10/27: Going Big!
Stretch Goal #4: Send Students to RailsConf - Additional $20,000
As we approach the last day of funding, let's do something really amazing. We blew through yesterday's stretch goals in no time flat.
Our last week of class happens to coincide with RailsConf (April 22nd, 2014). Wouldn't it be awesome if we could help kickstart our graduates by sending them to their first conference?
It will cost roughly $1,200 per student - about $20,000 total. If we make it to $63,000, we'll send the students to RailsConf. What better way to help them start on the right foot - giving lightning talks, meeting peers, and being immersed in the programming community? If we don't make it, we'll use the funding for regional conferences and guest speakers.
10/26: Just Added: Stretch Goals!
We're getting close to the end of our campaign and very close to our fundraising goal! If we make it over the base amount, we'll be ordering the following much-needed classroom supplies:
Stretch Goal #1: White Board - Additional $1,000
A rolling white board for the classroom that will be used during lectures and for group project diagramming.
Stretch Goal #2: Full-Size Fridge - Additional $2,000
We're in a space with no kitchen and we only have a donated mini fridge for all 16 students and staff. Help us store our lunches!
Stretch Goal #3: A/V Equipment - Additional $5,000
This money will go toward purchasing audio/visual equipment for the classroom. This means that we'll be able to record and share lectures as part of our open-sourced curriculum.
Women Should Be Programmers
My name is Elise and I am a software developer in Seattle. As a developer, I have the best career: interesting work, flexible hours, great salary, and choice of employers. I am also a woman. Unfortunately, the cards are stacked against women who are interested in programming careers: 85% of programmers and 98.5% of open source contributors are male.
This gender imbalance in one of the most fast-paced fields causes some unintended side effects:
-
Productivity: Studies have shown that diverse teams are more productive than
homogenous groups of even the highest ability problem solvers. Bringing more diversity
to software development teams will make them more
productive.
-
Income Equality: The average starting salary for a Ruby developer in Seattle is $75,000, while a non-coding employee in similar companies can expect to start at
$30,000-$40,000 annually. The fact that men occupy the vast majority of programming
jobs is problematic for income equality in the Seattle-area labor market. In fact, Seattle
has the largest gender salary gap of any metro area in the country – on average, women
in the Seattle area make 73 cents for every dollar earned by men here (http://www.geekwire.com/2013/seattle-worst-gender-wage-gap-america/).
Let's Make It Happen
Earlier this summer, I started working with a team of incredibly smart and motivated people to build a software development school just for women. Now, three months later, we're ready to launch Ada Developers Academy - an intensive 12-month program for women transitioning into software careers.
Ada Developers Academy will have six
months of intensive in-class work followed by six months of apprenticeship/internship at a sponsoring
company. Students will have practical experience working on project teams and will graduate
fluent in the Ruby on Rails tech stack (SQL, Ruby, Rails, HTML/CSS, JavaScript). They'll have immediately transferrable experience for web and mobile software development careers.
Unlike other software bootcamps, Ada Developer's Academy is not-for-profit: students pay no tuition and receive a living stipend. Leaving work for a full year can be daunting, and we want to make it as easy as possible, without the big price tag.
How You Can Help
Please donate to this unique and impactful cause. So far, we've received generous company donations and some funding from the State of Washington. However, we're still short. We're looking to raise an additional $35,000, which covers the full cost of a student to attend. This includes:
- Student living stipend
- Classroom rent in metropolitan Seattle
- Supplies, including books, software, and audio/visual equipement
- Wages for instructor and project staff member
- Accounting and legal help
- Classroom snacks and coffee
If we don't reach the entire goal, Ada Developers Academy will still launch, but we may have to admit fewer students and/or delay the launch date.
The Impact
We're confident that Ada Developers Academy will grow. We hope that this program will be a model for others around the globe. In addition to helping the women in the program, your contribution helps us provide free, open-source curriculum for others to use.
We're operating as a project of the Technology Alliance, a not-for-profit with over fifteen years of experience with tech educational programs and advocacy. Your donation is tax-deductible.
Spread The Word
As a supporter of Ada Developers Academy, you'll be a part of a new movement toward getting women into higher-paying, flexible jobs - technology jobs that are relied on by almost every industry. In addition to your monetary contribution, please spread the word to your friends and colleagues via Facebook, Twitter, and carrier pigeon.
Don't know what to say? Here are some sub-140 character examples!
I want to see more women developers in Seattle (and everywhere)! That's why I'm supporting @adaacademy: http://bit.ly/ada-dev
Did you know only 1.5% of open-source contributors are women? Let's change this. http://bit.ly/ada-dev /cc @adaacademy
Seattle has the worst gender pay gap in the nation. @adaacademy is helping to fix this! http://bit.ly/ada-dev
Become a Student
Want to apply to Ada Developers Academy? We've already accepted students for our fall class, however we are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis for our spring 2014 class.
Mentor / Company Sponsorship
Are you a software developer who would like to help review curriculum or mentor students? Do you work at a company that might want to be involved? Please visit our Community Page for specific contact information.
Video Music Credits: Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
