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How to create a business in EdTech: the case of the IT Academy JustCode

JustCode: We train IT specialists, not sell information.

Greetings, dear readers of Astana Hub! My name is Fedor Stashin, I am the founder and CEO of the IT Academy JustCode. In this article I want to share with you our experience and tips on creating a business in the field of IT education. I will tell you how we started the journey, how we chose our strategy and values, how we developed our areas and formats of training, what results we achieved and what plans we have for the future.

From idea to implementation: our first course “Python developer”

The idea to create the JustCode IT Academy came to me at the end of 2021, when I was working as an ethical hacker in one of the large companies. At that time, more and more courses appeared on the IT education market that promised to teach programming in a few days or weeks and gave job guarantees to the best companies. I understood that this was unrealistic and that such courses only mislead people who want to become IT specialists. I decided that I could do better, and started creating high-quality and honest courses that would give real knowledge and skills, and not just sell information.

So I gathered a team of my colleagues and acquaintances who shared my idea, and we opened the JustCode IT Academy in December 2021. Our first course was devoted to Python development. They called it “Python developer". It was designed for those who wanted to learn how to create web applications, analyze data and automate tasks using this popular programming language. The first stream was launched in April 2022, and it was completely filled.

In continuation of the first course on Python development, we decided to expand our educational programs and offer courses in various areas in the field of IT. The following courses have been developed and launched:

  • Ethical Hacker: a course for those who want to learn how to find and eliminate vulnerabilities in information systems using various tools and methods of hackers.
  • Frontend: A course for those who want to learn how to create interactive and beautiful web pages using HTML, CSS, JavaScript and React.
  • Fullstack: a course for those who want to learn how to create both the visual component of websites and the logic and functionality of web applications using JavaScript, as well as frameworks and technologies such as React, Node.js, Express and others.
  • Data Analysts: a course for those who want to learn how to work with large amounts of data, perform analysis and visualization using Python, Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib and other libraries.
  • iOS and Android: courses for those who want to learn how to create mobile applications for popular platforms using Swift, Kotlin and other technologies.
  • Difference from competitors: our strategy and values
  • From the very beginning, a strategy and values were defined that would distinguish JustCode from other courses in the field of IT education. We were guided by the following principles:
  • We do not promise mountains of gold, but we tell the truth about the IT market and what is needed to become a good specialist. We do not guarantee employment, but offer recommendations and assistance in finding a job. We do not promise to teach programming in a few days, but provide a systematic and practical course.
  • We focus on quality, not quantity. We do not select our students by tests, but attract them with our honesty and realism. We form small groups so that each student receives individual attention and feedback from the teacher. During the course, we monitor the progress and academic performance of our students, give homework, tests and projects to consolidate and test their knowledge and skills.
  • We work with professionals, not with theorists. We hire as teachers only those who have at least two years of commercial experience and who can not only program, but also teach. We demand from our teachers that they constantly update their knowledge and follow new technologies and trends in the IT field. We also invite leading experts and representatives of IT companies to share their experience and advice with our students as guest lecturers.

Thanks to our strategy and values, we managed to create a reputation as a high-quality and honest IT academy that trains specialists who are in demand in the market. Our graduates are successfully employed in companies such as PS.kz, Halyk Bank, Kcell and many others. They also recommend us to their friends and acquaintances, and we are very happy to see that our team is growing.

Expanding horizons: new directions and formats of training

In 2022, an agreement was signed with the IITU, which made it possible to conduct training not only online, but also offline. Online training takes place on the Zoom platform, and offline training takes place in equipped classrooms. We try to make our lessons interactive and effective using various tools and techniques.

Also in 2022, we started participating in the Tech Orda program. In addition, the direction of corporate training has appeared, that is, training of company employees according to their requests. We develop individual training programs that take into account the specifics and needs of our partners.

One of our major partners is Halyk Bank, for which we train a young generation of specialists, students of 3-4 courses of IT specialties of universities of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the following areas: "Android developer", "Java developer", "GOLANG developer".

And also do not forget about our graduate students who have already successfully completed our courses. We keep in touch with them and give them the opportunity to improve their skills.

Our results: revenue growth and market recognition

Our strategy and values, as well as our diversity and quality of education have brought us not only satisfied students and partners, but also high financial performance. According to the Smart Ranking research, our semi-annual revenue increased by 3,943% in 2023 compared to 2022. This shows that our IT academy is in demand and competitive in the market.

At the moment we have 350 students, 160 of whom study absolutely free of charge! According to the TechOrda 2023 program, 70 people are studying, and 90 people are studying at exclusive courses commissioned by Halyk Bank.

Our plans: expansion and development

JustCode is not going to stop there, we have big plans for the future. We plan to expand our geography, working not only on the market of Kazakhstan, but also in other Central Asian countries. We want to develop our courses and add new directions, such as Data Science, Machine Learning, AI, etc. Our goal is to become a leader in the field of IT education and train high—quality specialists who will be in demand in the market.

Conclusion

In this article I told you about JustCode, its history, strategy, directions and achievements. I hope that you have found something useful and interesting in it for yourself.

Thank you all, and see you in the following articles!

Contacts

Website: justcode.kz

Telegram: justcodekz

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