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Computer Coding Academy Launches In Center City

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--In Philadelphia, the business landscape is booming and to keep up, tech help is needed.

A new company that has just launched in Center City is giving software engineers an intense learning experience where you can change your life in under three months.

One of the hottest occupations in the United States is software engineer. By 2024, there will be roughly 2 million job openings in the field.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for a developer is over $100,000.

That's where Launch Academy comes into play.

"Launch Academy is a short-term vocational educational program. We like to say we give the gift of loving what you do," said Dan Pickett, co-founder of Launch Academy.

After successfully opening their first academy in Boston and helping to place students at companies like Google, Fidelity, and NPR -- Launch has launched in Center City and they're attracting a crowd that seeks to jump aboard one of the fastest growing job markets.

But the course is intense.

"Through the 10 weeks that we have them here in a full-time program we have students investing anywhere between 50-60 hours per week at that time," said Pickett. "And through the first six weeks we really try to compress as much knowledge as possible into that time period."

Devin Bombay is a student who decided that his future was in software development and left his full-time job to immerse himself in coding full-time. He says he feels like he's made a wise move.

"It is very much a pioneer industry," he says. "There still is so much room for defining yourself within the industry and having the flexibility it really is like the next American dream, the next gold rush."

And Pickett says people from all walks of life are making the leap into a field they see as one on the upswing.

"We do have folks that come from computer science backgrounds that want to refresh their skills," says Pickett. "But more typically we have folks that are in finance or economics or even music they come to us and say, 'I want a more exciting career. I want something with more upside, and software engineering seems like it's a wonderful pathway for me.'"

It begins as an eight-week online course that gets you acclimated with the program and that leads into 10 full-time weeks of schooling.

Their Boston campus was the first to open and it has led to a 94 percent job placement among graduates.

To learn more CLICK HERE.

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