New programs provide a non-college route to tech jobs through alternative STEM education opportunities

BROOKLYN, N.Y. − Upwards of twenty-four months ago, Isaiah Hickerson awoke in the wee hours of the morning from a dream in which he envisioned himself as a coder.

His dream was entirely unexpected; he had no experience in coding. Hickerson was employed at a PetSmart store in Miami, answering phones in the grooming section. Outside of work, he was grappling with what direction to take in his life. At 23, he had dabbled in community college courses in business and biology, but his interest in both was lukewarm.

“I felt a sense of emptiness,” Hickerson recalled. “I wanted a change, but I was clueless about what that would be. I lacked a passion for anything, and I was unfamiliar with the feeling of passion.”

He acknowledges the improbability, but the dream had a profound impact on him. Immediately after waking, he delved into online research to decipher its significance.

“I literally sprang to action right then and there, at 2 a.m., perhaps 2:05,” he recounted. “I remember the entire sequence of events because that dream altered my trajectory – it guided me here.”

By “here,” Hickerson is referring to the Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn, New York, where he is on the verge of completing a one-year fellowship in software engineering. This is not an institution of higher learning or an expensive tech boot camp; rather, it is a nonprofit, no-cost program crafted to help individuals from historically marginalized communities – such as Hickerson, who is Black – secure lucrative tech careers.

While colleges and universities nationwide provide numerous initiatives to support underrepresented populations in STEM education, there is a scarcity of independent nonprofits focusing on individuals lacking the means or desire to pursue a traditional college STEM program. These nonprofits furnish free short-term training programs and facilitate job placement.

Two notable examples situated on opposite coasts are the Marcy Lab School and Hack the Hood in Oakland, California. Hack the Hood administers 12-week data science training programs and recently collaborated with Laney College, a community college in Oakland, to confer a data science certificate upon students.

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics data reveals that individuals of Black and Latino descent earn undergraduate science and engineering degrees at a disproportionately low rate, are underrepresented in STEM professions, and typically earn lower salaries compared to their white and Asian peers in those occupations.

Enhancing representation involves equipping students with academic and financial support. The financial burden associated with pursuing a four-year STEM degree – or even a two-year program – can be prohibitive. Providing cost-effective alternatives, such as free or less expensive non-profit training programs, can empower these individuals to compete for STEM positions offering lucrative salaries that foster economic and social mobility. The funding for both the Marcy Lab School and Hack the Hood is derived from charitable donations.

These programs hold significance in facilitating progress beyond what individuals would have achieved without the training, emphasized Weverton Ataide Pinheiro, an assistant professor in the College of Education at Texas Tech University. “We understand that they can only compete if they receive specific training, and they may not have the financial means to afford it,” he noted.

Reuben Ogbonna, one of the founders of the Marcy Lab School, indicated that their team has forged alliances with tech firms to secure software engineering positions for Marcy students upon program completion – even for roles typically requiring a bachelor’s degree.

Since its establishment in 2019, approximately 200 students have graduated from the school. In the initial three years, about 80% successfully completed the program, and roughly 90% of graduates secured STEM roles with an average annual income of $105,000, disclosed Ogbonna. However, during what Ogbonna described as a tech downturn in the last two years, job placement has become more challenging; this year, approximately 60% of graduates were employed six months post-graduation, he stated.

Opting for education at Marcy instead of pursuing a conventional college degree gives students an additional three years to earn income, bolster savings, and accumulate wealth, asserted Ogbonna. Moreover, they sidestep the burden of student loans.

“We’re endeavoring to address a longstanding, significant issue,” he emphasized. “By placing wealth in the hands of our students earlier, it can have a multiplying effect for the communities we serve.”

Hack the Hood caters to individuals aged 16 to 25, and in addition to the technical curriculum, instructs on matters of racial equity and social justice, stated Samia Zuber, the executive director. These components of the program equip students to confront challenges like imposter syndrome upon entering the workforce, she articulated, and encourage critical analysis of their work. For instance, students are educated on racial biases in facial recognition software and the resultant implications.

“It’s truly eye-opening and motivates one to effect change,” remarked student Lizbet Roblero Arreola on the misuse of facial recognition data. “Personally, I aspire to be a change-maker within companies to prevent such occurrences.”

Pursuing higher education was never a foregone conclusion for Roblero Arreola, a 24-year-old first-generation Mexican American. Following the birth of her first child soon after high school graduation, she opted to continue working in customer service. In the wake of her second child’s birth last year, she came across a social media post about Hack the Hood. Contemplating a return to academics, she sensed that Hack the Hood could ease her transition.

Arreola thanked the Hack the Hood team for guiding her through the enrollment process at Laney College, including assistance with financial aid applications. Upon completion of her associate degree in computer programming at Laney, she aspires to transfer to a four-year institution to earn a bachelor’s degree. Her long-term goal is to establish a career in cybersecurity.

These programs also cater to individuals like Nicole Blanchette, an 18-year-old from a rural community in Connecticut, who selected Marcy Lab School over a traditional collegiate experience.

Blanchette’s father holds an associate degree, while her mother, of Filipino descent, did not pursue postsecondary education. During her senior year of high school, Blanchette felt drawn to a tech career but hesitated because she felt she did not fit the stereotypical image of a computer science student.

An advertisement for Marcy Lab instilled in her the belief that a career in tech was within reach. Crunching the numbers, she found that living in New York for a year would be more economical than attending any of the colleges she was accepted to, even with financial aid. She convinced her parents to redirect the funds earmarked for her education to cover her living expenses while at Marcy.

Ogbonna and Maya Bhattacharjee-Marcantonio, the other co-founder of Marcy Lab, both originated from teaching backgrounds and recruited the initial batch of students through personal connections and local community organizations. Presently, 30% to 40% of Marcy Lab’s students are recent high school graduates.

For Hickerson, whose coding aspirations were sparked by a vivid dream, the notion of being devoid of passion is a distant memory. Speaking about his learning journey and the envisioned software engineering career, his unwavering smile speaks volumes.

The Hechinger Report