๐Ÿ‘‹We're

We are a community of coaches and mentors that specialize in helping non-traditional engineers navigate the early stages of their careers, in the age of AI. We help our mentees land jobs they didn't think they were remotely qualified for - supporting each other throughout the job search, as well as helping each other thrive on the job and supercharging long-term career trajectories

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Your dream job awaits

(Yes, even in this terrible job market)

โ€Our mentees work in big tech and startups, and everything in-between

Everyone has their own definition of a dream job. Our highly personalized mentorship program helps you set and reach the goals are the most important to you - goals that many of our mentees thought were completely beyond their reach before they landed their new roles
We currently have 3 mentee slots remaining
Supercharge Your Job Search

We specialize in helping non-traditional and under-represented candidates break into tech

Our mentees work as Software Engineers, Intermediate Software Engineers, Full Stack Software Engineers, Frontend Engineers, and Backend Engineers,at small businesses and startups to mega-corps and big tech. None of our mentees have a traditional tech background or a CS degree.
Understanding the needs of non-traditional software engineers is our specialty, and our competitive edge. We've helped our mentees land 300+ interviews, as well as secure and negotiate offers between $70K to $100K+. Without having any traditional tech background or CS degree.

Don't let impostor syndrome and self-doubt stop you.
Schedule a chat with us to learn how we can help you.
Unlock Your Potential

We look for potential,
not at your background.

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Writing
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Business
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Cooking
Our extensive experience has shown that many bootcamp graduates often emerge underprepared for the (often ridiculous) demands of today's job market. Understanding this gap, we specialize in equipping bootcamp alumni with the essential skills and knowledge they need to excel in the job search. We help bridge the divide between your training and the practical expertise that most employers expect.
Bootcamp
Grads
New Grads
If you're reflecting on your academic choices, wishing you had pursued Computer Science instead of your current major, or if you've studied CS but are finding it challenging to translate your academic knowledge into practical work experience, we're here to help. Whether you're seeking to switch fields or to effectively apply existing educational background, we have extensive experience guiding mentees that need hands-on practice and experience to build a rock-solid foundation as a software engineer.
New
Grads
Experienced Engineers
Although most mentees come to us without substantial work experience in the tech sector, our expertise isn't limited to junior engineers. We also have deep experience in aiding software engineers who already have work experience in finding enhanced job opportunities, both at entry and intermediate levels. The key to our success is our highly personalized program. Whether you're starting out or looking to upgrade your current tech role, our tailored approach is here to facilitate your career advancement.
Experienced
Engineers
You didn't work this hard just to settle for compromises
โ€
We stand strongly against and help you avoid career traps such as (unpaid) internships, part-time contracts, "volunteer work", below-market compensation, and other predatory arrangements that target early-career software engineers, especially those coming from a non-traditional background.

Regardless of your qualifications, experience, or education, we will help you land full-time software engineering roles that pay above or top-of-market compensation, and help set you up to thrive in your career as a software engineer. This is our specialty, and our singular and obsessive focus.
Career
Changes
A majority of our mentees thrived in other career paths prior to starting their first role in tech. We help our mentees leverage previous experience into impressive and memorable interview performances, and helping them negotiate for substantial increases from their initial offers, often increasing final compensation by $5,000 to $20,000. If you're looking to pivot into tech without making any compromises, our guidance and strategies are ready to be tailored to help you reach your goals.
Career
Changers
New Immigrants
Our program excels in empowering new immigrants to land software engineering roles at leading companies, even without prior North American or industry experience. We've helped many mentees successfully navigate an unfamiliar and competitive landscape, often surpassing candidates with years of local experience. Whether you're aspiring to break into tech or continuing your journey, we understand the unfair obstacles and biases that you face, and we stand ready to help you overcome them together.
New
Immigrants
No Formal Education
We have an extremely strong and proven track record of helping individuals with only high school diplomas and no prior experience in software engineering. In fact, our mentees with such backgrounds have gone on to secure positions at major tech companies and startups with six-figure salaries. Some might think that this is a serious disadvantage, but we frankly don't care about your education or the lack of. If you have the drive and motivation, we'll help you get there. Just as we have done again and again.
No Formal
Education

Land great jobs.
Without compromises.

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ยท diverse backgrounds. singular focus.

We look for potential, not at your background.
Land great jobs. Without compromises.

You didn't work this hard just to settle for compromises.
โ€
We stand strongly against and help you avoid career traps such as (unpaid) internships, part-time contracts, "volunteer work", below-market compensation, and other predatory arrangements that target early-career software engineers, especially those coming from a non-traditional background.

Regardless of your qualifications, experience, or education, we will help you land full-time software engineering roles that pay above or top-of-market compensation, and help set you up to thrive in your career as a software engineer. This is our specialty, and our singular and obsessive focus.
Learn About Our Personalized Approach
New Immigrants

Our program excels in empowering new immigrants to land software engineering roles at leading companies, even without prior North American or industry experience. We've helped many mentees successfully navigate an unfamiliar and competitive landscape, often surpassing candidates with years of local experience. Whether you're aspiring to break into tech or continuing your journey, we understand the unfair obstacles and biases that you face, and we stand ready to help you overcome them together.

Career Changers

Most of our mentees thrived in other career paths prior to starting their first role in tech. We help our mentees leverage previous experience into impressive and memorable interview performances, and helping them negotiate for substantial increases from their initial offers, often increasing final compensation by $5,000 to $20,000. If you're looking to pivot into tech without making any compromises, our guidance and strategies are ready to be tailored to help you reach your goals.

Bootcamp Grads

Our extensive experience has shown that many bootcamp graduates often emerge underprepared for the (often ridiculous) demands of today's job market. Understanding this gap, we specialize in equipping bootcamp alumni with the essential skills and knowledge they need to excel in the job search. We help bridge the divide between your training and the practical expertise that most employers expect.

No Formal Education

Our program has a proven track record of helping individuals with only high school diplomas and no prior experience in software engineering. In fact, our mentees with such backgrounds have gone on to secure positions at major tech companies and startups with six-figure salaries. Some might think that this is a serious disadvantage, but we frankly don't care about your education or the lack of. If you have the drive and motivation, we'll help you get there. Just as we have done again and again.

New Grads, Any Major

If you're reflecting on your academic choices, wishing you had pursued Computer Science instead of your current major, or if you've studied CS but are finding it challenging to translate your academic knowledge into practical work experience, we're here to help. Whether you're seeking to switch fields or to effectively apply existing educational background, we have extensive experience guiding mentees that need hands-on practice and experience to build a rock-solid foundation as a software engineer.

Experienced Software Engineers

Although most mentees come to us without substantial work experience in the tech sector, our expertise isn't limited to junior engineers. We also have deep experience in aiding software engineers who already have work experience in finding enhanced job opportunities, both at entry and intermediate levels. The key to our success is our highly personalized program. Whether you're starting out or looking to upgrade your current tech role, our tailored approach is here to facilitate your career advancement.

Helping non-traditional software engineers is our specialty, and our competitive edge. We've helped our mentees land 300+ interviews, and secure and negotiate offers between $70K to $100K+. Without any traditional tech background or CS degree.

Don't let impostor syndrome and self-doubt stop you.
Schedule a chat with us to learn how we can help you.
Let Us Know How We Can Help
ยท Intensive hands-on skill development.

Build in-depth experience with skills that employers actually care about

We won't handhold you through building toy projects with the latest fads. Instead, we teach you the software engineering foundations you'll need to confidently pick up any language, framework, or stack. Of course, we'll teach you how to learn and build exponentially faster with the help of AI models, tools, and agentic systems.
AWS
EC2
Lambda
ECS
RDS
Github
Tailwind
SQL
Typescript
NextJS
Github Actions
Linux
Flask
FastAPI
Python
Docker
LLMs
Vector DBs
DynamoDB
Postgres
Capstone
Continuous and Iterative
Hands-on Learning

Deep dive into building cutting-edge distributed systems in a fun, supportive, and tight-knit team environment

Build on Modern Cloud Infrastructure

We build everything on AWS, but the concepts and patterns that you'll learn will be applicable to all cloud platforms. Learn core AWS services can be used to design and build a cutting-edge full-stack distributed system, from system diagram to implementation.

Experience the Entire SDLC

We don't just "code". We build real, living systems, and place special emphasis on proper testing, CI/CD, safe deployment strategies, and post-deployment monitoring and observability. You know, the parts that employers expect you to be very comfortable with.

Experience Employers Care About

Employers don't put much value on personal projects - they want to evaluate your experience working in a real team environment. Well, it's good that we're fully Agile - sprint planning with Kanban, ticket scoping, standups, retrospectives, pair programming, advanced git workflows, and intense PR reviews.

Work on the Cutting Edge

No PHP. No RoR. No Angular. We purposely use and help you learn a cutting edge stack - the same stack that many employers are explicitly looking for. Oh, and we also work with ย LLMs/AI models.

Actually Connect the Dots

Instead of grinding leetcode and system design questions, we help you learn DS&A, system design, and software engineering fundamentals through actually embedding the concepts in the code you ship.

Confidence to Hit the Ground Running

Employers expect you to integrate quickly integrate into their environment an start shipping. We help give you the experience to make that second nature, and teach you how to sell and prove your experience in interviews.

We've produced outsized results for our mentees, setting them up for success not only in their new roles, but in their long termย career paths

What our mentees are saying
  • Retail / Logistics

    Aaron

    Scott goes above and beyond to support the professional development of newcomers in the tech industry. Working together since 2022, heโ€™s shared his years of experience through constructive feedback on my projects and followed up with relevant resources to deepen my understanding of software engineering concepts and best practices.

    What truly sets Scott apart is his exceptional communication skills. He has a rare talent for dissecting technical concepts into bite-sized chunks, making it easy for anyone to grasp even the most complex topics.

    Additionally, he consistently pushes me to explore innovative solutions, fostering a growth mindset that has positively influenced my problem-solving abilities. I highly recommend connecting with Scott to those looking to start their journey into tech!

    Role: Intermediate software engineer
    background: mechanical engineering
  • Fintech

    Yuri

    I had the privilege of working closely with Scott early in my software engineering career, when I had so many uncertainties and questions about this rapidly changing field. I can confidently say that his advice have been an invaluable asset to my personal and professional growth.

    Throughout our journey, as a seasoned developer, Scott shared his profound expertise in the field and helped me become a technically better developer; as a mentor, he showed a genuine passion for and commitment to my growth and career development, and would encourage and support me in the moments of doubts and difficult times.

    Moreover, Scott not only provided guidance on technical matters but also offered invaluable insights into navigating the professional world. His mentorship extended beyond the confines of our official meeting hours, as he willingly made time to discuss career aspirations and offer practical advice for achieving my goals. I truly admire Scott's passion and commitment in his mentees' growth!

    Role: software engineer
    background: pharmacology, high-end fashion
  • Healthtech

    Lamisa

    I have had the privilege of being mentored by Scott, and I can confidently say that he has been instrumental in shaping my journey in the field of software development. Scott possesses an exceptional ability to impart not just technical knowledge, but also instill a deep understanding of best practices that go beyond coding.

    Under Scott's guidance, I not only honed my software development skills but also gained valuable insights into industry standards and effective problem-solving approaches. His dedication to teaching extends beyond theoretical concepts, as he consistently emphasizes practical application and real-world scenarios.

    Scott's mentorship was pivotal in enhancing not only my technical prowess but also my interviewing skills. He provided valuable tips, shared his experiences, and conducted mock interviews, significantly boosting my confidence during the job search process. His guidance transcends the technical aspects, encompassing the intricacies of navigating the job market and making informed career decisions.

    Role: software engineer
    background: telecom, product management
  • consulting

    Jack

    I wouldn't be where I am today without Scott. It's cliche, and it's 100% true.

    He is one of the best mentors and supporting figures I have ever met or head the pleasure to work with. And while his patience is immense, he also isn't afraid to pull the pin on something that isn't working, tell you what you may not want to hear, push you when you don't believe in yourself, or reinforce that the direction you're heading in is the right one.

    Putting the softer skills aside, he's one of the most savvy and broadly competent Engineers I have known. He isn't afraid to dig deep into a problem or concept at the drop of a hat. He makes difficult, high-level tasks look easy and simple. He can explain a multi-faceted concept, software or product in a way that's approachable and easy to grasp. And he is always, always, happy to help and spend his time and energy when called upon.

    Role: software engineer
    background: woodworking, construction
  • industrial / engineering

    Jerick

    Scott is an exceptional developer with a genuine passion for sharing his skills and experience with other developers. I have had the privilege of closely collaborating with him, and the learning experience has been both enriching and ongoing, spanning beyond technical knowledge and extending to valuable insights into the world of technology.

    Scott is direct to the point as he imparts precise guidance to be successful. Working alongside him as been a blast, as we engage in amazing exchanges of ideas (with me being an attentive listener most of the times) in building remarkable solutions.

    As a mentor, he's unparalleled. He never leaves anyone hanging and consistently strives to bring out the best in his mentees. He has that determination to push everyone to reach the highest potential as a developer.

    Role: Fullstack software engineer
    background: web3, robotics
  • manufacturing

    Jack

    Regarding the Virgl program itself, Scott has meticulously designed it to assist new software engineers in securing their first full-time roles. I would go so far as to say that Virgl serves as an all-in-one launchpad, addressing the needs that most career changers have but often lack support for.

    As one of the thousands of candidates competing with recent graduates and bootcamp attendees, I initially struggled to navigate the competitive landscape and the multi-faceted job-hunting process. However, Scott demystified the entire process, instilled the right mindset for approaching the job hunt, provided exercises to craft compelling stories for interviews, and guided us through project sprints, turning challenges into opportunities for learning.

    The Virgl program, curated by Scott, is like an intensive multi-course meal encompassing software engineering principles, interview strategies, practical tips, independent learning, accountability sessions, and much more. It is a comprehensive resource aimed at ensuring success in job hunting, interviews, and on the job.

    Role: Fullstack software engineer
    background: english language teacher
  • marketing / analytics

    Yang

    Scott is an exceptional mentor who can see and value the potentials of young tech professionals. Iโ€™ve been extremely fortunate to have worked with Scott since 2022. I came to Scott with many questions regarding interview strategies and early-stage career development. His super attentive and generous attitude during our conversations and his rich experience of working in the tech industry helped me to develop a stronger sense of self confidence and broader vision toward the future.

    Scott has a gentle and patient way of offering suggestions. I learned from him the fundamentals of software engineering, and the best ways to decipher a question and apply that those fundamentals to structure an optimal answer during interviews. Scottโ€™s passion in mentorship and commitment to continuously sharpening tech skills also motivate me as I continue along my career journey. I would highly recommend Scott to anyone who wants to break into the tech!

    Role: Intermediate software engineer
    background: Anthropology, research
  • Sculpture

    Athenian Vase Painting

    In Greek pottery, simple shapes and design motifs convey formalised ideas of harmony and purity. Many mythological and religious symbols appear on pots, usually with particular emphasis on the heads, feet.

    Year: 530 BC
    time: 22 min
Learn more
ยท How we work

No shortcuts or magic tricks
We simply outsmart and outwork the competition

We don't offer shortcuts. We don't know of any magic tricks to help you land a job in weeks. We don't bother with marketing gimmicks that we all know are too good to be true.

We have fine-tuned our approach through 1000+ tech interviews, sitting on both sides of the table. We know what makes a successful software engineer in today's job market.

If your goal is to land a great job in this unprecedented job market, learn our approach of working both smarter and harder than your competition to beat them to the job offer.
Learn About Our Approach
ยท How we work

No magic tricks.
We simply outsmart and outwork the competition.

We have a very opinionated view on what makes a successful software engineer, and have fine-tuned our program through sitting in 1000+ tech interviews, on both sides of the table. You won't find any other service like this, and what makes us really unique is that we don't believe in or promote taking shortcuts. If your goal is to land a great job in this unprecedented job market, you need to work harder and smarter than your competition - that's our "secret".

We combine intentional learning, continuous iteration and feedback, and highly personalized coaching to help you reach your goals - job offer(s) for your dream job(s). If you're looking for that magic trick or shortcut to help you land a job, this is not it.
Calibration

We take a deep dive into your experience and background to discover your strengths and weaknesses. We turn this into a highly personalized development plan. At Virgl, we don't believe in one size fits all approaches.

We set a high bar for mentees that we decide to work with, and what we've been able to achieve in this job market reflects that.

Make sure you choose correctly
Get Started
Technical Foundation

We help you build a solid technical foundation through capstone project work modeled after how projects are built in big tech. We help you develop working knowledge of the most in-demand frontend, backend, infra/cloud, and data skills in today's market.

Technical foundation is not the only determining factor, but if you can't demonstrate solid technical skills, that will become the un-intended focus of your interviews.

Job Search Strategy

We help you set up a personalized and highly effective system to land recurring interviews. Then we you tune it to make the job search sustainable in the long run.

We know the job search can be an incredibly stressful and demotivating process, so we provide a multi-level support system prior to, during, and after interviews.

Practical Experience

We help you learn and master foundational, technical, and soft skills that employers actually care about. Working in a distributed agile team, managing complex git branching and PR workflows, deploying microservices to the cloud, building and monitoring data pipelines... If it' on a job description, it's likely that we cover it.

We set a high bar for mentees that we decide to work with, and what we've been able to achieve in this job market reflects that.

Interviewing

We work with you to develop advanced interviewing skills that most engineers only acquire many years into their careers. Then we teach you how to outmaneuver your competition, most of whom have years of work experience and formal education. We're not here to "survive" and "barely make it through" interviews. We're hereto convince employers that you're the best fit for the role, out of hundreds or thousands of applicants.

Sounds ridiculous? That's all our mentees thought as well before they got their jobs ยฏ\_(ใƒ„)_/ยฏ

Personalized Coaching and Mentorship

Our focus is not only on helping you land a great job- ย we also spend significant amounts of time on helping you build the habits and confidence to become a solid software engineer. Naturally, our support transitions over when you've started your job as well.

We set a high bar for mentees that we decide to work with, and we take a lot of pride in helping you achieve short term and long term success. Offer negotiation, onboarding support, performance reviews, promotion, career planning, you name it. We're there to help you succeed on the job.

Looking to hire? (Redo/Remove?, too busy)

Let us do the heavy lifting
groups
Lean on our expertise as your hiring partner
We'll work with you to tailor a hiring process that can capture elusive candidates and ensure that you make the right hiring decisions. We'll work with you to run some or all of this process, all for no upfront cost
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In depth profiles with strong hiring signals. Not just a resume
Get in depth profiles on potential candidates who not only match your skill requirements, but also will fit right into your team culture and workplace norms. Your first chat will go so smoothly that you'll be talking through start dates
hourglass_top
Protect your team's time
Your team should be supporting the data pipeline, not the talent pipeline. Let our team of engineers handle the matching process for you. You'll see your time to fill drop in no time
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Work with experienced engineers

We've been in your shoes before. Tell us exactly what you're looking for and have a thought partner for your recruiting needs. No need to use layman's terms

Animate Anything

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Introducing Virgl. We're setting a new standard for coaching, mentorship, and iterative learning. Our program specializes in helping non-traditional and under-represented software engineers break into tech, empowering our mentees to punch far above their weight class - to land jobs they didn't think they were qualified for.

Join
Virgl
โ€

The tech job market is {broken}
We help <bridge/> the gap

The path to your dream job in tech can be a painful and demoralizing journey, especially in today's challenging job market
Our one-of-a-kind program for non-traditional candidates offers an opinionated and data-driven framework built on mentorship, coaching, and teaching, all supported by a tight-knit community.
Claim your spot - we have 3 slots remaining

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you just another bootcamp?

No! Absolutely not! ๐Ÿ˜ค

We are not a bootcamp and have nothing to do with what you'll find in bootcamps. There are no credits, no classrooms, and most importantly, no diploma/certificate/degree awarded at the end. If you insist on having something to hang on the wall, you can always frame your offer letter from your new job.

We are not here to charge you for sending you links to content that are freely available online, or ask you to mindlessly grind through tutorials and leetcode problems. Nor are we here to teach you how to write your first few lines of code in a new language or framework. We're here to help you gain experience building complex full stack distributed systems on modern cloud infrastructure, following strict software engineering standards practiced today by cutting edge companies. Then, we help you turn this experience into your competitive advantage during the job hunt and rise above the competition in interviews.

While learning technical foundations is part of the program, everything we do is optimized for one singular goal - to help you land a great job. Every hour you spend in the program is optimized towards making you more competitive in the job market, where even if you're applying to entry level roles, you'll be competing against CS/SWE graduates and software engineers with a few years of work experience. So far, we have yet to find bootcamp or service that prepares you for such a competitive job market, and perhaps as a result of that, many of our mentees come from a bootcamp background.

However, we've also successfully helped mentees coming from college and university-level CS backgrounds, as well as mentees with several years of work experience in tech. So while we do help bridge the gap that bootcamp grads have after graduating, that is not our primary focus. We've used in-depth data from 1000+ software engineering interviews to build our process, and unlike bootcamps that still post ridiculous stats such as 90% placement rates and $100K+ average starting salaries (in this job market? ๐Ÿ˜‚), our process actually works.

While the immediate goal of the program is to help you land a great job to serve as the launch pad for your career, our guiding goal, and how ultimately we measure our success is by the long term career success of our mentees.

I don't have any educational and/or CS background. Is this program right for me?

Maybe! ๐Ÿ˜

Some of our most successful mentees only have a high school diploma. While some old-school employers are very rigid about post-secondary education or specific majors, we frankly don't care.

Whether you're self-taught, graduated from a bootcamp, studied arts history, or have a formal CS education, we seek mentees that have key qualities beyond their educational background. If you love solving problems with your technical skills, have a thirst for knowledge and learning, are highly motivated, a good communicator and team player, and actively strive to continuously improve yourself - this is the program for you.

Having said that, this is not the right program for you if you've just started to code. We'd still be happy to chat with you and give you any guidance or advice that would be helpful in your journey, and also help clarify at what point this program would make sense for you.

You might have heard that we're very selective about the mentees we work with. That's absolutely true. However, we are not picky about your background - we don't really care!!!

Who is the program designed for?

In a nutshell, anyone that is seeking a structed path towards landing their dream job in tech, supported by experienced mentors from the industry and a very tight-knit community.

While our mentees come from a wide variety of backgrounds and different stages in life, we've observed some common patterns of those that are very successful. This is of course not an exhaustive list, but if you meet some of these criteria, chances are you're the type of mentee that would benefit exponentially from what we do in the program:

- Did complete a four year software engineering or computer science degree
- Do not have the time and resources to invest four years to acquire such a degree
- Is excited about technology, and is self-driven to learn and adapt new skills to build out their toolset
- Thrives on feedback and is seeking to iteratively improve on their technical foundation and software engineering skills, as well as communication and teamwork skills
- Is not afraid of tackling new and unfamiliar challenges
- Has a growth mindset and is always looking to improve and grow
- Is pursuing a role in tech not (just) for the obvious benefits, but also because of their strong interest in writing high quality code and building systems to solve real world problems

If this sounds like you, please schedule a chat with us!

This sounds too good to be true. What's the secret trick?

There's no secret trick (that every recruiter and hiring manager hates).

Many of the shortcuts and tricks that are embellished by other programs might have worked in 2021/2022, but they are no longer relevant in today's job market - the worst job market for tech in 20 years.

We believe in working smart and working hard. When your competition consists of hundreds to thousands of other applicants, many of whom have a CS degree or relevant work experience, it's important to be realistic about the challenge ahead. You outcompete the competition simply by being smarter, hungrier, and more prepared during the job search and interview process.

In a nutshell, we will help you acquire the most relevant and marketable skills in an environment that replicates what you'd find at work. We help you fine tune your job search strategy to gain an edge on the competition. Then, we teach you how to sell your strengths and distinguish yourself from the competition. Finally, we coach you into being able to interview at a level that most software engineers take five to ten years to reach, highlighting your ability to hit the ground running. Make no mistake, this takes a lot of work. We're looking to work with potential mentees that are excited by this challenge.

Our process is built on and continuously fine tuned from the hundreds of live interviews, online assessments, and take homes that our mentees have experienced. All of this is built on the experience of being on both sides of the table for 1000+ software engineering interview loops ranging from junior to principal levels.

What do you focus on?

Everything! ๐Ÿš€

Our mentees are working in software engineering roles focused heavily on frontend engineering, backend engineering, data engineering, mobile engineering, systems/infra engineering, and of course - full stack engineering (the most popular choice ๐Ÿ˜…). ย 

We don't have a strong opinion on what you want to pursue, and as a result, we cover all these tracks in depth. We're able to accomplish this through running a very small and tight-knit program, where we're able to keep the bar very high and afford to highly personalize our program components to your goals.

Having said that, we will spend a lot of time getting to know you, and understanding your strengths and weaknesses. This is especially important if you're changing careers from a different field. While many mentees initially think they only have a choice between frontend and full stack engineering roles, we've worked with them to find a path that makes sense both in the short and long term. There's a broad and exciting world out there with many additional opportunities and career paths.

To be clear, we're not trying to replace a formal education in computer science where you can choose to specialize over four or more years. If you have the time and budget for that, we'd always recommend taking that route. However, unless you just finished high school, this might not be the most realistic option.

Are you just focusing interview prep?

Yes, and no. ๐Ÿค”

Yes, in the sense that everything we do is meant to help you beat out the competition in your interview loops.

No, in the sense that while we do spend a significant amount of time of learning "The Art of Interviewing" and putting it to practice in 1:1 and small group sessions, that is not even close to all we do.

However, what makes us really stand out is how nearly all of the work we do is meant to increase your edge in interviews. Our strategy for preparing for, executing, and debriefing interviews could stand on its own as a top-notch interview prep program. That, in addition to how much time we spend on mock interviews in 1:1 and group settings already makes us unique. However, we don't believe just focusing on interview prep is nearly enough in today's job market. That might have worked in 2021/ 2022, but it's not a good strategy for today's reality.

In the end, in comes down to where you stand when you join the program. We've worked with mentees with significant work experience that mostly needed to build up and polish their interview and communication skills. We've also worked with mentees that were naturally strong communicators, but needed a lot more work on their technical foundations. As you can tell if you've been going through this FAQ carefully, this is a highly personalized program. We'll figure out what exactly you need to work on, in what order of priority, and allocate time and resources accordingly. Then we keep iteratively fine tuning this until you land a great job.

Do you just focus on Leetcode?

No. In fact, we despise leetcode! ๐Ÿ˜ก

Leetcode is a tremendous waste of time and braincells. There, we said it. In fact, you can quote us on it. It is absolutely not even remotely a good predictor of a software engineer's ability to succeed on the job.

However, it is a necessary evil, as many companies (roughly one third of all interview loops our mentees have experienced) still throw leetcode problems into their interview loop. Therefore, we will spend the necessary time to help you build a solid foundation in data structures and algorithms, and spend plenty of time practicing leetcode problems together. Can't say we love this part though...

If you only need help with Leetcode, this is not the program for you. We'd be happy to point you to free (or severely overpriced) resources that primarily focuses on the leetcode grind.

What does a typical week in the program look like?

You can think of the program as three parallel paths - optimizing your job search, building a rock solid technical foundation, and mastering advanced interview skills.

How much time you spend on each is highly dependent on your strengths and weaknesses, and could vary significantly across mentees. Your program coach and mentor will help you iteratively fine tune and prioritize your focus and time allocation to maximize your progress, as you rapidly make progress throughout each track.

However, even with the personalized approach, we do meet multiple times a week as a group to discuss and learn about deep dives into foundational technical, computer science, and software engineering concepts. In additional, you will be continuously meeting and pair programming with your team to build complex distributed systems on the cloud, across the entire stack, to gain hand-on experience with the skills that are most in demand by employers in today's market.

However, just working on technical skills is not going to get you a job in today's market. That's why we'll actively help you balance your technical growth and learning with helping you convincingly sell your acquired knowledge and skills in interviews, as well as with all the steps you'll need to take to get interviews in the first place.

What's the expected time commitment?

Whether you join our program or not, we strongly believe that you should treat your job search as a full-time job.

What that looks like if you're a part of the program is 30-40 hours a week. This includes everything we work on, whether it's part of our tight-knit group of mentors and mentees, or async on your own. It also includes the time you'd spend on searching for jobs, applying, networking, etc. We've helped many mentees that have successfully balanced the program while working part-time jobs.

If you have a full-time job, this will be much harder to balance, unless that full-time job is already very technical in nature. We've helped mentees successfully in this situation, but generally do not recommend it. However, if your full-time commitment has some flexibility, you should still chat with us.

How long is the program?

It never ends! ๐Ÿ˜ฑ

You're in the program for as long as it takes to find a great job. For some mentees, that takes 2 months, for others it might take 8 months. There is no set end date, and we're here to fully support you until you have found a job you're ecstatic with. For as along as it takes.

This is a massive and risky commitment for us to stand by, and it's also why we have a rigorous selection process. If we see your potential, we will help you achieve it, whatever it takes.

Even after you land your job, we're here to support your career growth. We've helped many of our mentees navigate the onboarding process, negotiate salary bumps, and even land promotions within 6-12 months of joining. This is the "lifetime benefit" that you get as part of this program, and we have a tight-knit and supportive community to support your long term career growth. We're always here to help if you need it.