Code Jams: What They Are and How They Set the Stage for Success in Tech

At TripleTen, we give students a myriad of options for practicing in-demand tech skills in data science, programming, and other top fields.

One of our students’ favorite activities is Code Jams — not just because they make coding fun, but because they can serve as crucial stepping stones to your engineering dream job. Here’s how they work, and some of the benefits they’ve been able to provide our graduates.

What is a Code Jam?

During Code Jams, TripleTen students are placed into small teams and given several days to complete and then present a coding project.

The goal is to put to the test everything students have learned during their bootcamp_{The 5 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Coding Bootcamp} experience, while also allowing them to collaborate with other techies, speak about their expertise in public, and tackle real-world challenges. In many ways, it helps them to overcome the all-too-common, all-too-consuming imposter syndrom_{Switching to Tech? Here’s How to Keep Imposter Syndrome at Baye}. “It not only gives them a practice of their hard skills_{The Most In-Demand Tech Skills That Will Get You Hired} — working on the task itself — but also a good soft skills boost as they work as a team, learn how to communicate, and also present it for the audience,” said Nadiia Galiautdinova, a project manager at TripleTen who oversees Code Jams.

Building a product or piece of software isn’t unique to TripleTen — and our classroom setting also regularly hands students engineering projects that can beef up their portfolios and provide concrete examples of how they can do the job they’re applying for. However, what makes Code Jams so special are the group dynamic, time constraints, and friendly competition.

It’s closer to a real environment, because usually when [graduates] get to work, they don’t work alone there — they work in teams, they divide tasks between themselves, they learn how to communicate with stakeholders, they learn how to communicate with their teammates. Nadiia Galiautdinova, a project manager at TripleTen

When a student can or should enter a Code Jam differs by program. Most students feel comfortable entering an event after they’ve mastered the basics of SQL, Python, or other tech, or completed at least a couple sprints. Teams are often diversified by skill level to allow newer participants to mingle with seasoned experts, and all students who qualify are notified of upcoming Code Jams via the bootcamp’s Discord channels, where they’re also able to communicate with their fellow teammates. 

Students are not limited to how many Code Jams they can sign up for, so many choose to engage in two or three throughout their time with TripleTen. “It’s not a compulsory activity, so usually not all of the students are participating in that, although we encourage them to do so. But the students who are active, who are up-to-date with their current studying process, they are really eager to participate in such events,” Nadiia said.

How a Code Jam works

Code Jams start with a common problem or request. A recent software engineering Code Jam tasked student teams with making an app that could help their local communities enjoy the autumn season. The prompt was specific enough to give participants some guardrails, but vague enough to spur originality and creativity. Final products included rounding up the best fall recipes and providing information on local festivals and activities for children.

For those participating in the Business Intelligence (BI) Analysis program, you could be asked to visualize a data set. As a Quality Assurance bootcamp student, you might spend a Code Jam testing out a website created by a software engineering student — a great way for TripleTen cohorts to intermingle and learn from one another.

Once the assignment is presented, students gather on video calls and in chat groups to formulate their idea and split up responsibilities. “For example, if you’re talking about BI analysts, one person is working with the data set, another one is putting more effort into visualization, someone is getting together the presentation and writing the results. [There are] different ways of trying to figure out how it works for them,” Nadiia said. She estimates that students should be able to commit around 10 hours to a single Code Jam.

Students are given unlimited access to expert mentors during and after the Code Jam.

Our goal is to create a stronger feeling of community for them. Nadiia Galiautdinova, a project manager at TripleTen

At the end of the week, each team presents their ideas on a YouTube livestream. They’re also able to share their work and thought process on platforms such as LinkedIn to show off to potential employers and their broader network. “That is also a good opportunity for them to learn about the presentation and how to better showcase what they’ve done during the project, to highlight the key results of what they have been doing,” Nadiia added.

Code Jams: a student’s perspective

Dillon Arnold_{Cleared for Career Takeoff: Dillon Arnold’s TripleTen Story} had always wanted to be a pilot. So he was thrilled when, after joining TripleTen’s Software Engineering bootcamp, he was tasked with building a flight tracker during one Code Jam. “We created a flight tracker that allows you to track flights at airports. I think we did five different countries. And then you could filter by state and then all of the airports in that state. That was really fun,” he said. “Obviously, that’s right up my alley with aviation. So I was like, ‘I love this.’ And it was awesome working with other people for the first time.”

Dillon was so inspired by his Code Jam experience that he went on to mentor more junior students. “I really enjoyed it. I found myself getting really involved,” he added.

His Code Jam portfolio, paired with a resume he refined with the help of TripleTen’s career coaches, landed him a job upon graduation on the engineering team of the telecom company he’d once done internet installations for. “I’m doing the work I enjoy for eight hours a day now. It’s just non-stop learning,” he said.

How Code Jams set students up for success in tech

By simulating the working world through short-term, collaborative projects, Code Jams enable students to see what working in tech is really like and build the confidence and skills they need to succeed on an engineering team. “Sometimes when you start learning something, you don’t feel encouraged enough…when [students] got to Code Jams and they do some work by themselves, not just within the studying process but outside of it, it’s always really great to see that they do something and achieve great results within such a short period of time,” Nadiia said.

The tasks themselves require participants to build useful and relevant applications, which look great on a resume or in a portfolio and often come up in job interviews.

The more projects they have in their portfolio, the more outstanding their portfolio is. Nadiia Galiautdinova, a project manager at TripleTen

According to our latest Employer Report, 50% of hiring managers listed examples of work as the most important quality for successful candidates to have, while 55% said a portfolio helps job seekers stand out during the hiring process. Sixty percent said they care about experience working in a similar role — which Code Jams, alongside an externship and other projects, can easily serve as replacements for. 

Code Jams also focus heavily on time and project management, strong communication, and interpersonal skills. And it’s a good thing they do, because 65% of stakeholders told us they look for soft skills in qualified candidates. “It’s very important in job interviews, in business meetings, everywhere — how to make the presentation most beneficial for everyone and most understandable for everyone,” Nadiia added.

It’s worth noting that only 24% of decision makers told us they prioritize an undergraduate or master’s degree — further proving how valuable a bootcamp can be in place of expensive and intensive schooling.

Want to join one? Enroll today

Aspiring techies, we’ve got you covered! You can learn more about our Code Jams, externships, and other career-boosting opportunities by booking a call with a TripleTen advisor today.