D.E.V.S. Academy

D.E.V.S. Academy is dedicated helping under privileged and under employed individuals interested in starting a career as a web or software designer/developer build effective skill sets, learn ethical values in work and customer relations, and advance their careers in ways that help build strong businesses, advance the communities they call home, and contribute to general economic growth.

 

At D.E.V.S. Academy, it is our experience that schools and universities struggle and often fail to keep pace with today’s rapid progress in technology, technique, and application. While curricula take time to prepare and approve, real-world development is mercurial and requires an enthusiasm for overcoming challenges and continual learning.

From our vantage as veteran designers and developers, the founders of D.E.V.S. recognize two groups in need of real-world training and mentorship: young developers completing a traditional education and talented novices who cannot afford college, but whose passion and natural talents drive them toward earning a place in the industry nonetheless.

Too often, neither group has a grasp on the current skill sets and industry trends needed to find good jobs. Frequently, they have inadequate exposure to ethical values in dealing with clients, co-workers, and competitors. They have no guidance for dealing with difficult or unfair customers, and, almost certainly, they need help with both time management and building effective communication skills.

We launched D.E.V.S. Academy with the goal of establishing local tech centers where young developers and designers can work with experienced professionals, gain access to online classes, learn ethical development best practices, connect with community businesses and non-profits in need of affordable development, work on real world projects, and gain the confidence and competence to successfully advance their careers.

We look forward to building the D.E.V.S. brand and establishing its supporting infrastructure such that Developers will be proud to show the D.E.V.S. logo and customers and employers will be assured that a D.E.V.S. Academy qualified candidate brings a special value and commitment to the challenge at hand.

D.E.V.S. Academy offers:

  • Aspiring young designers and developers, whether ill-prepared, underprivileged, or both, learning from D.E.V.S. and leveraging the experience to advance their fledgling businesses and careers through acquiring marketable technical and business skills, industry ethics and values, and understanding the importance of community involvement.
  • Establishing physical locations (tech centers in Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties, PA) where students have access to computers, software, high-speed Internet access, and instructors/mentors with current professional experience in the web design and software development industries.
  • Establishing flexible and fast-changing curricula that can be customized on a personal level. D.E.V.S. students will identify their career goals, build aspirational resumes, and work toward acquiring the skills and experience needed to validate those qualifications.
  • Accepting students with a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences, from accomplished graduates to struggling vocational-technical students, from beginning entrepreneurs to creatives engaged in substance abuse programs and dedicated to building a better life.
  • The primary qualifications for acceptance in D.E.V.S. being a demonstrated ability for hard work, unrelenting perseverance in achieving a quality result, and a passion to succeed and contribute to the success of others.
  • Businesses benefiting through access to designers and developers whose association with D.E.V.S. denotes a commitment to continual learning, best practices, and ethical treatment.
  • Communities benefiting through the development of a high-tech workforce, one capable of leveraging technology to advance the success of local businesses, whose values include the importance of business and community networking, and whose goals embrace the advancement of their community and a civil society.