New Hoover company seeks to fill demand for coders

A new company based in Hoover is working to help fill a demand for computer programmers in the technology industry.

The company, called TrueCoders, is based in the Data Office Park off Data Drive in Riverchase and trains people how to program computers using the C# and Java computer languages.

Right now, there are more than 800 job vacancies within 100 miles of Birmingham for people who can program computers using those two languages, said Daniel Walsh, general manager and head of operations for TrueCoders. 

But there aren’t enough people here who know how to do that, so Walsh said recruiters are enticing people from Atlanta, Nashville, Texas and California with additional pay.

Several people who own or work for technology companies in the Birmingham area saw the hole in the talent pool and decided to create TrueCoders to help fill the void, he said.

TrueCoders offers an eight-week training program for $7,500 for people interested in learning how to code. Since opening about 10 months ago, about 45 people have been through the program and 70 percent of them already have been placed in software development jobs, Walsh said.

The average starting salary for a TrueCoders graduate is $48,000 a year, and some are making as much as $70,000, he said.

The average pay for a C# developer in the Birmingham market is $77,000, and some make as much as $147,000, Walsh said. Within five years, if a software developer is not making $100,000, they need to find another company, he said.

TrueCoders started last year in the Frank Nelson Building in downtown Birmingham but moved to Hoover in April to get more space, plus room for future growth and better parking, Walsh said.

In addition to the 45 people who already have graduated, another 150 are expected to go through the program this year, he said. The eight-week course is five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

But TrueCoders found that such a schedule was difficult for people already working day jobs, so night classes also are offered, designed to stretch out over three to 12 months, depending on the students’ needs, he said. Night classes are $500 per month and include one hour of instruction each night Monday through Wednesday and two hours of lab time each Thursday and Friday.

Some students are fresh out of high school, while others have been to college or already are working other jobs but are interested in switching careers or gaining new skills, Walsh said.

Many college computer science graduates learn outdated skills or theory but don’t really know how to apply it, he said. “We’re teaching you the everyday, practical skills you need to work as developers in a modern-day development shop.”

Chase Morrow, the founder and CEO of the Birmingham-based online employment agency Fetch, said forming TrueCoders wasa great idea.

“Right now, there’s more positions than there are people, and the kinds of folks coming out of four-year colleges are without the right skill sets,” Morrow said.

His company has helped place some of the TrueCoders graduates, and he even hired one to work at Fetch, he said.

Clay Dunston, a 24-year-old from Vestavia Hills, went through TrueCoders training about a year after completing another coding course at Innovation Depot in Birmingham and having trouble finding a job.

He was impressed with the TrueCoders course and how they not only taught him coding but also provided help with a job search. He was hired by the VBI software development company in Birmingham and is doing well there, he said.

Walsh said TrueCoders’ founders are happy with their progress and considering expanding to other markets such as Huntsville and Mobile.

For more information, visit truecoders.io.