Not Your Average Academy – The Mississippi Model
Our program combines several principles into a single unique offering:
Full Stack Software Development
Current Developers Evaluate & Review
Simulated Workplace
Soft Skills Emphasized
Other Features:
Learn Coding by Coding
Industry Experienced Instructors
Industry Like Hours
Employer Shaped Curriculum
Breaking the Cycle – Minimum Wages to Technology Wages
Most participants come from underserved families and are either not college-bound or found that college did not provide the desired economic independence. Most have only a high school education and typically earn part-time minimum wages.
Our coders start at an average of $40,000 a year, a 2—to 4-fold increase in earnings. They have entered an industry where the average salary in Mississippi is $72,039 (code.org).
History
Founded in 2017 as a joint project between Innovate Mississippi and the Governor’s office via MDA, our charter offers a nontraditional path to creating new and diverse software professionals and improving economic opportunity for Mississippians, particularly the disadvantaged and underserved communities.
We have physical training locations in Jackson, Columbus, Biloxi, Clarksdale, and Natchez, MS. We are affiliated with and supported by Mississippi State University, the University of Southern Mississippi, the Mississippi Development Authority, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, and several corporate partners.