A History of Devmountain
Ready, Set, Code!
In 2013, before coding bootcamps were well-known or even talked about, Devmountain was founded in Provo, Utah by three educational innovators and tech enthusiasts: lead instructor, Cahlan Sharp; instructor, Colt Henrie; and business liaison, Tyler Richards.
The trio was brought together by a mutual acquaintance who thought they would work well together, and that feeling proved to be right. All three founders are passionate about education and technology, which allowed them to grow Devmountain quickly.
The idea of Devmountain started with Sharp teaching night sessions about programming to people in his network who expressed an interest in improving their technical skills. As demand grew, these informal trainings quickly snowballed into more structured courses.
As it turned out, a lot of people wanted to learn programming, but they didn’t have the time or resources needed to attend a traditional four-year university. Some people just liked the idea of improving their technical skills in a short amount of time so they could jumpstart their careers.
The part-time curriculum was further refined to efficiently teach students what they needed to know to quickly pursue their tech-related career goals. The idea of a bootcamp-like environment was appealing to hard-working students, so the part-time courses became full-time commitments.
With the majority of Devmountain courses becoming full-time commitments, a need arose from students: they needed affordable housing while attending the bootcamp since working was not a viable option. Devmountain was happy to step up and help students overcome that challenge, offering housing at no extra cost to students enrolled in full-time (immersive) courses.
Note: Housing is not currently available due to COVID-19.
A Sweet and Sugary Transition
At the same time that all of this learning and teaching was going on, a suitable campus location was being looked for, and it was found in a sweet, old building.
Nearly a century and a half ago, a candy factory named Startup (ironic, right?) sprung up in Provo, Utah. That building was destined to become the first official space for Devmountain’s coding students. The space was converted into a coding bootcamp by Sharp, Henrie, and Richards in 2013.
Coding students enjoyed learning in person and on campus about how to develop websites and applications. They got to do so surrounded by sugar and sap markings that could be seen on the walls and ceiling. The learning environment was pretty sweet if we do say so ourselves.
More Educational Material, Same Bootcamp Environment
Devmountain grew quickly, teaching new students the basics of programming in a handful of weeks, and new opportunities were everywhere, including the demand for additional course offerings that would do well in a bootcamp environment.
So, new courses were discussed and iOS Development was launched in February 2015, shortly followed by After-Hours UX Design in May of that same year. Two years after that, Software QA joined the list in October 2017.
Enter Capella Education Company and a Pile of Cash
Devmountain was doing something right and people were taking notice, including Capella Education Company, which acquired the bootcamp in 2016. The increased resources allowed the coding bootcamp to grow faster than ever before.
More Locations, More Learning
The Provo, Utah campus was exciting, but the demand for bootcamp education extended farther than the geographical boundaries around the old candy factory, so more Devmountain campuses were opened to meet students’ needs.
The Dallas, Texas Devmountain campus was opened in October 2015, complete with no-cost student housing inside the same building as the classrooms.
Leading in the Bootcamp Industry
Devmountain is led by the VP and General Manager of SEI Bootcamps, Hideo Hansen. He joined the Devmountain team in 2017 during a period of transition that followed the 2016 Capella Education Company acquisition. Like the founders, Hansen is passionate about education and technology, and he wants to see Devmountain students succeed.
When asked about his general feelings regarding Devmountain, Hansen said:
“Bootcamps like Devmountain play a critical role in supporting and supplementing traditional education. There are many different educational paths out there, and not every path is made for every student. So, I’m glad that the tech world exists in a way right now where bootcamps can help students get from where they currently are to where they want to be.”
How to Save $500 on Tuition
It’s been seven years now, and there’s been a lot of growth, but Devmountain is still doing what it’s always done — helping students quickly start or change their careers in the tech industry. Now with remote courses.
To celebrate our history, we’re offering a $500 discount* on our 2020 courses with a November start date! All you have to do to get the discount is enroll in a Devmountain course that starts in November.
Start your application for a course starting in November 2020 to save $500.
*Terms and Conditions
Discount of $500 off full-price tuition is good for Devmountain courses with start dates between 11/01/2020 to 11/30/2020. Must apply for the course before the application deadline. Individual course application deadlines apply. Cannot be combined with other discounts. This $500 birthday-promotion discount will be subtracted from the full retail price of the course.
