“Unlike our yearlong, full-time traditional certificate programs, this program can be completed in half the time while maintaining our high academic standards,” said Rex McKanry, SCC assistant professor of computer science. “Few computer science programs allow students to earn industry certification*, a college certificate and college credit from an accredited college or university all at once, but this one does.”
McKanry began exploring what it would take to offer an accelerated certificate program after reading the article “How to Become a Computer Programmer in Less Than Six Months” by Susan Galer in Forbes.
“In less than six months, working 20 hours a week, a person who has no computer knowledge can get to a level of qualification for a job as a computer programmer,” according to Jim McKelvey, co-founder of LaunchCode and Square, who was quoted in the article.
“I thought, why can't we offer something like that at SCC?” said McKanry. “So, we made it happen.”
Classes will be held at SCC on evenings and weekends to cater to working professionals interested in brushing up their skillset or switching career paths.
“This innovative certificate will offer students skills that are very much in demand, whether they are unemployed or underemployed and looking for a new job or whether they are already employed but looking to update their skills in order to increase their value to their employer,” said John Bookstaver, SCC dean of business, science, education, math and computer science.
The program will provide students with a foundation in software development and popular programming languages, Java and JavaScript. It will introduce them to project life-cycle concepts, database development and queries, logical thinking to resolve problems through software development and their role as a team member for major IT projects.
Qualified students may be selected for funding assistance through the MoSTEMWINs grant and given the opportunity to complete the program tuition free.
“Our goal is to develop a well-equipped workforce. We strive to help area businesses and job seekers succeed and excel,” said Amanda Sizemore, dean of Corporate & Community Development at SCC. “The collaboration between MoSTEMWINs and SCC's new accelerated program falls right in line with that mission.”
Seats are expected to fill quickly due to the limited space availability. Individuals interested in learning more about this program should call 636-922-8474.
St. Charles Community College is a public, comprehensive two-year community college with associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences and career-technical fields. SCC provides workforce training and community-based personal and professional development as well as cultural, recreational and entertainment opportunities. For more information, visit stchas.edu.
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*Student must pass Oracle certification exams to earn certifications.