42 School

42 is an innovative software engineering school that offers multiple computer programming, coding, and software engineering programs for free. Their goal is to provide access to education, change diversity in the workforce, eliminate student loan debt, and create real pathways to the workforce.

42 Silicon Valley offers the main 42 program, 42 Starfleet Academy, and HackHighSchool. 42 Starfleet Academy is all 21 levels of the 42 program squeezed into 12 months where students work 50-70 hours a week. The 42 program is self-paced and ranges from 1-5 years for completion. Students at 42 Silicon Valley tend to spend 7-15 months at 42 before finding jobs or gaining internships.

42 trains students for the digital world, asking that they arrive with 21st-century skills and are prepared for today’s workplace. 42 uses a project-based and problem-based learning along with peer-correction (like code review) to foster a tight-knit learning environment. Students learn soft skills, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and how to work in teams. They have to give and receive correction, defend their code, and adhere to norms.

At 42 students control what, how, and when they learn, as well as select their own experience points, levels, and correction points. Curriculum is mastery-based, meaning that students don’t advance to the next level until they’ve displayed mastery of the current level’s skillset