Starting on Monday (9/28), many of the changes to the school we shared in our School Assembly on 9/4 will begin to roll out to Lambda students. Today, we want to let you know how these changes will impact you, since they will affect each cohort a bit differently depending where the cohort is in the Lambda School journey.

<aside> 👉 For Lambda students starting CS Unit 2 on 9/28, here’s what’s new for you:

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Lambda Leadership

Employers are looking for new hires who not only have technical knowledge, but also the ability to communicate clearly and work effectively together on professional teams. We’re introducing Lambda Leadership Program to help students build their leadership skills, strengthen their technical skills, and expand their networks. The new program includes two main components: Peer Mentorship and Track Teams. You can read more about Lambda Leadership here.

<aside> 📚 While we’re rolling out the Lambda Leadership Program this fall, we’re also in the process of doubling our number of instructors across Web and Data Science to provide extra technical support to students. These additional instructors will enable Lambda School to offer additional support hours and thematic Q&A sessions. Instructors will also be available to provide more 1:1 guidance to students who need focused support.

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How this affects you and others starting CS Unit 2 on 9/28:

• During the first sprint of CS Unit 2, you may be matched with a mentee and serve as a peer mentor to a student earlier in their Lambda journey. With your mentee, you’ll talk through projects, answer questions, and practice technical interview skills. Before you become a peer mentor, we’ll provide training on best practices to set you up for success. If a peer mentor match is unavailable at the start of the unit, you’ll participate in pair programming sessions with fellow CS students to reinforce CS concepts and build communication skills.
• Please note: FT iOS students will not be matched with a peer mentor or mentee.
• Given where you are in the program, you’ll continue with your current TL group through the end of CS instead of being assigned a Track Team.

Shortened School Schedule

We know that it can be difficult to take this much time to focus on Lambda School. Many of you are dealing with real challenges around how to financially support yourselves and your families, or how to manage other commitments such as child care. In response to your concerns, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with hiring managers to develop a new curriculum that can prepare you for a tech job in a shorter amount of time.

What’s changing?

• CS: We’ve updated and streamlined CS content into one unit instead of two based on what we’re seeing in industry. Specifically, we’re adapting the new CS curriculum to focus on certain CS skills students will need to succeed in technical interviews and early on in their jobs.
• Labs: We’ve updated and streamlined Labs content into one unit instead of two. Hiring managers overwhelmingly told us they are looking for practical teamwork experience over portfolio pieces - and we believe you can attain this experience in one unit.