SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 21, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today the Holberton School, the two-year San Francisco-based college alternative for software engineers, announced the opening of their new campus in San Francisco.
Now training up to 500 software engineers a year, Holberton has already expanded its student population 10x in just over two years. The school, which recently announced a second location in New Haven Connecticut, announced in December that they had moved into the more expansive location in SOMA, a building that can eventually accommodate 1,000 students, graduating more qualified software engineers annually than Stanford and Harvard combined.
“Everything in our high tech campus we designed had the comfort of our diverse student body in mind so that they actually want to spend time here and enjoy their learning experience,” said Julien Cyr, chief engineer, who designed and managed construction of the new space. “The space and furnishings needed to be flexible to accommodate the unique learning approach of the school -- no teachers or lectures and a lot of collaboration. So, mobile furniture, dividers even felt to reduce ambient noise were used and everything from colors to artwork to chairs were all designed to engage and welcome.”
Holberton trains world-class software engineers in only two years without charging upfront tuition; the school is free to students until they find a job. They acquire practical and soft skills through hands-on learning with current curriculum developed by the school and a network of mentors and industry leaders. Students are regularly employed at top-tier employers like Apple, Cisco, LinkedIn, Facebook, IBM, Tesla and more.
Holberton has been in operation for nearly three years and funded the expansion partly through an $8.2M series A round of funding. Students have the financial and mentoring support of innovators in industry, professional sports, and entertainment, including Grammy-award winner recording artist NE-YO, New York Jets star lineman Kelvin Beachum, and technology visionaries such as LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang, Docker founder Solomon Hykes and Upwork CEO Stephane Kasriel.
“We believe that the Holberton School serves a very important purpose; to train the next generation of engineers. A generation that must be far more diverse, diverse not just in gender and skin color, but in life experience, in zip code, in academic achievement,” said Julien Barbier, co-founder and CEO, Holberton. “In this space, we strive to accommodate the needs of everyone who wants to make a better life for themselves.”
Located at Mission Street and 5th/6th in the SOMA district of San Francisco, the new location is close to tech companies like Slack, Zume Pizza, Eventbrite, Yahoo, Y Combinator and more. The 28,500 square feet is in a six story building (61,000 square feet), with an option to take over the entire building.
The campus is designed with the understanding that students spend a large amount of time on campus (in fact, the school is open 24/7). Providing different types of environments and “vibes” is essential. And since the education experience is based on peer-learning, the furnishing of the space promote this in every way: face-to-face seating, round tables for small groups, open-meeting rooms to invite students to join discussions or project work, etc.
If you are interested in attending Holberton, the application process is now open: https://www.holbertonschool.com/apply
About Holberton School
With campuses in San Francisco and New Haven, CT, Holberton trains software engineers using a revolutionary teaching method based on project-based and peer learning. The college alternative is free until students find a job. Graduates have been placed in high-impact engineering positions at companies like Apple, Tesla, Facebook and LinkedIn. Students are supported by mentors and investors who are leaders in technology, sports and entertainment, including: Grammy-Award winner NE-YO, New York Jets standout Kelvin Beachum; and technology visionaries Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn CEO), Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang, Docker founder Solomon Hykes and Upwork CEO Stephane Kasriel. Go to www.holbertonschool.com to learn more.
Editorial Contact
Joe Eckert for Holberton School
jeckertflak@gmail.com