The first cohort of 17 students has graduated from Holberton Tulsa, a tuition-deferred software development school.
They started the 20-month program in January 2020 and continued throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, earning certificates in options like machine learning or augmented and virtual reality. Holberton Tulsa Executive Director Libby Ediger said almost half of their first group of students secured a job before graduation, and all but one of those jobs was in the Tulsa area.
"When folks think about software engineering, maybe they think of Google or Facebook or these kind of big tech companies. And what we really want to convey to people is that the jobs are everywhere, everything from the traditional oil and gas sector to lots of new technology companies that are being built or relocated to Tulsa," Ediger said.
Ediger said several more students are in a hiring process somewhere.
Holberton graduates pay a percentage of their incomes after finding work. The school is accepting applications for its next cohort through Dec. 24. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and have a high school diploma or GED.
"And really, our goal being part of Tulsa and part of this kind of new technology sector in Tulsa is to be able to have right now dozens and down the road hundreds of graduates a year helping build out this really impressive technology sector for our city," Ediger said.
