The Program

Techtonica’s full-time, virtual software engineering training program provides the opportunity seeking economic empowerment to learn technical skills in a safe, inclusive space and start their first jobs in tech. We select participants who are independent but good at collaborating, motivated to succeed, committed to learning to code, flexible, curious, open-minded, and excited for long-term careers in the field, have a good attitude and a growth mindset, can calmly manage extended periods of frustration (troubleshooting is something you'll face forever in tech!), and want to pay it forward.

We aim to empower those most underrepresented in tech and to help tech become more diverse and inclusive. To that end, we have been very intentional about creating a safe community, building a network, and providing personalized support, which means open communication is absolutely necessary. If a special situation comes up, we need you to let us know so we can sympathize and brainstorm solutions with you. We've had participants lose housing, have their laptop stolen, become pregnant, face abuse, and more, and if we don't know about it, we can't help.

88% of our graduates so far are BIPOC, 21% have a disability, 21% are parents, 10% identify outside the gender binary, and 1% are veterans. Our cohorts have had between 8 and 18 participants so far, and income increase is usually 3-5x. The participant-to-technical-program-staff-member ratio has historically been between 5:1 and 9:1. We appreciate an average of 98 hours of volunteer support per participant.

As many companies have changed their priorities over the last few years, Techtonica has had difficulty relying on a corporate sponsorship model. As a result, Techtonica is adopting a tuition-based model with need-based, sliding-scale, subsidized tuition and stipend scholarships to enable the program to serve more participants, in addition to continuing to seek sponsorships. Our H2 cohort in 2024 will take place from July to November instead of July to December like in past years, with the last month of group placement prep eliminated. It is possible that we will secure some placements for this cohort, but it is not guaranteed.

Tuition for the 2024 H2 cohort is $18,000. The total cost has been subsidized to lower the price to an amount that is less expensive than other programs at a cost of $1,000 per week (from Hackbright at $1,075/week to General Assembly at $2,183/week). Tuition paid upfront receives a 15% overall discount. For example, the full $18,000 cost of tuition when paid upfront with the 15% discount comes out to $15,300.

If you will not have $18,000 beyond 10 months of living costs, you are eligible to apply for a partial or full scholarship. If you will not be able to cover tuition or 10 months of living costs, you are eligible to apply for a tuition scholarship as well as a monthly stipend. Only those determined to be in need of full scholarships will be considered for monthly stipends.

The program usually runs Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM (Pacific Time) for six months (from January to June and July to December). The July 2024 cohort will be just five months, running from July to November. The training is followed by six months of remote job placement or job search and community support. Participants who work the hardest and meet and exceed expectations will be invited to continue. We do not recommend working during the program. We do not provide medical medical insurance, so we recommend you google programs in your area (like MediCal in California). We also can't help with visas, student or otherwise.

For participants with ADHD, we can provide accommodations and resources. We encourage open communication around what works best for you.

Note: Techtonica is not set up to provide wraparound or crisis services (try the Crisis Text Line) such as for mental or physical health, housing, finding childcare, escaping abuse, etc. We encourage you to google services in your area. Threats of violence against yourself or others will result in us ceasing all contact with you and possibly initiating a welfare check.

Techtonica participants will learn to do full-stack web development using JavaScript. Upon successful completion of the program, some participants will be placed with available partner companies via a two-way interview and rating system. We aim to accept 12-20 participants to each cohort. If you are placed with a company and you both meet the requirements, you may earn an OJT ("On-the-Job Training") certificate from the State of California's Division of Apprenticeship Standards.

What bootcamps and Techtonica have in common is the fact that they are intensive training. However, bootcamps can be pretty passive classroom learning with students and they cost between $15,000 and $30,000. Techtonica aims to be more like the workplace to make the transition into the industry better—instead of having an instructor constantly guiding you (which you won't have in any software engineering job), you are given a general schedule of topics and assignments (see our curriculum repo for an idea of the resources provided) and you're expected to figure out what to do on your own or in collaboration with volunteers, mentors, tech groups, other participants, and Techtonica staff. Because our resources are open-source, they are continuously being improved and you can even make improvements as you work through them. In the best jobs, there are regular check-ins with very understanding managers and mentors provide regular support, but that is not always the case. Techtonica’s program is as hands-on and project-based as possible to best prepare you for work in tech. You'll also be expected to speak and present in front of people often—a very useful skill to have for a successful career.

The schedule includes knowledge checks to give you a reason to review what you've learned, to provide you with feedback on where you need to improve, and to prepare you for long-term success in the workplace. As we consider your progress, we take everything you do in the program into account (not just assessments)—if you're on time and present, if you're meeting deadlines, if you're completing assignments, if you're following process, if you're communicating about your needs, if you're consistently meeting with your mentors, if you're building your network, if you're collaborating well, if you're solving problems, if you're dealing with the stress of an intensive program well, if you're lifting others with you, if you're reading instructions, how your mentor feels you're doing, how you indicate you're doing in surveys and one-on-ones, etc. If we see any indications you’re struggling in one area, we look more closely at everything else and we work out a plan for improvement. Consistent problems and lack of improvement could indicate someone’s not ready to continue the program. The board discusses such cases to decide what should be done. Because of the high expectations of our program and partners, not everyone completes the program.

Intensive programs, career transitions, and learning and working with technical concepts—these are all stressful, difficult things. If we accept you to our program, we believe in your ability to step up to the challenge and handle stress in a healthy way, and you should believe in that ability and look at every new step as something preparing you for tech. In many ways, tech will be much harder than this program and this is your chance to work out how you’re going to react when faced with bigger challenges. Are you able to train yourself to calmly accept challenges, to open your minds to growth, to manage your stress levels in a healthy way, and to learn whatever’s needed to succeed? Do you contribute to a safe, inclusive environment?

Also, check out this video about a day in the life of a Techtonica participant, our social media, our testimonials page.