4 ms·

I'm a facilitator at Hacker School, which makes me responsible for a large number of admissions decisions. While we do make money through referrals, our abilit

I'm a facilitator at Hacker School, which makes me responsible for a large number of admissions decisions. While we do make money through referrals, our ability to place someone at a company we work with is not something we consider while doing admissions. (This may be hard to believe, but trust me.) We have a significant number of international students, as well as students who we don't believe will get a job through us for one reason or the other, each batch. We admit based on whether we think someone will make a good Hacker Schooler. We also try to respond to anyone who asks for clarification about a decision. I'd love to hear from you, and I'd be happy to look into your last application; especially so if you think we made a mistake! Ping me at zach@hackerschool.com.

Schwolop 13y ago
Curious about this - what if someone (say, me) has a job and has no immediate intention of leaving it, but also wants to get better at programming and is willing to take a 3 month sabbatical to do so. Recognising that you're unlikely to capture a referral fee for such a person, would you truly ignore that in the admissions process?
- Jayschwa 13y ago
  They would. Your scenario is not uncommon. Seasoned vets in a secure position still raise the quality of the batch and rub off on the newbies.
qnk 13y ago
Thank you Zach, those were the conclusions that I jumped into only to make myself feel less bad about not making the cut. It is clear by the comments here that your process gives an equal opportunity to each one of the candidates and referrals are not a decision factor. I'll reach out to you by e-mail. With so many applicants, I thought you couldn't afford to explain the reasoning behind rejections on a case by case basis. That's why my reply to the rejection e-mail was the standard 'thank you for letting my try' note.

Schwolop 13y ago

Curious about this - what if someone (say, me) has a job and has no immediate intention of leaving it, but also wants to get better at programming and is willing to take a 3 month sabbatical to do so. Recognising that you're unlikely to capture a referral fee for such a person, would you truly ignore that in the admissions process?

Jayschwa 13y ago
They would. Your scenario is not uncommon. Seasoned vets in a secure position still raise the quality of the batch and rub off on the newbies.

qnk 13y ago

Thank you Zach, those were the conclusions that I jumped into only to make myself feel less bad about not making the cut. It is clear by the comments here that your process gives an equal opportunity to each one of the candidates and referrals are not a decision factor. I'll reach out to you by e-mail. With so many applicants, I thought you couldn't afford to explain the reasoning behind rejections on a case by case basis. That's why my reply to the rejection e-mail was the standard 'thank you for letting my try' note.