The next-generation of engineers will come from the East Coast as well, with a second Holberton School in Connecticut!

The Holberton School is a project-based alternative to college training the next-generation of engineers. It was founded in 2015 by French entrepreneurs: Julien Barbier and Sylvain Kalache. They realized that US companies, especially in Silicon Valley, were facing a lack of talented software engineers.

To fix the problem locally, they created a brand-new concept of education with no lectures, no professors. Instead, they gathered experienced tech professionals who became mentors for the aspiring software engineers and organized practical exercises to unleash the students’ creativity. Through project-based learning, students learn to work as a team to solve real problems: they work on industry-level projects and build their own applications. This 100% hands-on two-year higher-education program consists of nine months of intensive classes, six months of an internship and then a nine-month specialization.

An important feature of the school is the application process: it is totally blind and uses technology to identify smart, motivated people with a will to succeed. Hence, applicants are not judged on their previous education, work experience, gender or age. Results are there and current students’ ages ranging from 18 to 58, more than half of the students being people of diverse ethnical origins, and 35% women.

Last but not least, there is no upfront tuition. Students have the option to pay their entire tuition after they have finished Holberton School and they have found a job.

Read the full blogpost and Sylvain's Kalache interview on Medium.