Are you smart and good at creative problem solving?
If so, you could be well on your way to a high-demand, high-paying job as a software developer in just eight weeks, even if you’ve never considered that career path as an option.
“When we first said we were going to do this, everyone said it can’t be done,” says Bob Fortenberry, Senior Vice President for Cook Systems, a Memphis-based IT consultancy and solutions provider. “We had to blaze a trail because it’s counterintuitive. We have people who accelerate past a 5-7 year developer in a matter of months.”
That trailblazing program is called FastTrack´D, and is an 8-week-long session preparing developers in Java-based and .NET programming. The three-year-old code school is open to anyone with technical aptitude, intelligence and the desire to learn, and seeks to remove industry barriers into the field. Once successfully completing the program, graduates are hired into full-time salaried positions with benefits. Cook Systems then deploys them on large-scale development projects to clients across the country.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment growth projection for software developers is well above average between 2012 and 2022. With an increase in demand for computer software and applications, especially within large sectors like healthcare, the need for developers who can create, secure and fix those applications is growing, as well. “If you’re smart but underemployed, then this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to change the entire trajectory of your life,” says Fortenberry. FastTrack’D graduates receive structured raises and professional mentorship over the course of three years, resulting in annual salaries upwards of $70,000.
According to Fortenberry, Cook Systems spent more than a year researching the requirements and skills needed to become a successful software developer. They then created a unique assessment that determines if the person taking it would be well-suited for a career in the field of development. Following the successful results of the assessment, candidates are then fasttracked through an 8-week-long, intensive program that is provided free of charge by Cook Systems.
“It’s a really special program and I think I’m the luckiest person in the world to find a place where you can do something like that, where you can have the opportunity to change people’s lives,” says Fortenberry. “If you’re smart and you can believe in yourself, that’s part of the secret of this. You have to envision yourself as successful to be successful. We test them and oftentimes people don’t know how smart they are. People have not had the opportunity to really have that measured.”
To learn more about FastTrack’D or to apply for the program, visit Cook Systems’ website at cooksys.com.
