Categories
Community

Ada Developers Academy: Diversifying the tech industry for good

The Developer Nation community takes great pride in collaborating with organisations that contribute to the diverse and inclusive evolution of the software development ecosystem. 

Featured in our blog spotlight today, the Ada Developers Academy whose mission is  to prepare women and gender expansive adults to be software developers while advocating for inclusive and equitable work environments. Ada primarily serves and addresses the needs of Black, Latine, Indigenous Americans, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander, LGBTQIA+, and low-income people. Here is more about Ada as explained by Alexandra Holien, VP of Revenue and Marketing, Deputy Director. 

Nine in ten students, employees, senior HR leaders, and human resources officers surveyed by Accenture in 2019 said that attracting women with tech experience is critical for their company’s success. 

Gender diversity brings substantial benefits to individual companies and the tech economy at large:

  • Bringing more women onto engineering teams directly improves product quality – by reducing problems like algorithmic or design bias, which are made worse by a lack of diversity. Companies with above-average diversity received 45% of their revenue from new products vs. 26% for companies with below-average diversity scores.
  • A study by the Stanford Graduate School of Business found that greater gender diversity raises tech company share prices. Companies in the top-quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 21% more likely to outperform and out-earn the U.S. average (WomenDeliver.org), and tech companies led by women are more capital-efficient than companies run by men, achieving 35% higher ROI and, when venture-backed, 12% higher revenue (Kauffman Foundation). 
  • Companies with inclusive environments nurture innovation and shrink the gender pay gap. A study by the Gallup Organization found that more diverse companies have 22% less employee turnover rate; creating faster, sustainable growth.

Still, many companies struggle to recruit and retain diverse talent – that’s where Ada Developers Academy comes in. 

Our one-year, tuition-free coding school fast-tracks women and gender-expansive* folks into junior software developer roles. Through six months in the classroom and five months in an industry internship with one of our company partners, Ada students build the skills and experience they need to become developers. We know our model works – 94% of our graduates are hired into full-time software engineering jobs within six months of graduation. 

We develop engineers who are highly skilled and collaborative; graduates are experienced in practical, team-based software development and learning new technology rapidly. Our students are highly diverse; all are women or gender-expansive, 72% are people of color, 40% are racial minorities underrepresented in tech (Black, Latine, Indigenous, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander), and 34% are LGBTQIA+. Through our internship program, we help you find your future software developer from our diverse talent pool while also providing inclusive leadership training to managers to build better teams, better tech, and better business.

Our company partners rave about Ada graduates:

“Ada is a great partner that produces professional, and technically skilled women, who have proven successful in a fast-paced, technically challenging environment. Not only have the employees that we have hired through Ada internships continued to grow in their careers, given the strong foundation they started with, but they have all been strong carriers of our core values. They are collaborative, communicative and passionate about their work…I’ve gotten to know a lot of different coding education programs, and Ada continues to be a favourite to work with.”

Zillow 

“Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace is a top priority for Skytap. We know we still have a long way to go, but also recognise, we would not be where we are today without Ada. We have learned a great deal on the importance of having diverse talent and perspectives and ​inclusion in the workplace at all levels. Our organisation absolutely reaps the rewards by having more diversity in thought as we build a great product for our customers.”

Skytap

“The ability to attract outstanding tech talent is one of our greatest challenges. Ada has allowed us to do that while increasing the diversity of our workforce. Our software engineering organization is now 30% percent female — three times the national average. Ada has had a huge positive impact on our work culture. We’ve made improvements in our inclusivity and hiring practices, and it’s awesome to give our male developers the opportunity to work with devs who break the mold and shatter stereotypes.”

EnergySavvy

“After graduating from Ada, I not only successfully entered the industry but also advanced my career more quickly than I ever thought possible. Now, as a CTO, I can create opportunities for so many more people from non-traditional backgrounds, and I’m excited to impact how a whole company thinks about talent.”

Strike Graph CTO and Ada alum

“We want and could employ so many more Ada students.”

Amazon

Ada welcomes companies of all sizes to share in our mission by becoming a partner. We not only partner with tech heavyweights like Amazon, Google, Uber, and Microsoft, but also smaller companies and startups seeking diverse talent. Alexandra Holien, VP of Revenue and Strategy at Ada explains, “Companies are finally seeing the positive impact diversity has on productivity and the bottom line. DEI has steadily and rightfully become a priority for big tech. We are giving them direct access to the most diverse pool of talented coders that will transcend the next generation.” 

After nearly ten years of success in Seattle, Ada began expanding operations across the U.S., starting with Atlanta in 2021 and the greater Washington, D.C. area in 2023. “Our aim in expanding to diverse cities that are beginning to experience tech industry growth is to ensure that the wealth generated by the industry benefits the whole community and not just a select few,” says Ada CEO Lauren Sato. “Coming from Seattle, we have seen how booming tech can push communities out of their city, and we hope to see Atlanta become the first market to grow tech from within.” 

Since our founding in 2013, Ada has served over 1,000 participants and generated $50M in new salaries for women and gender-expansive folks in the tech economy, narrowing gender and racial equity gaps in one of our most prosperous and influential sectors. 

Learn more at www.adadevelopersacademy.org, and contact partnerships-team@adadevelopersacademy.org for information on partnering with us. Follow Ada on LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, or Facebook

*Ada uses a national reference for the term “gender-expansive” (also sometimes called non-binary, non-conforming or genderqueer) and Transgender provided by GLAAD: https://www.glaad.org/reference/transgender  

Categories
Events Tips

Job Fairs for Tech Seekers

How easy is it for a developer to find a job? Someone would say really easy, given that developers are high in demand worldwide, but getting just the right job can be tricky.

You know, that job which will allow you to work remotely, on your own time schedule, offering training opportunities and also feel like you are making a difference. Believe it or not, this job really exists and finding it is easier than you thought.

Why choose a job fair?

For software engineers who are looking for an environment that will boost their productivity and most importantly their creativity, tech job fairs might be the best option for their search. Here’s why:

  • Networking. It’s the right place to establish meaningful connections & relationships with company representatives and other fellow developers.
  • You get to meet the company’s employees. Talk face to face (leaving aside the formality of an email) and ask the questions that are really troubling you, such as “Does the company provide a supportive environment for studies?” and many more.
  • Getting ahead of the competition. Let’s face it, even a spotless CV cannot compete with the lasting first impression. While a well-written resume can reflect your skills and experience, it could never show the soft skills employers are looking for.

Depending on the stage of your career and your geographic location, job fairs may be the next destination for your job search. That’s why we did the research for you! Below we have gathered some of the most interesting job fairs running in Europe & USA, for tech job seekers.

Tech Job Fairs in Europe:

  • London Tech Job Fair Spring 2020 by TechMeetups.com
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: Central Foundation Boys’ School, Cowper Street, London, EC2A 4SH
    Country: United Kingdom
    Date: Thu, 27 February 2020, 18:30 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: causaLens, Digital insight, Workindenmark & more
  • Munich Tech Job Fair Spring 2020 by TechMeetups.com
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: Munich (More info TBA)
    Country: Germany
    Date: Thu, 19 March 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: Jobsens.ai, Actyx, Hubert Burda Media, KAL & more
  • Barcelona Tech Job Fair Spring 2020 by TechMeetups.com
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: Ilunion Hotel Barcelona, Carrer de Ramon Turró, 196-198, 08005 Barcelona
    Country: Spain
    Date: Thu, 26 March 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: Nestle, Netcentric, Workindenmark & more
  • Tech Job Fair Berlin by Tech Job Fairs
    Pricing: FREE
    Venue: Deutsche Telekom AG Hauptstadtrepräsentanz, Französische Straße 33a-c, 10117 Berlin
    Country: Germany
    Date: Thu, 16 April 2020, 15:00 – 20:00
    Speakers: QT, Cern, Deutsche Telekom, Zizoo, & more
  • Amsterdam Tech Job Fair Spring 2020 By Techmeetups
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: Software Improvement Group, Fred. Roeskestraat 115, Amsterdam, 1076
    Country: Netherlands
    Date: Thu, 23 April 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: KLM Royal Dutch Company, Reducept & more
  • Bern Tech Job Fair 2020 By Techmeetups
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: Berner GenerationenHaus – Spittelsaal, Bahnhofplatz 2, Postfach 3001 Bern, 3001 Bern
    Country: Switzerland
    Date: Thu, 30 April 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: MIACAR, TieTalent.com & more
  • Zurich Tech Job Fair Spring 2020 By Techmeetups
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: VOLKSHAUS ZÜRICH – Weisser Saal, Stauffacherstrasse 60, CH-8004 Zürich
    Country: Switzerland
    Date: Wed, 6 May 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: Contovista, MIACAR, TieTalent, Nortide & more
  • Tech Job Fair Vienna by Tech Job Fairs
    Pricing: FREE
    Venue: Aula der Wissenschaften, Wollzeile 27a, A-1010 Vienna
    Country: Austria
    Date: Wed, 13 May 2020, 14:00-20:00
    Speakers: Willhaben, Global Blue, Voi, Coders.Bay, Women And Code, & more
  • Madrid Tech Job Fair 2020 By Techmeetups
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: Wild Code School Madrid, Calle de Serrano Anguita 10, Madrid
    Country: Spain
    Date: 14 May 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: AG Solution, Wild Code School & more
  • Hamburg Tech Job Fair 2020 By Techmeetups
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    VenueHamburg (More info TBA)
    Country: Germany
    Date: Wed, 20 May 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: TBA
  • Stockholm Tech Job Fair Spring 2020 By Techmeetups
    Pricing: FREE (VIP Job Seeker Pass €10.00 + €1.83 Fee)
    Venue: Things, Drottning Kristinas väg. 53, Stockholm, 114 28 Stockholm
    Country: Sweden
    Date: Thu, 28 May 2020, 18:00 – 21:00
    Hiring companies: TBA
  • Tech Job Fair Lisbon by Tech Job Fairs
    Pricing: FREE
    Venue: Lisbon (More info TBA)
    Country: Portugal
    Date: Thu, 24 September 2020, 15:00 – 20:00
    Speakers: BNP Paribas, IAESTE Portugal, Grow Remote, Zoi & more
  • Tech Job Fair Zurich by Tech Job Fairs
    Pricing: FREE
    Venue: VOLKSHAUS / WEISSER SAAL, Stauffacherstrasse 60, 8004 Zürich
    Country: Switzerland
    Date: Thu, 15 October 2020, 15:00 – 20:00
    Speakers: Onedot, Voi Technology, talent4gig, SwissPropTech & more

Tech Job Fairs in the USA

  • IoT World Careers Fair by Informa Tech
    Pricing: FREE
    Venue: San Jose McEnery Convention Center, 150 West San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA 95113
    Country: United States
    Date: Wed, April 8, 2020, 14:00-17:00
  • WITI Annual Summit Career Fair by Professional Diversity Network
    Pricing: FREE
    Venue: Hyatt Regency San Francisco Airport, 1333 Old Bayshore Hwyr, Burlingame, CA 94010
    Country: United States
    Date: Wed, June 24, 2020, 10:30 – 14:30

What next?

Hopefully, this article helped some of you out there, searching for your next step. If you want more career advice, a while back we had a look into the Game Designer evolution and navigating between product and custom software development.

If you’ve heard of any other Job Fairs focusing on the tech industry please go ahead and leave us your comment.