LaunchSchool: An online school for Software Engineers

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.

From the perspective of mastery based learning, not only have I learned the fundamentals of a couple of languages quite thoroughly, but I've learned so much about how to learn programming concepts well. In this field that changes as rapidly as it does, this is perhaps the most valuable skill I've been able to hone since enrolling at Launch School.
Luke Carlson
Learning fundamentals and practicing lots of problem solving has really changed the way I think. Both inside and outside of programming, my thought process is much more structured now.
Stephanie Cunnane
Launch School gave me the confidence and skills to be able to land my job as a Software Engineer - my dream job, location, and team (with a fantastic salary to add on top of that). Not only were my interviewers impressed with my Capstone project but they also were impressed with my understanding of the fundamentals. They even mentioned that a lot of engineers aren't solid on the fundamentals like I was! I'm forever grateful to Launch School for the curriculum, instructors, and support!
Emily Olszewski
Learning the fundamentals is like proving to myself that it is possible to learn anything else I want in the future.
Jordan Eggers
Having gone through the courses so far, I can pick up a programming book or stumble across any documentation have the knowledge base to quickly understand what I'm reading. I am able to think about a problem or look at an application and be able to think about the kind of data that may be at play or think through requirements and implementation possibilities--which I find incredibly exciting!
Y Choi
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
"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.

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  • 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

    READ MORE
  • 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

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  • 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

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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 2023 Capstone graduates is

$116,763

(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