Big tech firms are going all-in on green

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Earth Day is a national holiday that was inaugurated in 1969 at a UNESCO conference held in San Francisco. Every year since, earthlings worldwide have dedicated April 22 as a day for environmental renewal, through local initiatives like planting trees and cleaning parks. While that intention has not changed over the past 50 years, the technology that is relied upon to get the job done has — dramatically. Let’s look at a few examples of how tech is keeping Mother Earth greener today.

Apple increases iPhone recycling in an effort to lower carbon emissions

Apple’s dream is to produce consumer products from 100% recycled materials. With this lofty goal in mind, attention is being drawn to Apple with the opening of a new e-recycling plant in Austin, TX.

In an Apple press release, the company boasts of their environmental plan to create all new products from recycled materials. The first step in that plan was revealed last year with the release of Daisy. The 33-foot robot has five arms with the sole purpose of dissecting 15 different kinds of iPhones. Everything from the 2012 iPhone 5 to the 2018 iPhone XS can be disassembled after a consumer gives the phone back to an Apple Store or a Best Buy as part of the Apple Trade-In program.

Their newest announcement by Apple was the 9,000 sq. ft. e-recycling facility in Austin, TX. Dubbed the Material Recovery Lab, the facility is built entirely around a Daisy. This facility is where academia and scientists are welcome to help Apple redesign the way we recycle electronics.

To date, Apple has received 1 million products through its network of trade in programs. Each Daisy is capable of disposing of approximately 200 iPhones an hour; that’s 1.2 million phones a year. In 2018, Apple refurbished 7.8 million devices, saving close to 48,000 metric tons of electronic waste from the dumps.

Because of this significant change in the way Apple does business, they have been able to lower the carbon footprint of several products still in production. The latest Macbook Air and Macbook Mini have half the footprint of their predecessors. This result comes from innovation and engineering of 100% recycled aluminum alloy. This alloy is recycled with the help of Daisy, and used in the manufacturing of the latest Macbook models.

It is because of these triumphs, that the Materials Recovery lab has been born. Apple hopes to continue to expand their electronic recovery procedures into the future resulting in a 100% recycled new product.

Microsoft empowers environmental scientists with AI for Earth

AI for Earth is Microsoft’s way of giving back to the environment. The grant program is designed to give computing resources to environmental scientists and organizations working on earth friendly programs.

Scientists and organizations are offered two main grant categories: Data Labeling Services and Azure Compute Credits. In addition, the applicants can specialize in four environmental sub-categories: agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, and water.

Data Labeling Services allow organizations to create key data sets in one of the four environmental sub-categories. All data sets that are labeled through the grant program are hosted on Azure and made publicly available to other organizations and individuals for training models.

Azure Compute Credits are available if you have access to a labeled dataset and are ready to start computing in the cloud and accessing Azure AI tools. The participant will get a denomination of Azure compute credits to be used for the cataloging and computing data in Azure software.

Examples of projects funded by Microsoft’s AI for Earth include using artificial intelligence for forest mapping, fighting extinction, increasing crop production, using insects and drones to track emerging diseases and even to help fight poaching. When human ingenuity and technology converge, great things are bound to happen.

Technology can save the world

With advances in technology and AI, humans can do what was once unimaginable. The research being accomplished by both, Microsoft and Apple, is a testament to human ingenuity. For veterans, an opportunity to contribute represents the next frontier in the battle against humanity’s existential threats. We look forward to seeing the new and wonderful things that can be produced by these organizations and the people who are empowered by them.

The Best Paying and Most In Demand Programming Languages in 2019

The Best Paying and Most In Demand Programming Languages in 2019

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At Code Platoon, we track national demand for programming languages so that our veterans and military spouses are trained with the best tools for a career in software development.

But whether you’ve never coded before or you’re a veteran looking to pivot, when you’re deciding which programming language to learn, the following demand-based insights can help inform your strategy.

This article attempts to answer which programming languages command the highest salaries and are most frequently targeted in job postings.

How we identified the current top programming languages

To answer our questions, we conducted simple searches on Indeed.com, one of the largest job listing sites.

For the question of compensation, we started by searching for the top 15 most popular languages in a recent Stack Overflow survey and mapped the average salary for job listings with those languages. For demand, we tracked the number of total job postings targeting those same languages.

Ranking programming languages by pay and number of openings

The Best Paying and Most In Demand Programming Languages in 2019

Python: Possibly the best coding language according to the data, Python is tied for #1 in Average Salary with Ruby, which ranks lower on total job listings available. Python, by contrast, takes the #2 position for Job Postings, and holds an enormous lead in that category before third place. Python is an interpreted, multi-purpose programming language. It is often used to build web applications, and seeing exploding growth due its use in data science, machine learning, cybersecurity, and dev ops.

Javascript: Often called ‘the language of the web,’ Javascript tied with C++ for #3 in Job Postings and #5 in Average Salary. Javascript is an indispensable language to know for writing web applications, as it works both in the browser and on the server side.

Ruby: Highly-valued, Ruby ties for #1 for Average Salary and #6 for Job Postings. Like Python, Ruby is an interpreted, multi-purpose language that is relatively easy to learn. Its popularity stems largely from its web development framework, Ruby on Rails, which is very powerful, widely used, and relatively easy to get up and running.

C++: This was once a premier top-level programming language and is now used primarily in gaming and high-performance applications. C++ stands at #4 in Average Salary and tied for #3 in Job Postings.  The common and useful language C++ was designed for application and systems programming. Since its creation, it’s often been used for office applications, games, and advanced graphics. C++ is very fast and stable, but difficult to learn relative to the other languages in this list (except possibly C).

Java: Integral to large-scale legacy business applications and gaining new relevance through its adoption by Google for Android, Java maintains #1 in Job Postings and #6 in Average Salary. Java’s rankings were an exact flip of Ruby’s in each category. Originally developed by Oracle, Java is extremely popular because it can be used for mobile, web, and desktop app development, and more. Reasonably stable and fast, it is very popular at the enterprise level.

C#:  Similar to Java with Android, C# maintains a solid user base through its adoption in the Unity gaming engine, standing at #5 in Job Postings, and #8 in Average Salary. C# was specifically designed by Microsoft as a competitor to Java. Often used to build desktop apps and video games, as well as web apps, C# remains very popular in the enterprise realm. It runs on Microsoft’s .NET platform.

Swift/iOS: The biggest jump in salary from 2018 to 2019, Swift owes its rankings of #3 in Average Salary, and #8 in Job Postings to its dominance in the mobile market. Created by Apple, Swift is now often the default language for writing iOS apps (Objective C preceded it). If you want to write apps for the iPhone, look no further.

PHP: The language that powers WordPress, PHP is #7 in Job Postings, and #9 in Average Salary. PHP is a general-purpose scripting language used for the development of web applications. One of the earliest languages for web development (released in 1995), it remains widely popular today.

C: C is one of the oldest and most widely used programming languages in the world, and holds #7 in Average Salary, and #9 in Job Postings. It is used to program everything from operating systems to hardware. What makes this language so difficult to learn is in part why it is so powerful: a lot of concepts that are hidden to users in scripting languages like Python, Ruby, and even Java are exposed in C, so that the programmer has more flexibility and complexity available.

What changed from 2018 to 2019?

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For those making a career, the direction the market is going matters as much as where it is now, so we wanted to look at some of the changes from 2018 to 2019. Since we used the same methodology for similar research in 2018, it will be helpful for a comparison.

Python and Swift developers saw the largest increases in average salary ($9,000). Python climbed the most in number of jobs posted in 2019, posting an additional 3,000 jobs. Ruby saw the largest drop in popularity, posting 5,000 fewer jobs in 2019.

What will be the most popular programming language in 2020?

It’s difficult to speculate how these programming languages will fare in the future because the supply of qualified applicants affects the number of open positions. However, as the Stack Overflow survey points out: “Python has risen in the ranks of programming languages on our survey, surpassing C# in popularity this year, much like it surpassed PHP last year.”

Python now has the largest Google search traffic of any programming language, recently passing Java. Java and Javascript come next.

If you’re also looking for more information on the usefulness of various programming languages, the TIOBE Index and Stack Overflow provide two of the most authoritative reports. Both reports consider industry demand as well as additional perspectives, and incorporate different approaches in determining the usefulness of programming languages.

If you’re a military veteran or military spouse interested in learning to code, you can apply for one of our cohorts now.

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Michael Dorsey, Alumni of the Month, May 2019

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Michael Dorsey, formerly an engineer with the Navy, was inspired to code by his grandmother, who had a direct hand in coding the technology used by the Chicago Clearing House. He remembers as a boy sitting on her lap while she coded on the computer. In the Navy, Michael was an engineer, and in between his heroic efforts to build schools for girls in Africa and to erect areas of operations for the military in Afghanistan, he started to fulfill his dream to code by teaching himself. But learning on his own proved daunting.

When his service was over, Michael returned to a regular civilian job. But working in retail at a wireless store didn’t feel quite right to him anymore. He was used to a deadline driven environment rooted in rules and discipline and duty. And, he still felt called to code. In 2016, Michael started searching for coding programs where he could apply the GI Bill® and came up short. But, today, his childhood dream has come true.

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First GI Bill® student at Code Platoon

The Department of Veterans Affairs approved Code Platoon in early 2018 to accept the GI Bill, making it the first coding bootcamp in Illinois to offer this to veterans. Michael was able to apply his benefits towards his Code Platoon tuition and receive his BAH, allowing him to fully focus on the rigorous of learning software development skills.

Michael feels at home in the Code Platoon environment, both as a student and an alumni. He is used to rules, which is exactly what coding is all about, creating and following rules. He is also accustomed to being extremely vocal with the people he is working with and consistently sharing details about the direction you’re heading. In the world of coding, coders have to talk to each other constantly about their work.

Code Platoon has remained a big part of Michael’s life, both personally and professionally. In late 2018, Michael stepped up to help form and lead the Code Platoon Alumni Association. This group of alumni is working to support Code Platoon by creating content to help showcase the program to prospective students. They have also formed an Emerging Leaders group, who will support the governing board of directors for Code Platoon, and learn more about the organization behind the training program.

Executive Director Rod Levy said about Michael, “While Michael has a solid grasp on the technical skills required to succeed as a software development professional, his leadership abilities and entrepreneurial spirit are second to none. Michael thrives leading teams and we are fortunate to have him at the helm as our inaugural Alumni Association president.”

Congratulations to Michael Dorsey, our Alumni of the Month for May 2019!

Transcript of Michael Dorsey’s Code Platoon video

I was in the military and the Navy for five years. I was a CB, which is actually a builder doing construction. During the time of my last two years in the military, I taught myself how to program, and really just trying to break into the field. I always had a passion for it. When I was about 10 years old, my grandmother took me to her job at the Chicago Clearing House. She’s actually a programmer. That’s where the zeal came from. I just saw what she was doing and how much she loved it. It really peaked my interest.

After getting out of the military, I was like, all right, now is the time. Let’s go ahead and go after this dream that I’ve had for the longest.

About a year and a half later, I actually found Code Platoon during a Google search. It came just in time. I was getting ready to move back to California, back away from my family, and Code Platoon pretty much found me.

I really ran into a bunch of challenges because I thought that I knew how to program, and I really didn’t. But Jon, the actual lead instructor of Code Platoon, he was great. We had some TAs there that helped you through everything. Any questions that you had, they would definitely answer them for you. They were just there to help. The environment itself was just indicative of what the family-oriented lifestyle of the military was.

I moved on to a company called Change Healthcare. I studied web development at Code Platoon and when I got to Change Healthcare, I was shocked and surprised that they wanted me to do a totally different side of web development or actually development. But the good thing is even though I was kind of banging my head, and still am a little bit, just using the tactics that Code Platoon has taught me, talking to people, asking questions, being curious, asking why, finding out, and having the drive to go after what you want and finding that answer, has really helped me through all of this, and still is helping me to this day.

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Army Reserve and Code Platoon

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Want to build your civilian-side career while serving in the Army Reserve?

Software coding is one of the fastest-growing and most in-demand jobs available. Plus, it’s compatible with the specific needs of Army Reserve soldiers:

  • Coding jobs are available almost anywhere you move during service.
  • Tech companies are able to adapt to drill and deployment schedules.
  • The schedule and physical demands of coding won’t compromise your Reserve duties.
  • Code Platoon’s program is flexible with drill and deployment schedules for Reserve students.

Code Platoon is a coding boot camp designed specifically for military veterans, including reservists. In 15 weeks, you’ll have the skills you need to begin your coding career.

The Code Platoon program is excellent for Reserve soldiers for several reasons:

  • We are GI-Bill eligible and offer very generous scholarships to Army Reserve applicants
  • The length (15 weeks) and location (Chicago) of our program is accessible to many reservists
  • Most of our graduates are placed directly into paid apprenticeships after the program
  • Our career prep training translates your military experience into a coding career

One of our graduates, Jyn Kim, tells her story about attending Code Platoon as an Army Reserve soldier in the video below.

The first step on your journey to a software programming career while in the Army Reserve is to apply to our program.

APPLY NOW

While Code Platoon seeks to meet the specific needs of Army Reserve soldiers, our program is open to all branches of military service, as well as Active Duty and National Guard, and all service members’ spouses.

If you’re not ready to apply, but want to learn more, let us know a good email address to reach you by subscribing to our newsletter below.

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The VA is serious about helping veterans get jobs in the tech industry

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As a non-profit serving veterans through software coding training, we love keeping up with current trends for veteran interests and the technology sector. Let’s look at what’s new for the week of March 25, 2019.

Tech jobs are still a good choice for veterans

According to USA Today’s list of the Top 25 Jobs for 2019, software developers are still in high demand with an unemployment rate under two percent and a median salary in the six figure range, showing that tech jobs are still on top. In fact, out of all possible jobs in the article, software developer is #1.

So how do veterans get the hard skills to get into one of these coveted, high end tech jobs?

The VET TEC program incentivizes veterans to get coding jobs

Most veterans already know they can use their benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill® to attend a conventional college or coding boot camp to learn to code. But now the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is offering another wonderful opportunity to get into technical programs with their newly created Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) program.

Starting in April, 2019 the Department of Veterans Affairs will use VET TEC to get motivated, hard working veterans into tech jobs. VET TEC has been designed to give veterans another opportunity to use nontraditional training like coding boot camps to access jobs in information technology, computer software, information science, media application, data processing and computer programing fields.

As long as the vet has even a single day of GI Bill benefits available to use, VET TEC is free to the veteran but doesn’t use up their GI Bill benefits up.

The VA’s goal is to focus more on the job outcome than the education, and they’re willing to incentivize veterans to follow along. The veteran, of course, still ends up with debt free tuition as long as they work towards a job in a technical industry, and can still fall back on other GI Bill forms if they change their mind.

Vet Tec makes sure that the student does not pay anything for tuition. However, the program has delayed payment to the education institution to incentivize them to facilitate measurable results for graduates. Upon the veteran’s acceptance into the program, the VA will pay the training provider 25 percent of tuition and then another 25 percent once the veteran graduates. Finally, when the veteran gets a job in their area of study, the VA will pay the last 50 percent of tuition.

Why is the VA pushing for coding boot camps?

Coding boot camps, which are condensed, job-focused software development courses, are growing in popularity.

According to Inside Higher Ed, many coding boot camps cater to people with a bachelor’s degree who cannot afford another certificate or degree program. For these students, this short range, intense training program is an add-on to their traditional education that will not be a replacement, but an enhancement to their technical skills and resume.

However, coding boot camps are still ideal for absolute beginners because they have a compressed curricula and focus highly on job placement in high demand, relevant career fields. Because of the success of this type of learning, many universities are changing the focus of their traditional programs to include a version of a condensed coding boot camp program.

Evidence suggests that many higher education programs are starting to shift from strictly four year degrees and incorporating a boot camp style course to help fill gaps in employability after graduation.

In other words, the coding boot camp is proving to be the more vital program, as boot camp graduates are having better outcomes in many cases than their undergraduate computer science counterparts.

The Apprenti program proves the VA is serious about veteran jobs in technology

As previously stated, employers want a slew of skills and experience when looking at a potential hire. Apprenti is taking a huge leap forward for veteran technology jobs by removing the burden of experience and education. Once a veteran passes a few basic tests and qualifies for the program, Apprenti places the veteran in a well-paying technology apprenticeship in a major company for at least a year. The intent is to bring the veteran as a full-time hire, and they’ll certainly benefit from the apprenticeship regardless.

The stress of finding experience and education is eliminated by this program by placing veterans into a technology apprenticeship. During this apprenticeship the veterans are taught the appropriate skills needed to maintain a job in their chosen technological career fields. According to Apprenti’s statistics, almost 50 percent of students start the program without a prior degree and approximately 85 percent of participants are retained by the company with which they have done their apprenticeship!

Apprenticeships like those offered by Apprenti give one more avenue to get that desired tech job. Currently, there are almost 2 million vacancies in the industry, and only 65,000 students will be graduating with the requisite computer science degree. This leave a lot of gaps that need to be filled and a lot of opportunity for veterans to get their foot in the door.

What can veterans do next for a tech job?

Not all military jobs line up perfectly with jobs in the civilian world, and that means more training upon transition from your respective branch of service.

Through the ages, attending college with the Montgomery GI Bill and Post 9/11 GI Bill has always been tried and true options for veterans entering the workforce after service. However, with veterans urgently needing post-service careers, and the college education pipeline failing to supply coders to meet the total job openings in tech fields, veterans have some other options.

Programs like Apprenti and Vet Tec bring a fresh new look to the education field with cutting edge opportunities that not only give veterans the skills needed to fill in of those job vacancies, but it gets right to the paycheck as well.

Code Platoon, our non-profit coding boot camp for veterans and military spouses, accepts the GI Bill and offers scholarships for many students who do not have GI Bill benefits. We also place most of our graduates in paying apprenticeships that lead to careers with their host company.

If you’re a veteran or spouse interested in our training, please click here to apply to our program.

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Making of the Code Platoon graduates video

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Code Platoon Week Thirteen and Fourteen - Capstone Projects

Code Platoon Week Thirteen and Fourteen – Capstone Projects

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This is what we’ve been building toward the last twelve weeks. Using Flask, React, and various third party libraries, students team up to create a capstone project that they will use to show off to employers during interviews.

Working in the Real World

Perhaps the most talked about part of Code Platoon is the final group capstone project. This project occurs over 2 weeks at a technology company’s office. The company provides students with work stations, project management support, and mentorship from senior developers. Students participate in the company’s stand up cadence and have access to the office’s amenities. Because they’re building their project alongside seasoned professionals, they’re also creating long-lasting connections within the tech ecosystem of Chicago.

Graduation

Graduation day is also presentation day. After two weeks of intense work, groups present their projects to friends, family and members of the tech community. We work with students to practice their presentations and help them hone their pitch for their new app. After the presentations, students take time to network and answer questions.

Code Platoon Week Eleven and Twelve – React

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The latest and greatest front-end framework that the industry seems to agree on is ReactJS, created by Facebook. This framework is extremely fast and makes the user experience very rich.

React Components

React is a front-end framework based on the idea of components. Components are reusable pieces of code that programmers can nest together in different ways to create dynamic web pages. We’ve worked with different pieces of front-end frameworks before, but React is the latest way to bring together HTML, CSS and JavaScript a complete in one complete package that is super fast and easy to write and organize.

Project-Based Learning

Students will tackle React by creating one large application over two weeks. We’ll start by coding out some very basic functionality to get a feel for how React works and what some of its major benefits are. As we develop the app, we’ll learn how to make API calls in the background, add a search function that updates the page in real time without having to refresh, and add login and logout functionality. We’ll also take a look at some common React libraries like React Router which helps manage the different pages in our app, and Redux for when managing the state of our components becomes too cumbersome.

A Fast Framework at a Fast Pace

By now our students are not just more confident coders, they’re more confident independent learners. By the end of these two weeks, students are often amazed at how much they’ve learned in such a short amount of time. Stepping into our final project weeks, students will have two state-of-the-art frameworks at their disposal, but more importantly, they’ll have the confidence and knowledge to go out and learn more. This opens up possibilities for their capstone projects they could have only dreamed about on week one.

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SkillBridge and Code Platoon

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Sailors and soldiers on active duty who are transitioning out of active military service may be eligible for the DoD SkillBridge program. In the Army, this program is also called Career Skills.

At Code Platoon, our mission is to help veterans and military spouses get into valuable new careers, and the SkillBridge program aligns with that objective. If the SkillBridge program interests you, here are some frequently asked questions and answers that may help you.

How does SkillBridge help DoD service members transition into new careers?

SkillBridge is designed to give active duty service members an opportunity to develop in-demand job skills while still serving. Specifically, service members who participate in SkillBridge can use their last 6 months of active duty to participate in a training program like Code Platoon.

How would an active duty member apply to Code Platoon with SkillBridge?

Interested candidates will simply apply using the normal application link. During the application process, list yourself as active duty and select that you are interested in the SkillBridge scholarship. Immediately after, email info@codplatoon.org and let us know if you need any help or additional information.

How does Code Platoon help with the command approval process for SkillBridge?

Your unit commander needs to approve your participation in SkillBridge at Code Platoon, and we have some information that may help you with that process.

Below is a downloadable information packet for your commander. We’re also happy to have conversations with you about your steps taken outside Code Platoon that are required for you to succeed.

PDF download for your commander: Introductory Letter from Code Platoon

Which Code Platoon programs can I attend with SkillBridge?

You can attend our remote live program with SkillBridge. This means you’ll be able to take the program from wherever you live now. You’ll be on track with our classroom schedule, and have access to our instructors via computer.

If you’re in the rare instance of transitioning out through Naval Station Great Lakes, then you may be able to attend our in-person program as well.

What Code Platoon scholarships am I eligible for with SkillBridge?

We are providing a special 100% full scholarship for the remote program for students who attend through SkillBridge.

Can I use the GI Bill® with SkillBridge and Code Platoon

You cannot use the GI Bill® with SkillBridge and Code Platoon unless you transition out through Naval Station Great Lakes.

What do I do next?

Click here to apply for the Code Platoon program.

If you know someone else who may be interested, share the link to this page and this flyer.

Skillbridge Flyer

Student presenting to class

Code Platoon Week Ten – Personal Projects

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Our aim at Code Platoon is to have students graduate with the tools they need to get a junior role in software development. An important landmark on our road toward that goal is the personal project. We recognize that classroom instruction and curated challenges can teach a lot, but there are still lessons that can only be learned by stepping into a unique project where you’ll need to adapt to the challenges that present themselves along the way. That’s why we dedicate an entire week to letting students develop and deploy their own projects.

Build Something Unique

By now students will have all the skills necessary to build their own projects. They’ll have HTML, CSS and JavaScript to help them build a dynamic and responsive User interface and they’ll have the ability to implement data storage with SQL and Flask on the back end. From there we set them free to create whatever they want. In the past, students have built blogs, e-commerce sites, mapping applications, and chat apps. This is a chance for our students to take what we’ve taught them and explore what interests them. Instructors and mentors will be on hand to provide guidance, but students will do the bulk of the work themselves. The goal is that by the end of the week our students will be able to add a whole new project to their resume.

Brag About Your Work

The last day of the week is presentation day. Students present their applications to the class. Building is a great skill, but knowing how to speak intelligently and clearly about what you’ve built is just as important, especially when hunting for a job. Students will get feedback from instructors and peers on their application and presentation skills. In the end, everyone will vote and awards will be given for the best applications.