The tech industry is booming, and with it the demand for coding skills. The good news for aspiring coders is that Miami has a bunch of choices nowadays. We’ve collected a sampling of the local options for upping your game, whether you’re starting from scratch or you’re an experienced coder who wants a place to geek out every once in awhile. This isn’t a final list, so let us know who and what needs to be on here! Statistics are all self-reported.
Programs are listed in order of time commitment.
University of Miami Interactive Media
If you want an interdisciplinary education, not just a coding bootcamp, you can check out UM’s Interactive Media program, which focuses on things like data visualization, game design (it’s one of the top 25 schools in the nation), and UX design. It’s a two-year master’s program in the School of Communication if you do it full time, so it’s not for those looking for a crash course or to stay in the workforce full time. But if you want to come out knowing how to apply code to a variety of different professions and you already have a bachelor’s degree, this might be a good match for you. They don’t assume any prior knowledge of coding. Acceptance rate is at about 60 percent and they’ve graduated five people (they’ve only had one graduating class so far).
Wyncode
If you’re ready to eat, sleep, and breathe code for nine weeks and come out the other side as a junior web developer, then Wyncode’s bootcamp might be for you. Their immersive program is meant to bring someone with no coding experience up to hiring level expertise in that time – although you’ll have to quit or take a break from your day job to do the course and it costs $10,000 (there are financing options). There’s a “Week Zero” of preparation before the bootcamp starts and two weeks of job training and personal project work on site at the end. They have 190 grads across their three locations –Wynwood (the flagship), Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale – and 97 percent complete the program. Ninety percent of grads have jobs within three months of graduation, and 67 companies have hired a Wyncoder. They’re wrapping up a round of Pitch Days right now. If you want to see what some of their soon-to-be grads are working on, they have one on Miami Beach this Thursday.
Ironhack
Ironhack is a bootcamp originating in Spain (Miami is its first US location). There’s three weeks of part-time preparatory remote work, plus eight weeks of full-time-plus in-class instruction (60 hours a week). They have a one-week hiring stint at the end. The course costs $10,000 and financing is available. This is for someone who wants a total career overhaul and can afford to quit their job, or at least leave it for two months. Ironhack also offers a free monthly workshop for more casual learners or those who want to dip their toe in before a full commitment.
4 Geeks Academy
4 Geeks is one of the newest on the scene in Miami, and their first cohort (coder speak for class) doesn’t launch until June. The tagline kind of says it all: “learn how to code without quitting your job.” The program, which is affiliated with FIU and costs $4,950 if you sign up before May 20, is meant to be immersive like the full-time bootcamps above, but it’s part-time, so it’s stretched out across 14 weeks – you take your classes in the evenings. They also have occasional meetups to help people who already have coding skills keep them fresh. Those are free and open to anyone.
CodePRO
Launch Code, a St. Louis-based job placement service that came to South Florida last year, has teamed up with Miami-Dade College’s Idea Center to offer CodePRO. The program includes Harvard’s popular on-line CS50X curriculum, plus in-person instruction. A full stack development bootcamp and IT training program are also offered. CodePRO caters to people with a day job or a full-time class schedule – the set class times are in the evening and the rest is flex time. They’ve stretched the 14-week course to a 20-week one by tacking on six weeks of specialized training at the end, and it costs $699 for non-Miami Dade College students ($399 for students). At the end of it, Launch Code assists with placing the students in a job.
Code Fever
The tech scene is full of opportunities, but getting the skills to join the ranks can be expensive. Code Fever has stepped in to help low-income aspiring coders get their foot in the door with free courses. They offer a bootcamp for working adults as well as a summer camp and youth coding program. The bootcamp is 10 weeks long, with four-hour classes four nights a week (after work hours, so people can stick with their full-time jobs), but they’re considering expanding it to five nights a week and tacking on a couple more weeks in the next course. They’ve also hosted hackathons and other courses for people who already have some coding skills. They’ve so far held one bootcamp, graduating 10 people. Acceptance rate is about 25 percent – because they’re offering the program for free, the number of openings is still small. Graduates continue on to additional training with Launch Code, which assists them with job placement when they’re finished.
Florida Vocational Institute
Florida Vocational Institute has a nine-month coding boot camp that takes place in-person. Classes are four days a week, from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m., allowing people to keep their day jobs while enrolled. The vocational program costs $15,000 and is eligible for federal financial aid. All skill levels are welcome and it includes job application training. More information, including application, here.
Got some skills you just want to keep fresh? Looking for a low-commitment entry? Here are some other options.
01
If you’re a parent with a kid who is already dabbling in coding, 01’s programs might be a good fit. Geared toward the under-18 set, it focuses on showing kids the real-life application of coding skills. They offer two-week camps in the summer that dabble in not just coding, but science, sustainability, and tinkering.
Girl Develop It
Girl Develop It is specifically focused on helping women working in tech feel like they’ve got a supportive network in a male-dominated industry. The local South Florida chapter hosts social events and leadership talks, as well as multi-week evening courses on things like Javascript and HTML for about $25 per class, ideal for someone who has skills but needs to learn a new coding language for a job or for someone who just wants to dabble. They also offer classes in Spanish.
Hacks/Hackers Miami
If you’re a coder with a bent for journalism and data visualization, the Miami chapter of Hacks/Hackers will be your jam. They meet about once a month to toss around ideas and experiment.
CocoaHeads
CocoaHeads meets at LAB Miami and it’s geared toward people who want to focus on Apple’s API Cocoa. They gather about once a month and members can show off their latest projects or lead and attend tutorials. It’s free.
Front-end Developers of Miami
Front-end Developers of Miami is a monthly meetup for people interested in front-end design. Meetups often include speakers.