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Michele Lain, 鈥�11, and her mother, Kathy Butler, 鈥�99, are a giant step closer to their dream of starting their own business after taking a coding class this summer. The course was made available through a Maryville partnership with LaunchCode.
St. Louis-based 听颈蝉聽a nonprofit organization that provides education and creates technology career advancement opportunities. The partnership included access to LaunchCode鈥檚 apprenticeship program upon successful completion of the 16-week course.
鈥淭his was just an amazing opportunity, and added a skill set to my list of assets and experience,鈥� Lain says. 鈥淚t was a great opportunity for my mother and I to take together. We have been talking about starting a business.鈥�
Their business will involve retailing handmade children鈥檚 clothing and accessories, Lain says. The mother-daughter team hopes to develop their own website, and also create a mobile app.
鈥淲e want to keep the work in-house instead of having to pay a third party to do it for us,鈥� Lain says. 鈥淲ith us in total control of changes, updates and responding to customer needs, it will help us be the best company.鈥�
Along with developing a personal business, Butler, who works in an IT area focused on warehousing management, says she learned more about front-end coding to create advancement opportunity with her current employer. 鈥淚 wanted more up-to-date skills because my company is laying off in certain IT areas.鈥�
Jason Wilder, 鈥�11, and Alex Lam, 鈥�11, also plan to establish their own company鈥攑ossibly as partners. 鈥淲e have similar goals,鈥� says Lam. 鈥淲e want to be our own bosses.
We might do web development, or maybe develop back-end programs for businesses. We鈥檙e working on a final project together and who knows? Maybe we鈥檒l be able to sell it. But right now we鈥檙e focused on mastering new languages.鈥�
Tim Lueders, a graduate student in the cyber security program at Maryville, says the LaunchCode program was challenging, but as a finance executive, he sees a growing need for IT professionals in his industry.
鈥淚t was intense,鈥� Lueders says. 鈥淚t ranged from learning about binary code and how computers interpret human language to developing a mock e-trade style聽website.鈥�
But LaunchCode students were given 鈥渁 wealth of resources,鈥� Lueders says, and independent study groups formed so students could help each other complete assignments successfully.
Both partners anticipate the program will be offered again in Summer 2017.
鈥淲e were impressed with the caliber of students that enrolled in LaunchCode’s class through our partnership with 91制片厂,鈥� says Mark Bauer, LaunchCode executive director. 鈥淲e look forward to continuing to build on our partnership in the future.鈥�
This story also featured聽in the Fall聽2016 edition of Maryville Magazine.