Elite Summer Coding Program
An elite, challenging program for CS students, students on a gap semester, or recent graduates.
Program Options Available
Full-time programs available remotely.
Remote Full-time Weekdays
3 months
Mon – Fri, meetings daily
$350
(total cost)
Start dates:
7 June 2022
Our elite summer coding program for computer science students and recent graduates is an intensive summer program designed to help learners gain significant coding experience and develop a technical portfolio. This 3-month, immersive course develops strong, industry-leading fundamentals in software engineering. Learners will gain significant coding experience with real-world tools, similar to an internship.
- Join a specific cohort
- Virtual meetings 1 to 3 times per day (9:15am PT, 9:45/11:45am PT, 4pm PT)
- Learn in a community
- 100% hands-on learning
- Accountability & motivation
- Live coding sessions and live coding collaboration sessions (mandatory but fun)
- Interviews with industry SWEs
- Must submit student ID or similar to show recent or ongoing student status
- Program starts at 11am on Tuesday, June 7th and runs through the week before Labor Day
Elite Summer Coding Program Curriculum
What you’ll cover throughout your learning journey.
PRESEASON
The preseason is an intensive four-day introduction to our program. It aims to refresh some of the basic software engineering principles and becoming familiar with how to use our learning platform. In the first couple of days, participants will complete our preseason which covers:
- Basic Software Engineering principles
- Variables
- Functions
- Loop statements
- If statements
- Basic algorithms and data structures
- Javascript, HTML, CSS
- Using an IDE
- Terminal navigation commands
SEASON 1 ARC 1
After covering basic fundamentals in Javascript, HTML, and CSS, learners will begin more challenging concepts and start learning C programming. The C language has fewer libraries and is more manual, meaning students learn rigor, memory management, data types, and how a computer sees or treats different types of data at a fundamental level.
Learners will begin projects and exercises in C and covers:
- Intermediate data structures and intermediate algorithms
- Loop statements
- Functions, variables, and designing then coding software architecture
- The tools and environments used by software engineers, coding norms, and writing Silicon Valley-level code including how to structure your code
- Pointers and structs
- Shell
OPTION 1: SEASON 2 FULL STACK
Once learners have completed Arc 1 of Season 1, they will select a specific track to pursue in either full stack development or back-end engineering. Learners will cover the following:
- Front-end and back-end programming
- Ruby, Ruby on Rails
- SQL, SQLite, and database design and structure
- PHP, WordPress, SEO
- Game design and logic
- Software architecture
- Software and cloud deployment
- ReactJS, Javascript, Typescript
OPTION 2: SEASON 1 ARC 2 and SEASON 2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
The other option is to pursue back-end engineering, focusing on back-end programming, memory management, algorithms, blockchain, and the following:
- Building memory allocation and understanding memory management
- Linked lists and advanced pointers in C
- Assembly
- Ruby and a tiny bit of HTML/CSS
- Advanced algorithms
- Advanced software architecture
YOUR LEARNING JOURNEY
Learning Top Skills is Tough
Learning skills is like learning a sport, a musical instrument, or cooking: it takes time, learning by doing, trial and error, and lots of practice. NBA players don’t get good by watching lectures or videos. Skills-based learning at Qwasar is TOUGH.
DO NOT GIVE UP
The key to our programs is to not give up. No matter how difficult the problem is in front of you, do not give up. Great engineers do not give up but instead apply structured problem solving.
How Learning Works
What you will be doing throughout the program.
PROJECTS
Each season has a series of projects to complete that last 1 day to up to 3 months. These are problems and challenges to build software based on certain requirements and restrictions.
One example of a project would be to build a task-management software with tags, permissions, and a basic user interface.
EXERCISES
Each week, participants will have 1-5 coding exercises to complete. These are accessed through our software and your code is auto-graded to ensure it’s up to speed and functioning. This is part of the learning process. We have over 800 exercises in our library with thousands of test cases!
ROLE PLAY
We use role play to develop soft skills such as job negotiations or conflict resolution. We also use role play in technical interview practice where participants will both be the interviewee and the interviewer. This dual-sided perspective is unique to our program & helps build better interviewees.
GAMIFICATION
Our system is gamified, meaning that you will earn and spend “Qpoints.” As you complete peer code reviews, you earn points and as you submit your projects for review, you will spend Qpoints.
INNOVATIVE LEARNING
What to Expect
At Qwasar, you are responsible for your learning, just as you would be responsible for your work in a job. Problem-based learning involves finding, trying, and building solutions. With no single source of truth and no answers provided, it’s up to you to figure out how to make your code work, when and how to ask for help, and how to successfully build software in a team.
How We're Different From the Classroom
Why Qwasar is an entirely new learning universe compared to learning in the classroom.
IMMERSE & INTERACTIVE
It’s up to you to figure out what you need to do! We don’t give you detailed instructions or easy answers. You’ve got to work together, be resourceful, and figure things out on your own. Each project is a challenge to be overcome!
EXPERIENCE THAT COUNTS
With our learning-by-doing approach, you get experience that helps you to prepare for the real working world, no matter whether it’s in a technical role or not. Learning to be resourceful and to problem solve are skills applicable in any job.
NO A/B/C GRADES
You don’t get grades and there is no concept of an A, B or C with our program. The point is to learn, to grow in your knowledge and understanding by hands-on doing. Your software does what it should, or it doesn’t and you need to fix it.
What Sets Us Apart
Silicon Valley Standards
We train to standards set by Silicon Valley for software engineers. This means the level is much higher than that of bootcamps, and higher than that of CS degrees. Your specialty is being an elite engineer at a world-renown level.
Technical Skills & Knowledge
Thanks to the depth and breadth of our program curriculum, you acquire a level of technical skills and knowledge that learners in other programs or bootcamps simply never acquire.
Strong Back-end Skills
The vast majority of bootcamps don’t cover data structures or algorithms. CS degrees don’t cover hands-on application of theory or actually developing software architecture. We cover both and your strong back-end skills and experience with databases, data structures, and algorithms will set you apart from other candidates.
Depth of Technical Portfolio
Learners develop a technical portfolio that has depth and shows the extent of their technical skills and ability to handle databases, deployments, and development. Neither bootcamps nor CS degrees offer this.
Career Support
Our entire program is designed to make you a great candidate. During the final Season, you will complete 40 technical interviews, gaining experience and practice for real technical interviews.
Strong Software Foundations
You gain strong foundations with advanced algorithms and data structures as well as databases and coding norms.
Strong Technical Portfolio
Thanks to our deep project-based learning approach, you naturally generate a technical portfolio that shows what you can do.
Proven Soft Skills & Problem Solving
Employers want people with strong, structured problem solving skills. We help you develop such skills and how to think when approaching problems and team projects.
Confidence in Interviewing
Because you practice so many interviews and have a strong foundational base in data structures and C programming, you can have confidence when you go into technical interviews.
About Last Year's Elite Summer Coding Program
Some insights about the Elite Summer Coding Program of 2020
LEARNERS EMPLOYED
Quite a few learners gained employment or internships following or during our program. Two quick stories: one is employed at Boeing as an Engineer, another gained a front-end developer internship then got a job as a SWE in the Bay Area.
FROM UW TO PRINCETON
Learners applied and joined from across the country, most being juniors, seniors, or recent graduates of CS degree programs. We had people from the University of Washington on the West coast all the way to Princeton on the East coast and everything in between.
NO SHORTAGE OF PROJECTS
Despite drawing applicants from top universities across the country, no one was able to finish the deep and challenging curriculum in our programs. That means it’s challenging, valuable, and tough enough for even CS graduates.
Elite Summer Coding Program Blog
Check out our most recent blog about this summer’s program and how it provides value to your technical portfolio.
EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIPS
Our Employer Partners Need Talent Now
A lot of employers are looking to hire directly out of our programs including over 200 open positions in 2022 alone. A senior or graduate of this program could have a job by the end of the summer at program completion.
As of January 2022, Qwasar programs are running a 95% employment rate for those who finish our 9-month programs with most graduates getting employed before finishing the program.
INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY
This is a great opportunity to improve your chances of getting a foot in the door at a top company for tech employment. Previous summer coding graduates have been hired at Boeing. Make yourself a solid candidate with a strong technical portfolio and proven track record in technical interviews.
Application Process
To apply to our Elite Summer Coding Program, expect the following steps:
Step 1: Submit your application online
Step 2: We review your application.
Step 3: You will be invited to schedule a virtual interview.
Step 4: Following the interview, if accepted, you will be invited to enroll.
Step 5: You will receive an email with a link to the enrollment form.
Step 6: You complete the enrollment form.
Following a successful application and enrollment, you will be expected to attend orientation, virtually of course!
Info Sessions
Join us for a session explaining all of the details about our Elite Summer Coding Program. During this presentation you will have an opportunity for Q&A with our program manager.
Qwasar vs. Others
How do Qwasar programs compare to other tech training options out there? Find out how we stack up.
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