

A former instructor and executive at San Diego’s recently closed Origin Code Academy is launching his own software school in Escondido called San Diego Code School.

The bootcamp was founded by Michael Roberts, who was in charge of designing much of Origin’s curriculum as chief academic officer, just a few months after Origin’s shutdown. He stayed on at Origin — unpaid — to make sure all the students made it through their final programs before striking out on his own in early January.

Like Origin and other coding schools, the new 16-week bootcamp is a low-cost alternative to earning a lengthy computer science degree. These schools teach their students in-demand software development languages, only focusing on the most essential skills to get a job in the current market.

Coding bootcamps have proliferated in California and across the nation, as demand for technology talent outpaces the supply of skilled workers. But these short-term schools, which run more like tech startups than colleges, sometimes fail to operate like traditional educational institutions. Often, they fail to get the appropriate approvals to operate in the state, which is what took down Origin.



Why Escondido?

Roberts said he chose Escondido as the school’s homebase because the city is close to the North County startup scene, along with the trendy digs at Synergy Centre CoWorks, a shared office space in Escondido.


“It’s beautiful, posh and there’s plenty of parking,” Roberts said. “Plus, it’s not in the backyard of other (code school) programs.”

As for code curriculum, San Diego Code Academy teaches full-stack web development using JavaScript with popular front-end and back-end web technologies. (Here’s a detailed description of the program.)

Roberts said he learned a lot from Origin, mimicking the good and learning from the bad. For one, he’s got a plan to avoid the pitfalls that led to Origin’s demise.

1 / 3 San Diego Code School chose Escondido as its home base due to the city’s proximity to the North County startup scene. (Courtesy of San Diego Code School) 2 / 3 San Diego Code School chose Escondido as its home base due to the city’s proximity to the North County startup scene. (Courtesy of San Diego Code School) 3 / 3 San Diego Code School chose Escondido as its home base due to the city’s proximity to the North County startup scene. (Courtesy of San Diego Code School)


Avoiding Origin’s pitfalls

In October, Origin, one of San Diego’s oldest and most popular coding schools, abruptly shut down, citing difficult regulations required by the state. California requires code schools like Origin to get approval to operate by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education, or BPPE, the government agency that protects consumers from fraud and predatory tactics sometimes practiced by for-profit schools. Origin didn’t jump through the necessary hoops, and was put out of business by the rising cost of fines. It also had to refund some of its students for charging tuition before the school earned approval to operate.

Roberts plans to avoid BPPE’s scrutinous eye by only charging $2,500 for his program - significantly cheaper than most code schools (Origin’s program cost $13,500 for students).

“There’s a BPPE exemption if you charge less than $2,500 per program, and no license required to run your particular school,” Roberts said.


That’s only a temporary plan, he said, until he can get the approvals required by the BPPE, whose process can be lengthy and confusing. Once San Diego Code School is approved, the tuition price will likely rise.



A school for part-time workers

San Diego Code School was designed for people who need to work and go to school at the same time. While the school only holds in-person classes on the weekend, it also requires coursework online the rest of the week. The workload is so intense Roberts said full-time workers won’t be able to hack it. The school only admits individuals who work part-time or less.

Roberts said it’s more important than ever to have code schools around to build up San Diego’s tech talent, considering that tech giants are moving in. The behemoths will suck up all the experienced tech talent, he said, resulting in a need to feed the talent funnel at the top.

“The markets will tighten up more and more, and senior engineers will get more valuable,” Roberts said.

He thinks companies will need to start hiring more junior talent to fill their place.


Neal Bloom, a former tech entrepreneur who now works full time cultivating startup hubs, said bootcamps are a critical element in building up San Diego’s tech talent. These code schools often attract a diverse set of students, often with older individuals who have worked in previous careers.

“The good thing about bootcamp grads compared to college grads is that bootcampers have usually been in the workplace before,” Bloom said. “They understand how to be professional, how to communicate and how to work.”

San Diego Code School has graduated four students since launch and has 12 students currently enrolled. One of the school’s first graduates was hired by RedHat, a multi-billion dollar software company, within three weeks of graduating.