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The gap between skilled tech workers and available talent is growing. Last year alone, nearly half a million tech jobs went unfilled. This disparity is a missed opportunity for individuals, families, and entire communities.
“At CodeBoxx, we didn’t just reimagine the tech talent pipeline — we blew it up and built something better,” says Nicolas Genest, the company founder. “Hands down, we offer the best coding curriculum for career change.”
What’s wrong with the tech talent pipeline?
CodeBoxx’s founder first realized that the technology industry and its pipeline were broken while leading high-growth tech orgs from Paris, New York, and Silicon Valley. He saw a pipeline overflowing with people who checked the academic boxes but couldn’t deliver in the real world.
Genest took a chance. For his startups, he hired ex-teachers, Uber drivers, and baristas. The result? A team with grit, life experience, and the hunger to prove itself. With proper guidance, structure, and a clear purpose, these unconventional hires crushed it — they got the job done and outperformed the pedigreed crowd.
“That became our inspiration,” recalls Genest. “We built a program that could turn anyone with raw potential into a business-ready developer in 16 weeks.”
Today, CodeBoxx exists to replace elitism with pragmatism, prioritize outcomes over optics, and rebuild the tech workforce – one business-ready operator at a time. It’s an entirely new kind of coding boot camp with job placement assistance and an 80 percent placement rate for its graduates in roles ranging from enterprise-level developers to local tech educators.
CodeBoxx vs. traditional universities and boot camps
For decades, the tech talent pipeline flowed from traditional universities and tech boot camps. But CodeBoxx is out to disrupt workforce development with a distinct breed of talent.
“Traditional academia is bloated, slow, and dangerously disconnected from industry needs,” observes Genest. “By the time a CS student graduates from a four-year program, half the tools they learned are obsolete. They’ve aced exams, but have they debugged a feature under pressure? Delivered weekly to a client? Dealt with failure and bounced back?”
In recent years, dozens of online tech boot camps have emerged to address some of these problems. Unfortunately, the vast majority are glorified tutorials. They sell dreams on Instagram, copy and paste content from Coursera, charge upfront, and toss students into a group chat with a mentor they never meet.
By contrast, the CodeBoxx curriculum was built by a CTO whose platforms scaled to IPOs. “In our full-immersion program, students won’t find professors, just senior engineers coaching future technologists through real-world challenges and weekly deliverables,” Genest explains. “Beyond learning technologies, they use them under pressure and drive results.”
In addition to technical skills, CodeBoxx focuses on soft skills. Students learn how to communicate effectively, collaborate in teams, think critically, stay adaptable, and take ownership of their outcomes.
Outside the rigorous coursework, CodeBoxx supports its students by providing laptops to those in need, securing tuition aid, and even catalyzing access to mental health services. CodeBoxx Academy serves populations hit hardest by life’ s trials and has created an ecosystem of supporters to back up the students.
CodeBoxx defines success by placement. As such, its support extends beyond graduation. Students undergo resume reviews, take part in mock interviews, and are coached in social network management. Every graduate is guaranteed an opportunity to join the CodeBoxx team or get hired by our elite partners. No one is left behind.
Because CodeBoxx is breaking down barriers to entry, Genest sees graduates from all walks of life. “We take dropouts, immigrants, and career-changers. They’re not entitled. They’re not looking for a safe space and extra credit. They want to win, and employers see the difference on day one.”
Creating a tech talent pipeline defined by diversity
For decades, Genest says tech has been run like an exclusive club. “If you didn’t have the right degree, the right background, or the right zip code, you were left out. Meanwhile, companies complain about a ‘talent shortage’ while rejecting candidates who don’t fit the mold. That’s not a pipeline problem — it’s a mindset problem.”
CodeBoxx was founded on the radical belief that everyone can become a technologist if given the right tools, training, and trust. “Brilliance isn’t confined to résumés, LinkedIn profiles, or Ivy League degrees,” says Genest. “Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn’t. That’s what we’re here to change.”
At CodeBoxx, baristas become backend devs, crane operators deploy production code, and single moms launch platforms. It’s proof that the traditional pipeline is outdated and fundamentally flawed. It’s proof that the CodeBoxx way works
CodeBoxx believes equity demands action, not talk. They build systems that naturally dismantle barriers. “That’s not charity — it’s justice,” Genest remarks. “Over half of our graduates would’ve been locked out of traditional tech education. Today, they’re employed, empowered, and reshaping the companies that once overlooked them.”
The tech pipeline needs doers who can think differently, solve creatively, and adapt quickly. CodeBoxx believes that greatness doesn’t come from monoculture. It comes from experience, grit, and diverse life stories converging on shared goals.
A diverse and inclusive pipeline will have a major positive impact on the tech industry. Says Genest, “When every voice in the room has the same background, you don’t get innovation — you get repetition. An inclusive pipeline brings in lived experience. It ensures products are designed with empathy and tested against the realities of real users. It puts humanity back into code.”
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