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.

I think the overall guided mastery-based approach has been the biggest, most helpful aspect of Launch School so far. My experience with programming before LS was mostly self-directed, and while I naturally approach challenges by pursuing mastery, the breadth of the field was very intimidating. The guidance and curriculum here has opened so many doors for me. Excited to continue!
Scott Hoecker
I got a new job right after I completed the back-end part of the course. During the tech challenge process, I was able to build an React application and Node/Express application showcasing that I can pitch how easy to use the company's API to develop something. They were quite pleased to see I have capabilities and understanding on the web development.
Heejae Chang
The biggest achievement for me from this program was gaining confidence in myself and my capabilities while also giving me a an identity. Before starting this program, I felt that my identity was lost, but this amazing program has not only given me the tools to learn the fundamentals of programming, but has also given me an identity. I am excited to see what lies ahead!
Esther Kim
Learning the fundamentals is like proving to myself that it is possible to learn anything else I want in the future.
Jordan Eggers
I've never encountered a program like this before and so far it seems quite effective and has the necessary documentation, support, and infrastructure to set students up for success.
Armando Mota
Post a coding Bootcamp that I attended, I found out the hard way that I really didn't know coding as much as I thought I would. Even when the concepts or a coding problem was easy enough to understand theoretically, I had a hard time translating my thoughts into code. After finding Launch School, I found that the 101 lessons and 109 assessments were just what I needed to find my confidence in coding again.
Ainaa Sakinah Azman
"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