Hacker School Turns TheLadders Into Summer School

NEW YORK, July 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, job-matching giant TheLadders, which recently launched its native iOS app on the App Store for its more than 6 million members, opened the doors of its SoHo-loft headquarters to the summer session of Hacker School students, demonstrating its commitment to nurturing new talent in New York's technology community. With no grades, teachers, or formal curricula, Hacker School is a free, three-month, immersive retreat for programmers, which adheres to an unconventional style of project-based and self-directed learning.

"When it comes to attracting the best tech talent at TheLadders, our unique philosophy is to hire for passion and train for skill," explained Kyri Sarantakos, Vice President of Engineering at TheLadders. "We are proud to host this summer's Hacker School students because they possess an insatiable desire to invent things, much like TheLadders' talented engineers, including a Hacker School alum, which just developed our native iOS app from scratch."

Hacker School, which launched two years ago, appeals to programmers from a wide range of backgrounds and selects intellectuals who demonstrate a proven desire for improving their skills. With no certification or grading processes in place, the only reason to attend Hacker School is to become a better programmer.

"TheLadders has been incredibly welcoming and supportive of Hacker School," said Nicholas Bergson-Shilcock, Co-founder of Hacker School. "We're thrilled to be spending the rest of the summer in their beautiful downtown office."

Every year, Hacker School operates three, three-month "batches," which generate highly sought-after alumni who continue their careers as programmers at some of the most prestigious technology companies in the world. Although a recent study by TheLadders found that while non-grad professionals may start their careers earning slightly more on average than their freshly-degreed B.S. and B.A. counterparts, the rate of salary growth for college graduates quickly outpaces the relatively flat career earnings over time for non-graduates. However, computer science was the only industry with a negative "degree bump," where CompSci professionals without a degree actually make $347,000 more over their careers than those with a degree.

From July 9 through August 22, TheLadders will welcome 40 Hacker School students from the summer 2013 batch into its headquarters, providing a free, creative, open, Wi-Fi-enabled workspace, and also extending all of the in-house amenities currently afforded to TheLadders' full-time employees. For more information on Hacker School, visit hackerschool.com.

About TheLadders

With more than 6 million members, TheLadders is the premier online job-matching service, now with a recently launched iPhone app, committed to finding the right person for the right job since 2003. Originally recognized as the leading job-matching site for high-earning professionals, TheLadders expanded its services in fall 2011 to all career-driven professionals. In doing so, more than 40,000 employers and recruiters that use TheLadders to source qualified candidates, now have access to professionals at all levels, free of charge. TheLadders is headquartered in New York City. For more information, visit TheLaddersBlog and TheLadders.com. Your career is our job.™

SOURCE TheLadders