In this session, we covered three big updates happening at Launch School. First, we introduced the new LSBot feature, which provides code reviews for exercies to help fill in support gaps. Chris touches on interesting questions surrounding both LSBot and AI in general, like if LSBot is intended to replace human TAs. Next, we talked about the shift away from written assessments. Instead, students will now complete quizzes and interview-style assessments, to better prepare for real-world interview...
Apr 26, 2025•1 hr 2 min
In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Sherece, a current student nearing the end of the core curriculum. They spend the first part of the conversation discussing how Sherece managed to overcome her extremely low confidence to not just progress through the core curriculum, but to even enroll amid self-doubt and fear of failure. Though she was an incredibly curious and eager-to-learn child, life circumstances meant that Sherece lost this part of herself for many years. After developing a...
Jun 10, 2024•37 min
In this episode, Chris interviews Daniel Nalesnik, the creator of Hack Chinese and a core curriculum graduate. Daniel used the fundamentals learned in the core program to build his own business. They spend the first part of the episode discussing Daniel's winding journey to Launch School in which he left a successful career behind. Daniel quit his job to pursue Launch School full-time, driven by a long-held vision to create an application that would later become Hack Chinese. Unlike many student...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 21 min
In this episode, Brandi chats with current student Patrick about his journey thus far through the core curriculum. They discuss what it's like coming from a background of feeling completely incompetent with a computer to gaining the confidence to lead SPOT sessions and encourage other students to do the same. Patrick also shares some of the more difficult hurdles he's faced. His initial plan and schedule for moving through the core curriculum were too rigorous, resulting in burnout and ultimatel...
May 13, 2024•59 min
Sign-ups for Smooth Start 5 are open now! Read more and Apply here (https://public.launchschool.com/smooth-start) In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Karis about Smooth Start. Karis is part of the Launch School staff and is largely responsible for creating Smooth Start, an introductory program to help students overcome common hurdles that are often faced at the early stages of Launch School. They discuss why Smooth Start was created and new students' struggles, whether they're in the...
Apr 29, 2024•56 min
In this episode, Chris interviews Missy Lovegren, a Capstone grad and software engineer at New Relic. Missy was a TA at Launch School and part of a 2022 Capstone cohort. They spend the first part of the episode discussing Missy's transition into software. She comes from a background in fine arts and went through several difficult, low paying, and, as she described, dead-end jobs. Even so, the decision to leave fine arts and transition into software development was challenging. She gives a very c...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 21 min
In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Nick Perry, a current student and active member of the Launch School community. Nick shares his background and how he was never a 'good' student previously in high school and university. When he began Launch School, like many students, he wasn't sure if he could succeed and had to reevaluate his perception of his abilities both technically and as a dedicated student. He discusses reshaping his study habits, confidence, and dedication not just to su...
Apr 01, 2024•42 min
In this episode, Chris has a conversation with Felicia Bacon, a Capstone grad and Software Engineer at Starbucks. Felicia made a trajectory change after studying to be an architect for several years. Her core curriculum journey was one of perseverance, spanning three and a half years. She shares candidly about her experience receiving a 'not yet' on the first Launch School assessment and her all-in approach to mastery-based learning. Working at a corporate giant like Starbucks, Felicia is in an ...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 26 min
In this episode, Brandi interviews Katelyn, a current student finding her footing in the first few courses of the core curriculum. Katelyn is in a career transition, with a background in project and construction management, having majored in civil engineering in college. We reached out to Katelyn to see if she wanted to share her story after she wrote and shared an article about her experience receiving a 'Not Yet' on an assessment. Every student has a different approach when they don't pass an ...
Mar 04, 2024•41 min
In this episode, Chris interviews Alex Strick van Linschoten, a Capstone grad working in machine learning. They spend the first part of the interview discussing his background and Capstone experience, and later on discuss the field of machine learning. Alex had a full career before he transitioned into machine learning. He has a PhD in history and spent over 15 years doing research in Afghanistan. When he was ready for a change, he found Launch School and spent over three years going through cor...
Feb 19, 2024•56 min
In this episode, recorded at the end of 2023, Brandi asks Chris the most frequently asked questions that current and potential students have. Chris starts the episode with a recap of the story of Launch School, and how his journey into teaching software over 10 years ago led to the Launch School curriculum as we know it now. This story explains how the curriculum is chosen and why adding assessments was a necessary step in the evolution of his teaching platform. The story of Launch School gives ...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 23 min
In this episode, Chris interviews Julia Martin, a Capstone graduate and software engineer working at Databricks. Julia shares her story about deciding to make a career transition from business to software. Her interest in software was piqued during her work as a business analyst, where working with SQL was part of her role. She spent some time considering various bootcamps before finding Launch School, and ended up quitting her job to study full-time. Now, she's working on the Delta Live Tables ...
Jan 22, 2024•52 min
In this episode, Brandi interviews Trisha, a current student who is about two-thirds finished with the core curriculum. Trisha opens up about receiving a 'Not Yet', a non-passing grade, on her first assessment over a year ago. She talks about the aftermath of doubt and insecurity. Trisha's trajectory changed drastically when she immersed herself into the community, finding a supportive group of peers to help her stay motivated, push her technically, and gauge her readiness for assessments. This ...
Jan 08, 2024•35 min
In this episode, Chris interviews Captsone Graduate Jon Kulton, a software engineer at Datadog. Before Launch School, Jon was a UX designer in a role that included some programming. Ultimately, Jon decided he wanted to transition into a more software-centric role. Jon was part of the 2019 fall cohort and began his job hunt at the start of Covid. Between being based in Ohio and the challenges that came with Covid, Jon had a tough job hunt. He shares insight into the experience of landing his firs...
Dec 25, 2023•58 min
In this episode, Chris meets with JD and Daniel, two SPOT Admins and current students. They chat about what the SPOT is, who it's for, and how it can complement your Launch School studies, both technically, but also as a jumping-off point for joining the community. The SPOT, which stands for Study, Practice, Overlearn, Teach, is a student-led community within Launch School that facilitates virtual study sessions for every course in the Core Curriculum. They discuss the deterrents that often stop...
Dec 11, 2023•55 min
In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Benjamin Walker, a current student, nearing the end of the back-end portion of the curriculum. They discuss Benjamin's approach to balancing full-time parenthood and his journey as a neurodivergent student. Benjamin was a high school math teacher for 12 years. After becoming a father, he decided he was ready for a career change. He talks about how he decided to study at Launch School and the considerations this involved, given his prioritization of...
Nov 27, 2023•38 min
In this episode, Chris interviews Ginni Pinckert, a software engineer at Sudowrite. Ginni is a recent capstone graduate, finishing in early 2023. She has a diverse background pre-Launch School, having studied classical languages, literature, and linguistics with a mild obsession with Greek mythology and Sci-Fi. She worked in the fashion industry for several years and then worked as a small business owner creating organization systems to help clients with productivity. Her Launch School journey w...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 9 min
A quick introduction to this season with a peek at what's to come.
Nov 10, 2023•1 min
In this episode Chris and Karis discuss the latest Capstone Salaries page update. Chris shares important data to look out for on the new salaries page, and provides advice when comparing other career-launching programs out there on the market. This discussion is to be used as a companion guide to the salaries page, and is especially helpful for those looking to have more clarity on Capstone. The episode finishes with some announcements and upcoming events. Because the Capstone Salaries page is d...
Dec 19, 2022•28 min
In this bytes episode Karis asks Chris and the Launch School community "What was some of their biggest takeaways this year at Launch School?" After the students and staff share their takeways, Karis closes with some Launch School announcements and upcoming events. to listen to the podcast click on the play button above the RSS and SHARE buttons Introduction (https://podcast.launchschool.com/biggest-takeaways-this-year?t=0) Chris' Takeaways (https://podcast.launchschool.com/biggest-takeaways-this...
Dec 08, 2022•30 min
In this episode Chris and Karis conduct a Q&A session about Launch School's new Programming Essentials Workshops, what they are why new programmers would want to attend. Karis then catches up with Launch School Alumnus Kelvin, who shares his experiences as a UK Capstone student and what it's like working as a software engineer based in the UK. The episode comes to a close with some Launch School announcements and upcoming events. to listen to the podcast click on the play button above the RS...
Sep 28, 2022•56 min
In this episode Chris and Karis discuss a recent inspirational talk given by Core graduate student Jake. Chris answers some additional Launch School-related questions including how ISAs work. Karis interviews Capstone graduate and Launch School Alumna Catherine, who shares what life has been like as a software engineer a year and a half on from her studies at Launch School. The episode ends with a few announcements about the latest events. Introduction (https://podcast.launchschool.com/transform...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 20 min
In this episode Chris discusses the latest 2021 Capstone salaries, and provides some advice for students that have concerns about the recession. Karis catches up with younger students, Ethan and Tyler, and learns how their Launch School studies are already making an impact on their software engineering journey. Karis ends the episode with a few announcements about the latest events at Launch School. Introduction (https://podcast.launchschool.com/capstone-salaries-recession-young-launch-school-st...
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 15 min
In this episode Launch School Student Felicia interviews Chris as he shares the origin story of how Launch School came to be. He also offers his unique perspective on how Launch School approaches learning, coding education and software engineering. The show includes several new announcements that students should be aware of. Show Notes - LS181 Assessment Update (https://launchschool.com/posts/0d4cdede) - Launch School Exercises Update (https://launchschool.com/exercises) - Capstone Video Recordi...
May 05, 2022•2 hr 4 min
This episode Karis and Chris discuss the all the latest Launch School interviews and presentations. Karis also catches up with the co-host from last season Mandy who now works at Mozilla. Finally they leave you with a number of new announcements that students should be aware of. Intro (https://podcast.launchschool.com/latest-news-interviews-mandy?t=0) Agenda (https://podcast.launchschool.com/latest-news-interviews-mandy?t=19) Felicia's Interview with Chris (https://podcast.launchschool.com/lates...
Apr 14, 2022•1 hr 12 min
This season Chris kicks off our first episode by introducing Launch Schools new podcast format and new co-host Karis. Together they discuss the latest events happening at Launch School and some quick reminders students should be aware of. Karis also catches up with previous host Callie in a 1 on 1 interview. Introduction - 0:00 (https://podcast.launchschool.com/welcome-to-season-4) Agenda - 4:33 (https://podcast.launchschool.com/welcome-to-season-4?t=273) Buddy System for Female Students - 5:10 ...
Mar 22, 2022•51 min
In today's episode, our podcast hosts Chris, Callie, and Mandy share their end of the year reflections on Season 3, new updates on where Mandy and Callie are going, upcoming ideas for season 4, and ambitious goals for Launch School in the New Year and beyond. Chris, Callie, and Mandy wishes everyone a joyous and wonderful holiday season! You can listen from your favorite podcast app by searching for “Launch School”, or listen directly from your browser.
Dec 20, 2021•27 min
In today's episode, Callie chats with Launch School TA Pete about his journey to and through Launch School. He shares about his beloved cats we see glimpses of, what brought him to Launch School, and why he enjoys being a part of this community. He also sheds light on what makes a good Core student and talks about someone who made a lasting impact on his career. You can listen from your favorite podcast app by searching for “Launch School”, or listen directly from your browser.
Dec 15, 2021•32 min
In this Thanksgiving episode, Mandy talks to students who have been at Launch School for over a year. These students share what they are grateful for and how the community has helped them throughout their journey at Launch School. Special thanks to the stories shared by the wonderful students: Alfonso Gonzalez, Felicia Bacon, Charles Hartman, Anne Tiotuico, Natalie Thompson, Rona Hsu, and Austin Miller. You can listen from your favorite podcast app by searching for “Launch School”, or listen dir...
Nov 25, 2021•42 min
In today's episode, Callie chats with three Launch School students in three very different life stages. They share how they came to Launch School, what seemed to come easy to them, and what was harder. Without hearing one another's interviews, they paint similar pictures that are still unique. Whether you've been here awhile or have just joined the community, their stories will encourage you and help you see, a little clearer, the wonderful community you're a part of. You can listen from your fa...
Oct 28, 2021•43 min
