It’s never too early to start being competitive in the Tech Industry job market. The “Coding by Design” Summer Program will take 15 participants and give them an intro to the skills companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon are looking for. These participants will go beyond the computer science theory taught in college classes and learn how professional Product Managers, UX/UI Designers and Developers use a concept called Agile to work together to build tech products in as little as 2-weeks. You’ll get an introduction to the Tech Industry all the while getting a head start on 2nd year CS courses at UTEP through this unique two-week program.
This 2-week hands-on learning program is aimed at college freshmen studying computer science to build their practical problem-solving skills. This program provides an opportunity for students who weren’t accepted into summer internships to develop hard and soft skills that are used to solve real-world problems.
Take your first steps to proving your technical skills to recruiters by building a webapp in 2 weeks, getting ahead in your courses, and learning about the Tech Industry.
CS college students who have either taken CS 1301 “Intro to Computer Science” or CS 2401 “Elementary Data Structures” or have experience programming that are interested in professional development as a web dev or are growing as an entrepreneur.
Sergio Ponce De Leon
A local Tech Entrepreneur dedicated to leveraging his engineering expertise to continue driving growth and development of the local community. The firm he founded, SourceCode Publishing, has recently pivoted to working with local startups to develop concepts into initial MVPs. With early career exposure to research in Quality Assurance at the National Science Foundation, the University of Texas at Dallas, and at the US. Air Force, he built his professional career with quality at the core. He has led engineering teams, committees, and students throughout his experiences at ThyroidHQ, SourceCode Publishing, Fivestars (acquired by SumUp), Microsoft TEALS, and the University of Texas at El Paso, to implement technology for positive change and social impact. He is an advocate for causes that promote education, community well-being, entrepreneurship, and mental health awareness.
Juan Ferret, Ph.D.
Juan Ferret is the founder and executive director of the Philosophic Systems Institute (PSI), a community non-profit organization that integrates interdisciplinary critical inquiry as transformational learning spaces for the community, often in co-design with underserved populations. PSI’s transformational programs range from Shadows to Light, Lighstream, and STREAM (STEM with Arts and Humanities). These nationally recognized anti-recidivism and diversion programs offer higher learning and life skills for adults and youth facing the justice system by providing community learning programs for low-income housing individuals and families in South Central El Paso. Recently, PSI joined in the design and formation of the Microsoft El Paso Innovation Hub, a collaborative space for creative solutions to improve access to tech opportunities, including an apprenticeship program for individuals aiming to work in the tech industry with a sophisticated set of 21st century professional skills. At PSI, Juan is also the lead researcher on the Foundations of Physics Group, and the Systems, Semiotics and Logic Group, which is working on the development of an advanced abductive logic systems’ AI that can be collaboratively developed in community. For over a decade prior to his work at PSI Juan taught humanities, physics, and philosophy courses at UTEP. Juan received his Ph.D. in Philosophy of Physics at the University of Oregon in 2003 after obtaining bachelor degrees in philosophy, mathematics, and physics from Gonzaga University in 1991. PSI is a supporting organization of the El Paso Community Foundation.
Monday – Thursday: 9am – 1pm
(A minimum of 10 students is required for the program to be offered.)
You will be guide through a typical 2-week Agile Sprint to develop a webapp using some of the most in demand skills, tech and managerial:
• Frontend Development (React.js)
• Git version control
• Agile Project Management
• Product and Management
• UX/UI Design Principles
• Backend Development (Node.js, Express.js)
• Database Building (MongoDB)
• ChatGPT prompting
Each participant
• Must currently be enrolled at UTEP or EPCC.
• Must have their own laptop.
• Must have previous coding experience.
• Must have completed at least one Intro. CS course at UTEP or EPCC.
• Must have commitment and availability for two weeks to attend all sessions of the program and participating in all activities, discussions, and hands-on exercises.
• Must be self-motivated to work independently and take initiative to finish assignments and tasks.
Work at the Microsoft’s El Paso Office at: Microsoft El Paso Innovation Hub, 500 W. Overland, Suite 210, El Paso, TX, 79901.
Reduce the likelihood of having to retake expensive computer science courses.
Give yourself a better shot of getting your foot into the tech industry early.
Make landing a competitive internship easier.
Prevent falling behind peers by getting ahead on the next courses in the UTEP CS Degree Plan, CS 2302 “Data Structures” and CS 3331 “Advanced Object-Oriented Programming.”
Impress hiring managers by having another webapp on your resume.
Experience an overview of what it takes to build software products, from Designing a Concept to Developing to Deploying.
Additional Bonuses:
• Access to a private Discord community for ongoing support and networking.
• Only provided to students that finish the program:
Free Resume template that the program instructors and designers interview callbacks from El Paso Electric, Steele Consulting, Google, Microsoft, NSF, US. AirForce.
Free one-on-one resume review and LinkedIn profile optimization session. Scheduled to occur after the program. (Usually a $500 offer on its own)
Mock Interview and Feedback and Coaching session
• Discounted 1:1 tutoring sessions until you graduate.
• Cheat sheets for topics covered in UTEP Courses: CS 2302 and CS 3331.
• Cheat sheet for where to find jobs
1st Offering: July 15 – 25, Monday – Thursday: 9am – 1pm
2nd Offering: Aug 5 – 15, Monday – Thursday: 9am – 1pm
(A minimum of 10 students is required for the program to be offered.)
Money-back guarantee if participant is not satisfied with the course within the first three days.
$500/seat (20% off until July 4th, making it $400 with discount)
You can also invest in your education using these alternative payment options:
Back to El Paso Community Foundation Website •
Privacy and Security Policy
El Paso Community Foundation is a 501c3 Organization. EIN: 74-1839536