According to the Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department, the unemployment rate for the Athens-Oconee area is 6.8%. Four Athens, a local economic development nonprofit, seeks to address that statistic in part by providing tech education to Athens residents interested in job opportunities available in the area’s growing tech sector. Beginning with introductory courses and workshops focused on the basics of front end development, tech classes offered through Four Athens are designed to help those from any discipline or background explore new job opportunities, make a career change, or embark upon their own entrepreneurial venture.

Code classes at Four Athens began in 2014, and since then 24 graduates have completed a course in either Web Fundamentals or Ruby programming, with evening classes offered twice a week for six to eight weeks at a time. “The Four Athens classes are incredibly affordable relative to other coding classes and are scheduled so that they're easy to attend after work or school,” explains JT Jobe. “As someone who took a beginning course roughly a year ago and now works as a professional developer, the number one benefit of taking the class was being introduced to the Four Athens community and forming relationships with other programmers that have since served as mentors and learning partners.”

Kylie Sawhill, a recent graphic design graduate of UGA, sought out the web fundamentals course at Four Athens earlier this year to enhance her web design skills. “The coding class not only strengthened my web skills, it introduced me to a like-minded community I had no idea existed.” She went on to say, “Taking a Four Athens class provides you with marketable skills and enters you into a local community of people who are creating exciting things.” Ms. Sawhill has since added several web design projects to her current freelance portfolio.

That sentiment is echoed by Kelly Durkin, a social work student introduced to the idea of learning code through a family member’s involvement as a tech startup founder with Four Athens. “I love the energy in this community. Everyone is incredibly driven and passionate about what they do, and are eager to share their knowledge and skill set. There is a constant desire to learn and create that tends to rub off on every member. The tech community here is constantly building, creating, and recreating new and exciting projects.” Ms. Durkin took an introductory web development course at Four Athens, in part with support from Goodwill Industries, then went on to teach a code camp for kids over the summer. “This introduction proved to be invaluable for my career shift, as these courses and connections assisted me in landing my first job in Athens.” she explained.

The next tech class offered through Four Athens is a Saturday “bootcamp” introduction to HTML and CSS on October 24th. Lunch will be provided to participants. Registration is now open at www.fourathens.com/htmlbootcamp. As startups continue to grow and thrive in Athens, so will the demand for skilled tech workers with a problem-solving mindset and the collaborative knowledge-sharing spirit fostered throughout the Four Athens community.