Today, tech jobs are among the 10 most difficult positions to fill in Mexico. In response, Ironhack arrived to Mexico with the goal of helping to prepare the next generation of digital professionals. By 2019, Ironhack will have graduated more than 170 students and is proud to announce that 90% of graduates find jobs within 3 months of completing the bootcamp. Their emphasis on career building and student ROI, and their sophisticated and intensive Full Stack nine-week curriculum helped Ironhack to gain recognition as SwitchUp’s top bootcamp in Mexico.
Ironhack uses the same methodology across 8 campuses in 7 countries. Each campus features a dedicated Outcomes Manager who works with students to achieve success on their terms. This person is responsible for providing personalized career support and nurturing relationships with leading tech companies to provide opportunities tailored to each student. This unique positioning between bootcamp and recruiting agency keeps Ironhack deeply connected with the job market, increasing graduate opportunities and ensuring their 10-week intensive program stays in sync with the direction of the industry.
Ironhack Mexico City: A Closer Look
Coupled with the growth of domestic startups, the arrival of international tech companies has turned Mexico City into the most important tech hub in Spanish-speaking Latin America. Though the need for more skilled developers is a common pain-point world wide, the problem is amplified in Mexico where, according to a study done by OCDE in 2017, only 17% of the population attends university. Additionally, few of those universities offer an updated web development curriculum to students. One of the biggest hurdles for universities in Mexico is that technology moves faster than the accreditation cycle, and it’s hard for universities to keep up with modern developer tools.
Because of this, many aspiring web developers and UX designers are forced to learn necessary skills through meetups, workshops and hackathons. Fortunately, Mexico City certainly has no lack of community events, and, in 2016, Guadalajara’s Campus Party was recognized by Guinness Book of Records as the biggest hackathon in history in 2017 (later in 2018 the Hajj hackathon in Saudi Arabia took that title).
Outside of developer circles, Mexico boasts a wide range of international and domestic startup accelerators whose programs and daily events enrich countless aspiring and serial entrepreneurs. Though the startup ecosystem is booming, a shortage of qualified full-stack developers and UX talent is a big hurdle for Mexican companies and pre-funded startups. The same is true for Small and Medium Companies, which hire 72% of the workforce in Mexico, according to Forbes Mexico. This demand is what inspired Ironhack to bring introduce its proven teaching and placement methodology to the region.
“The benefit for our hiring partners is clear, but what really drives us is being able to create new opportunities for people as they level-up their careers,” says Julian Balderas the General Manager of Ironhack Mexico. “These individuals are now getting a return on their an investment from attending Ironhack…the clear winner is also the economy of Mexico, which stands to gain from more high-skilled employers helping companies build products that innovate.”
Arguably, Ironhack will truly make a mark in Mexico when their grads gain the experience necessary to land the kinds of well-paid, senior tech roles that are notoriously hard for the industry to fill.
“I was looking for a fast way to move into the tech industry and I can say my experience at Ironhack was life-changing. I’m now working as a Full-Stack Developer at Konfío, one of the most successful Fintech startups in Mexico. Ironhack also provided me with the tools to pitch my projects and collaborate with cross-functional teams. After only 6 months of working in my company, I’m now leading some technical projects and presenting them every week to the rest of the team.” said Betsai Mendoza, Ironhack graduate.
If you would like to learn more about Ironhack in Mexico, please feel free to reach out to [email protected]. You can also see all the community events we do on our meetup page: www.meetup.com/Ironhack-Mexico
