What is FORGE?

FORGE is the place where rare hackers are FORGEd! It is a platinum-plated anvil on which only the brave and best are born, crafted and carefully FORGEd into immaculate hacking species. Three months is just the beginning of the new and better you. If you go back the same then we have failed. We will pay you for the three months of your life’s worth.

Why should I go to FORGE?

A few reasons. One or two may resonate with you.

• You studied Computer Science in Ghana but its effect on you is no better than the effect of drug abuse.
• You didn't study Computer Science but you feel that doesn't rob you of your share of the computer cake.
• You've been programming for some time now but still feel empty. Deep down in your heart you admit, rather depressingly, to yourself that you write poor code and build mediocre products. But you're getting away with them because you don't know any better. Neither does the next programmer on the block.
• You contribute to StackOverflow by consuming and never stopping to help a fellow out because you honestly think you can't. Neither do you comment on any programmer forum, not even on the liberal land of IRC where bad answers are tolerated, and history is created with no intention of going back.
• You know you should get better so you're ready to start!
• This is the first time you're hearing the phrase it works on my computer.
• You are an exceptional programmer, out of work or with a little free time, who wants to hang around.

What are the pre-requisites?

English Language literacy since it will be the language of communication and instruction. At least 3 months programming experience. Ideally the language shouldn't be PHP but we're okay with that too knowing you're willing to experiment with other, superior languages. Also a minimum typing speed of 40 wpm is required.

I don't have any programming experience can I apply?

No. FORGE is targeted at programmers with at least 3 months experience only. 3 months doesn't say much about your programming experience except that you have actually expended time and effort to learn to program. We also assume you can spend another 3 months getting better.

What will I learn at FORGE?

FORGE is primarily self-regulated learning so maybe you should tell us. But we have an idea of the kind of programmer you'd become after FORGE. It's generally what great hackers are.

How much does it cost?

All good things are free: air, sunlight, water, life and FORGE!

Do you provide accommodation and food?

No accommodation and an abundance of coffee.

How long is FORGE?

3 months.

What kind of projects will I work on?

We know at least 3 sources of projects:

• Your own projects

You can continue working on your existing projects. One requirement though: they should be open source.

• Existing open source projects

During the program we'd have fun digging into existing libraries and projects in all sort of languages. Perhaps you'd want to contribute documentation or send patches for bugs you discover.

• Working with resident experts on their open source projects

We'd bring in resources in people. We call them Resident Experts (we didn't invent that, it's an industry term). If they have new ideas for or existing open source projects that you wanna help them with, sure why not.

Do you have projects you are working on already? You can bring them in. The requirement is they should be open source.

During the program we'd have fun digging into existing libraries and projects in all sorts of languages, perhaps perverting them in all sorts of ways. Perhaps you'd want to write documentation for them or send patch for a bug you discovered.

Can I do less than 12 weeks

No.

Can I do this part-time?

FORGE is a full-time program.

Will I have to bring my own laptop?

Yes, and you should have an operating system already installed. Even better if you set it up with your favorite text editors, IDEs, and programming language compilers and VMs. Otherwise there'd be time to setup your machine.

How many hours will I commit a day?

FORGE is as full-time as full-time job so expect to commit at least 8 hours per day for 5 days a week. It doesn't mean 8 hours of continuous instruction. No. We believe that (too much) classes will destroy any potential for authentic creativity so we've reduced the number of lecture sessions per week to only specific days and a total of 5 hours.

Is FORGE an accredited educational institute?

Umm, no. And honestly we'd never be! We think accredition adds unnecessary pressure and useless recognition. We also believe our accreditation will come by virtue of the value we'd provide and the fine quality performance you'd render after going through the program.

Will get a certificate after the programme?

Even though we also think Github is not your CV, we don't subscribe to that fully. Throughout your time at FORGE you'd work on a lot of project (both open and closed source) that interest you. You'd also have a very active blog documenting your everyday progress. These 2 (Github and your blogposts) will be your external evidence. So no, we don't award certificates. You should concentrate on building an almost irresistible portfolio.

Can you guarantee that I will get a job after FORGE?

Even though FORGE only makes money off of you when you successfully land a job after the program, we can't guarantee job placement. We encourage you to entertain recruiters who would contact you during any period of the program. Don't postpone until the final lap before you start searching for a job. We'd also invite a lot of potential employers during the course of the program to interact with you, passively assess you. Be assured though that we'd work our butts off, together with you, to get you a well paying job. Because that's the only way we make money.

So I don't need a CS degree after this, right?

Your call.
One thing I know: Forge is not a replacement for quality Computer Science education.