Ever thought about a career in software development but didn’t know where to start? Eager to test your skills and immerse yourself in a holistic bootcamp experience?
At 8th Light, we’re excited to announce the 2022 8th Light Apprenticeship Program schedule. The 2022 Apprenticeship Program will feature four cohorts throughout the year in a rolling cadence. That tentative schedule is:
- Hiring round 1, applications due Dec. 6, 2021
- Cohort 1 starting in February 2022
- Cohort 2 starting in April 2022
- Hiring round 2 in June - July 2022
- Cohort 3 starting in August 2022
- Cohort 4 starting in October 2022
For those of you currently in a bootcamp, this is the perfect opportunity to see if the cohorts align with your schedule.
Curious where you can get started? Check out our advice for early-career developers.
2022 Apprenticeship Program
We are currently hiring for the first two cohorts of 2022. Here’s the timeline you can expect with our hiring process.
- Applications close Monday, Dec. 6, 2021
- Selected video/virtual screens begin Monday, Dec. 6, 2021 through Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021
- Take home technical assessment will take place Friday, Dec. 17, 2021
- Virtual interviews (including pairing and non-technical interview) will occur Monday, Jan. 10, 2022
- Offers will be made Monday, Jan. 31, 2022
- Apprenticeship cohorts begin mid/late February 2022 and late April 2022
- Virtual Welcome Week hosted March 2022
- Next opportunity to apply will be in June 2022 for start dates in August-October 2022
Interested in the upcoming cohort? Fill out the application form for US applicants and UK applicants.
About the 8th Light Apprenticeship
Since 2006, our apprenticeship program has been the engine of our success. This program allows us to prioritize curiosity and creativity over credentials. Because of that, we hire people who are wired for collaboration, ingenuity and are destined to be our future leaders.
Each apprentice’s curriculum is tailored to their needs, pulling from a matrix of concepts, frameworks, and skills we’ve identified as integral to a successful software development career. Self-study projects, pair programming, and joining client teams are all part of a program aimed to provide a holistic understanding of delivering complex software systems.
Apprentices are hired in small groups (or cohorts) to build strong connections and offer a collaborative learning environment at all levels of your employment.
Stay in Touch
If you’d like to receive the latest on our Apprenticeship Program, sign up for our Apprentice Talent Community. We’ll periodically send updates, information, and event opportunities for you to connect with us.
Sign Up for our Talent Community
FAQs
What can you expect from the 8th Light Interview Process?
At 8th Light, we strive to create an interview process where everyone feels excited, welcomed, and encouraged to share their ideas and past experiences with the team.
Our hiring process is an integral part of our culture. It is also reflective of our core values — education, humanity, and ownership. We have a proud tradition of hiring talented colleagues regardless of their experience at previous companies or degrees they’ve earned.
We recognize that creating a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization begins with a fair and transparent hiring process.
Virtual Video Screening
The Virtual Video Screening includes a 30 minute conversation with an 8th Light Recruiter. This stage provides an opportunity for you to share your past professional experiences in addition to your motivations for pursuing a career within software development.
Have questions about the types of projects we work on, clients we serve, or perks of being an 8th Light? Don’t be afraid to ask!
Take Home Technical Assessment
Our Take Home Technical Assessment is a chance to demonstrate your abilities through building a small program in a language of your choosing. This assessment component will also require you to review a piece of source code to identify potential issues.
Pairing Technical Interview
The Pairing Technical Interview will present you with an opportunity to code incrementally with an 8th Light Crafter. It’s okay if you’ve never pair programmed before. Check out these helpful tips and insights on Pairing.
Throughout the pairing exercise, do not be afraid to ask questions and seek out help from your pair if you face any blocks or challenges.
Non-Technical Consulting Interview
During the Consulting Interview, we’ll be asking you to draw from your personal experiences to tell us about a time when you exhibited a particular behavior — describing the situation, actions you took, and the outcome. The focus will be on interpersonal and consulting skills.
You also will have the opportunity to ask questions toward the end of the Consulting Interview.
When is the next cohort/how can I apply?
The next apprenticeship cohort will begin recruiting in November/ December 2021 with approximate start dates in February/April 2022. We plan to open applications in June 2022 for additional start dates in August/ October.
How do I apply? Who can apply?
We hire apprentices in cohorts and we open applications at several points throughout the year. Our most recent cohort began in early September 2021. These are full-time paid positions.
Certainly, anyone can apply. Our program tends to be a great fit for people early in their software careers. Many applicants attended a code school or took programming courses elsewhere. Some studied Computer Science in college, while many are career changers. Some are self-taught and others took a formal route.
How is the apprenticeship structured?
For five to seven months, you’ll be matched with a primary mentor and support mentors and be a part of a cohort of new software developers. You spend the first four months building skills through mentor guided self-study, small team projects, pairing, and workshops. You’ll then spend about a month shadowing a client project, and then completing a capstone challenge. The vast majority (95%+) of our apprentices successfully complete their apprenticeship and become full-time Crafters at 8th Light.
What are the benefits like?
In the US,
- Several Blue Cross Blue Shield health plans designed to meet employee life stage, including low cost HDHP with HSA. Company pays 60%-70% premium (plan dependent), beginning the 1st of the month following your start date at 8th Light
- 401(k) match of up to 4%, starting after 2 months
- Company paid STD, LTD and Life; optional voluntary life insurance
- Paid parental leave up to 12 weeks
- FSA: medical, dependent, transit
- Pet Insurance
- Annual Wellness stipend
In the UK,
- Contribution to your pension (4% employer)
- Cycle-to-work scheme
- Enhanced Adoption Pay and Maternity Pay
- Enhanced Paternity Leave and Pay
- Eyecare contributions
- Private health insurance
- Travel insurance
What is the PTO policy?
In the US
- 4 weeks PTO to use however you would like
- 3 Wellness Days
- 9 company holidays
- 1 Day of Service
In the UK
- 28 days of annual leave for full-time employees (inclusive of bank holidays)
- 1 Day of Service
- 3-day closure between Christmas and New Year for full-time employees
- Enhanced sick leave: 15 Business Days
Will this role be virtual/remote?
In the US, we have a remote-friendly setup and regional location (within the continental US) will not be a disqualifier.
For the UK, we have a remote-friendly setup however are hiring candidates within commutable distance to London
Who are some of 8Ls clients?
We work with Ticketmaster, Groupon, GrubHub, Cars.com, Shure, LegalZoom, and more. We’re in many industries including Fintech, Healthcare, Ecommerce, Logistics, and Inventory Management
What kind of languages do you use?
We're "language agnostic," which means we are generalists who are comfortable jumping in and delivering idiomatic solutions in any tech stack. We work on Macs (or occasionally Linux) and typically deploy to the cloud, browser, or mobile devices. The top languages in use by our teams and clients are: JavaScript/TypeScript, Ruby, Java, Python, Elixir, C#, Swift, Kotlin, Go, Clojure, and Scala.
What kind of projects do you work on?
Our teams often work alongside existing tech teams, mentoring client developers explicitly or implicitly, and for some clients we are the entire tech team. We work across all kinds of platforms: cloud APIs, native mobile, microservices, web front-end, and more.
How does project assignment work?
We have a staffing specialist that works to match skills and client needs. The staffing specialist works to align with your interests and goals to the best of their ability.