Repost of CareerKarma
Imagine you’re a superhero, being able to work wonders for the world with your superpowers, all because you’ve cultivated them yourself of your own volition. Coding school Automation Workz Institute is home to Andrea (pronounced AN-DRE-A), a completely unique facet of the education experience. She’s the mascot of Automation Workz. She’s there to remind learners that they too can be superheroes, like her, for their own careers, families, and futures.
When Ida Byrd-Hill of Automation Workz was well into the process of writing her book, Invisible Talent Market, which explored the disparities between Black talent and the tech market, she realized that she held the power to educate on a transformative scale. She spent much of her writing process on her mobile devices, on the bus.
One day while riding the bus, she saw someone ask around for a printed bus schedule. She knew that the much better alternative was using the mobile bus schedule so she ended up explaining this to the entire bus around her. As people around her asked her question after question, she realized that time spent commuting could be utilized toward education.
From this idea, Automation Workz was born. Since then, the school has worked to train and prepare its learners for tech careers. Aligning learners with their visions, major goals, and even personality types, Automation Workz transforms its learners into tech superheroes.
You might be asking yourself who Automation Workz is looking for. You may be a good fit for the school if you are committed to your goals and visions, and are willing to put in considerable amounts of rigorous, hands-on work.
How to Get into Automation Workz
When learners apply to Automation Workz, they first complete an Admissions Sampler Workshop, where they complete sample assignments to get a feel for the labs and hands-on instruction that the school has to offer.
At Automation Workz, regardless of your experience level, everyone starts at the same point. All learners are required to take the initial intro courses. Courses at Automation Workz are rarely lecture-based; they’re instead focused on the application and discussion of topics.
Learners can take either full-time or part-time programs. The full-time coursework takes six months to complete, and the part-time course takes around 12 months to complete. Regardless of the path they select, learners engage in hours of hands-on lab work so that when they enter the job market, they’re well-prepared.
On Monday nights, learners engage in presentations. Debate is often sprinkled throughout the curriculum so that learners are knowledgeable about various important topics in the business world and politics around them and can comfortably discuss them. When they need more in-depth assistance, office hours are held by instructors for one-on-one sessions.
What Will I Learn at Automation Workz?
The first foundational course at Automation Workz required for all learners is the Network Tech 101 course. This consists of two fundamental introduction courses: the main Internet of Things course and Intro to Networking. Learners dive into cybersecurity concepts and learn about how artificial intelligence and data analytics operate. Completing this course and the Network 201 course prepares the learners for the Cisco-Certified (CCT) Technicians exam.
Automation Workz’s Network Associate 202 and 203 courses involve Routing and Switching Essentials, and Enterprise Network Security and Automation. In Routing and Switching Essentials, learners tackle network-related problems and learn how to effectively diagnose and troubleshoot common network issues.
The Enterprise Network, Security, and Automation course deals with the inner workings of WANs (wide area networks.) These courses also have Cisco certification timed exams, both traditional and hands-on, which prepare learners for the actual Cisco-Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam.
Learners can also take 301 Cyber Ops I and 302 Cyber Ops II. These courses focus deeply on cybersecurity. That means learners gain the technical and practical knowledge required to not only write manuals and processes but also work to prevent and respond accordingly to cybersecurity breaches and other issues. Like with the other Automation Workz courses, these are completed with Cisco certification exams.
The high volume of lab work at Automation Workz prepares learners for technical interviews and workplace situations where they will use what they’ve learned at Automation Workz.
Career Planning at Automation Workz
Career planning at Automation Workz is non-traditional and woven into the very fabric of the curriculum. When learners come into class, they’re planning for their futures. When the middle of the program comes, the focus on career planning becomes front and center, and the job search begins.
Learners engage in technical writing instruction, sharpen their communication skills, and create an online presence for themselves on LinkedIn that potential employers will need. For example, learners record themselves speaking on Zoom and other platforms to make sure that they communicate effectively and clearly. They learn exactly what it is they need to say and how.
Another major point of Automation Workz’s career planning approach is that learners are immersed in the importance of networking and referrals. In essence, they can apply directly to as many jobs as they want, but the ones they’ll best succeed at are the ones where their names and faces are already being heard and seen.
How to Pay for Automation Workz: Financing and Payment Options
There’s no upfront tuition at Automation Workz. Instead, you can opt for Automation Workz’s Big Bet ISA. An ISA or Income Share Agreement is a financing model that lets you complete your training without having to pay upfront. Once you finish the course and find a qualifying job that pays above a set minimum income threshold, you share a percentage of your paycheck with the school for a limited time.
For Automation Workz’s Big Bet ISA, learners repay 9% of their income over 48 months after graduation and/or a new job, whichever happens first. If learners do not secure a new job earning above $30,000, the school waives the tuition.
The ISA’s main goal is to help learners whose lifestyles require full commitment to tech education and career change. By delaying tuition payment until they’ve launched a career, learners can focus on their studies more.
Since Automation Workz was born in the hood, this ISA is built to help inner-city learners across America realize their full potential and become superheroes for themselves and their families.
Automation Workz’s Outcomes
In 2019, Automation Workz’s first cohort graduated with the necessary skills and certification to further their career journeys and become tech superheroes. In January of 2020, Automation Workz launched its first tuition-funded cohort. All learners, except for two, are utilizing the Big Bet ISA to fund their education. As of today, the school reports that 30% of its learners have earned six-figure incomes, with one now making $117,000.
Want More Information?
If you’re looking to launch your new tech career, expand your salary, and engage in a challenging class environment that’ll ensure you have the tools to succeed in the workforce, look no further than Automation Workz. If you’re considering sending in an application, there’s no better time than now.
