FAQs: Software Engineering

All students need to be 18 years of age or older when they commence their studies with Academy Xi. 

We teach two programming languages, one for each front-end and back-end plus a host of frameworks and tools, which, used together, can help to build a web application.

Front-end:

• Languages: JavaScript, HTML and CSS
• Frameworks: React and Redux

Back-end:

• Language: Ruby (programming language) supported by Rails (framework), also called Ruby on Rails
• Database tool: SQL 
• Version control with Git

Both Ruby and Python are object oriented languages, so you can achieve the same results with both, however there are a few reasons we teach Ruby over Python:

• Ruby is a language recommended for beginners because it reads remarkably like English
• Ruby  is readable and efficient, making it much easier to get comfortable with than some other languages. 
• It’s also open-source, so you’ll have access to plenty of tools and a community of other developers, all for free. The Ruby community is extremely supportive and an amazing resource for beginners.
• And perhaps most importantly, it’s flexible: the language is used by plenty of companies (Airbnb, GitHub, Hulu, Kickstarter, etc.) and gives you a solid foundation to branch out into other languages later.

Once you are well versed with Ruby, learning other languages including Python will come more easily to you. 

Ruby is a programming language and is supported by Rails, which is the framework. Together they are known as ‘Ruby on Rails’.

Ruby on Rails is a web application framework. It is a collection of shortcuts written in Ruby that lets you build websites really quickly.

Yes. The Academy Xi Software Engineering Transform training is approximately 1000 hours of learning, to ensure that you are really well trained. Students spend over half their time coding and we developed the course with New York based Flatiron School, who have won multiple awards from Career Karma and Course Report.

We want you to understand that this is an intensive course that will train you to take on software engineering as a career, so you will need to put in some hard work. There will be an element of self study, however, you’ll get loads of support from your industry-trained mentors who have years of experience in software engineering. Your online experience will also include multiple weekly online classes with your mentor and classmates and unlimited 1:1 sessions with your mentor.

• This course is built to really teach you how to code. 
• You’ll spend over 50% of your time on coding, practical activities
• From hundreds of labs (coding exercises) to 5 projects of varying complexity, you’ll be constantly coding
• Not only will you build code, but you’ll also learn how to debug errors 
• Real client project work: Once you graduate, you also have the option to work on a JavaScript project for a real client’s website, in a safe local environment.

• Reading is a crucial part of learning to be a developer, so that has been built into the design of the course. You can expect to spend 50% of your time reading, and 50% practicing. 
• There are certainly plenty of free resources online and lots of people teach themselves, BUT what we offer is feedback and support while you are doing it – which makes the process more efficient, and effective.

1. There will be multiple Live Sessions with your mentor which will be a little lecturing, but mostly live practice and discussing practical activities
2. You can get unlimited mentor support when you need it (within office hours)

• It’s an easier way to learn a complex topic – start small and keep building in complexity: Another difference is that the activities, projects and assessment are built to start small, adding specific skills along the way, increasing a complex range of capability all at once. You could try to do that by yourself online, but it would be hard to do.
• Importantly, the course has been refined over 8 years of delivery – so you’re essentially paying for something that works and has been proven to be successful. The way this course is taught has been optimised over and over and over again to ensure student success. 

So you get all these benefits if you choose to sign up, instead of trying to tackle a complex subject by yourself.

• One thing employers are looking for is your GitHub profile – it’s basically a Software Engineer’s version of a portfolio.
• Any person around the world can consult your code and see how you work without having to carry a laptop, a hard drive, or any other device. 
• It is the best way to showcase your coding projects in a fast and professional way.
• As this course consists of 50% of the time spent coding, each line of code you write is published to your GitHub profile – which you can share with employers to showcase your coding skills. 
• In fact, your final capstone project is designed specifically to demonstrate the breadth of your skills to potential employers.

• Git is a version control system which is distributed for free. It’s open-source, fast, and efficient.
• GitHub is the web platform for hosting your code using Git’s system.

• We have an entire Career Support Team that will work with you to help you secure a job offer after graduation. 
• You’ll get personalised support to refine your CV and LinkedIn profile, help in preparing for interviews and access to our network of employers. 
• It’s a collaborative process – you have to look for opportunities, put in the effort and engage with your Career Coach. 
• We’re really proud of our graduate employment rate – over 90% of our graduates have secured a job offer within 180 days of graduation, in their chosen field.