The Slow Path for Studious Learners to a Career in Software Development

Structured Curriculum from First Principles

Our program is about slowly building up mastery of fundamentals, so you understand how higher level abstractions truly work from the bottom up. Our goal isn't to teach you how to use React or Rails, but to show you how to construct accurate mental representations of first principles in order to tackle fundamental engineering problems. Our goal isn't to help you find a job, but help you launch a career. Our goal isn't to teach you to code, but to teach you how to deconstruct and problem solve like an engineer.

By Software Engineers for Future Software Engineers

Launch School was founded by experienced software engineers. We know what it takes to not only break into software, but to build and grow a career as an engineer in the software industry. Our objective is to increase your lifetime earnings by millions of dollars. This is what makes Launch School unique and why we focus on the long-term results of a career. Our curriculum was created by software engineers for future software engineers — you.

Beyond the instructional quality, Launch School has an incredible culture. The leadership there have done an fantastic job of creating an environment where relationship building and mutual learning is easy and enjoyable despite having a globally distributed student body.
Luke Tuttle
The interviews were great! I was very nervous before taking them, but now I realize that they were among the most helpful experiences I've had during the curriculum
Radu Adrian Constantin
I'm very grateful for Launch School, and in particular the fact that Launch School has forced me to slow down and actually learn things, as opposed to looking for the quick fix.
Duncan Britt
Launch School's focus on the fundamentals helped me start a career pivot into software engineering with a strong understanding of the fundamentals. Without Launch School and it's dedication to understanding the basic building blocks, I wouldn't have made the decision to pursue a software engineering career.
Alex Bair
The focus on fundamentals and problem solving has made me realize that learning to build things with code is really just another way of saying "learning how to think effectively and with clarity", and that is something I've seen extend in my life far beyond just programming skills since I've been here at LS.
Sheila Babadi
When I started back in December 2019 I could only write some awfully entangled and impossible to understand VBA scripts for Excel. Today, my code is clean, well-structured and I can tackle complex problems and build applications from scratch by breaking down is simpler parts. Not only I've achieved a level of confidence and fluidity in JavaScript that I couldn't even imagine when I started Core but also I feel I leave Core with a very good foundation in programming fundamentals.
Raul De Hevia
"We're one of the oldest and largest coding schools in the world."

Our Learning Goals

The key to unlocking higher level understanding and skills that last a career is focusing on fundamentals. We designed our curriculum with the following learning goals.

  • Fundamentals first, fundamentals throughout
  • A focus on learning things that don't change
  • Learn slowly and deliberately
  • Learn to be proficient, not just build awareness
  • Learn to understand problems, not solutions
  • Learn in a circular fashion

Our students love us, and if you are committed to building a career in software development, you will too

  • Sienna Wood
    Denver
    Software Engineer

    Experts always return to fundamentals because they are the foundation on which everything else is built. Launch School’s core program embodies this principle by emphasizing mastery of fundamentals through purposeful individual study.

  • Steve Kolock
    New York
    Front-end Developer

    I got a different role making significantly more than twice what I had been making as a 'web specialist', putting me firmly in six-figure

  • Letladi Sebesho
    Johannesburg, South Africa
    Full Stack Developer at Co-Foundy

    This programme opened possibilities for me that would have taken me years to reach

  • Sunny Beatteay
    New York City
    Software Engineer

    From the first glance, it was apparent that Launch School had been founded by industry veterans. I have never encountered a curriculum more in-depth and rigorous

A Serious Training Curriculum That's Designed to Launch a Career

Core Curriculum

Mastery of Fundamentals

Capstone

Launch Your Career

Complete the Core Curriculum courses and pass their assessments, and you'll have mastered the fundamentals. Participate in our Capstone Program, and you'll launch a career.

The Proof is in the Results

The average starting salary for 2024 Capstone graduates is

$115,766

(See Results & Outcomes for more details.)

Our graduates have been hired by industry leading companies and some of the most competitive startups

Start our preparatory courses now for free. When you're ready for the real courses, it's just

$199/month

Continue reading about how our pedagogy works and why we're able to produce such amazing results. This is how we're different. You should really read this.

Our Pedagogy