs, meaning that the country has many opportunities for budding coders.
Once someone has made their entry into the field, he added, they can expect “a career path with really excellent prospects”.
“Junior web developers can expect a starting salary of around €33,000, and that typically doubles within five years,” he said.
‘Strong interest’ in coding skills
The first Wild Code School campus in Ireland will be housed in The Digital Hub in Dublin 8 and it is now on the lookout for applications from its first intake of trainees. Later today (2 January), the school will host an open night at its new campus, offering information for anyone interested in applying.
“We’ve had really strong interest from across Ireland,” Wystepek said. “There are still a small number of places available on our first full-time course, which kicks off later this month. We’ll also be introducing a part-time course option this spring, and additional courses will be starting later in the year.”
