The Third Year of Our Apprenticeship Program | hioscar Blog | Oscar
The Third Year of Our Apprenticeship Program
We are excited to have launched the third year of our software engineering apprenticeship program.
Behind the ScenesOur Culture
6 min read
Share article
We are excited to have launched the third year of our software engineering apprenticeship program. Our Apprenticeship Program provides an opportunity for Oscar to recruit candidates from non-traditional tech backgrounds to join our engineering team, and we designed this program to:
Reinforce our commitment to developing new and local tech talent and
Provide pathways into tech careers for historically underrepresented and under-supported groups.
While our open roles are open to all candidates - regardless of background - we believe that intentionality is key to bridging the talent representation gap and are excited to welcome female technologists and technologists of color into our talent community through our apprenticeship program.
Apprenticeship candidates are typically self-taught, have attended bootcamps to develop the skills required to pursue a career in engineering, or have graduated from a CUNY school. Many of our apprentices have often had another career before switching into software engineering. The apprenticeship program is designed to create access and opportunity for talent that could potentially be overlooked by traditional recruiting channels, like the internship program, which is designed for CS students who've spent the majority of their academic lives preparing for a career in engineering. The apprenticeship program provides an additional entry point for early career engineering talent to jumpstart their careers and an opportunity for Oscar to invest in their success.
History of the program
Our first cohort of the apprenticeship program was in Fall 2018, and we brought on 3 students from the C4Q program (which has since rebranded to Pursuit). During our second cohort in 2020, we partnered with New York Tech Talent Pipeline (NYTTP), which works with local tech talent from various educational and training programs that represent the diversity of New York City. We hired 5 apprentices to join our engineering teams for a four month program starting in February. At the end of the program in June, we converted all five of our apprentices to full time software engineers!
While 2020 brought many challenges including remote work, we were excited to start recruiting for our third year of the apprenticeship program in the fall of 2020. For the 2021 program, we posted these roles externally on our careers page and continued to partner with NYTTP to capture the widest application pool. We interviewed candidates from all backgrounds between October to December, and hired three apprentices, who started with us in February 2021.
Meet Our Current Apprentices
We’d like to introduce our current apprentices and hear about their experiences.
Why did you pursue a career in software engineering/ what do you like most about the field?
Ever since I was a kid I've always been passionate about technology! The moment I learned that I could work in the technological field was possible, I pursued my dream without looking back. I love the fact that I'm always learning, constantly challenging myself, and I love solving problems with a great group of people.
What did you do before switching careers?
I was a teacher in early childhood education
What team do you work on and what does your team do?
My team is an infrastructure team called DMX Core (Digital Member Experience). We focus on investigating, recommending and supporting implementation of architectural patterns that boost scalability, performance, and security at Oscar. We identify tech debt that impacts the company and work on ways to remove and improve such things.
What about working at Oscar has been exciting for you/ highlights within the first 2 months?
The best things about Oscar so far are definitely the people and the overall culture. Everyone is passionate about the company's mission and I was given a warm welcome. I love working with talented people who are genuinely nice. with Oscar I feel at home and I couldn’t ask for a better company to be a part of.
What’s a fact about you that surprises people?
I love esports! As a kid I became a pro in the video game Gears of War.
Why did you pursue a career in software engineering/ what do you like most about the field?
I chose to pursue a career in software engineering because after trying programming for fun, I found that trying more programming was more fun, and doing even more than that was even more fun, and learning about what a career in engineering sounded like sounded like more fun...and...you get the idea. :) I like it all because I'm having fun doing it. So much fun. I can't believe this is a job.
What did you do before switching careers?
I was a test prep teacher, teaching LSAT, GRE, GMAT, ACT, SAT -- basically helping people score high on tests so they could pursue their dreams. I also taught math and physics. I also did and do draw, write poetry, write stories, write plays, perform, and so on and so forth.
What team do you work on and what does your team do?
I work on the Concierge engineering pod named Concierge Planning Care. We handle the planning care aspects of our internal facing application called Rosco. It is a full stack application that utilizes many services so full stack engineering skills are a must!
What about working at Oscar has been exciting for you/ highlights within the first 2 months?
The highlights?! Oh my goodness. Everyone here is so supportive! The culture at Oscar is seriously about happy human beings and well being and good stuff all around.
The leadership seems to care about all the serious issues in our culture. During my time here I've heard the leadership speak passionately in support of Asians in this country during the traumatic events that are happening, transgender youth and their providers because of the discriminatory laws that are appearing, and increasing diversity across the company so that more Black and Latinx professionals are in leadership positions. It seems like we all care about the big issues of our culture.
Also, I was put on a team RIGHT AWAY. That meant I got to be part of meetings, work on real issues, and gain more experience faster without the pressure of having to be as ready as I will be in a few months on the first day!
What’s a fact about you that surprises people?
I am a fierce debater, and if I feel something is vital, I can argue my point of view for a very long time and with great strength. I think many people are surprised/overcome in a first serious debate with me.
Why did you pursue a career in software engineering/ what do you like most about the field?
I desired greater fulfillment in my career and it wasn't until I attended Women in Tech events that I realized that tech was the industry I wanted to be in. I admire the supportive culture, meaningful and challenging projects, and the impact on the world. Now that I am a software engineer I feel as if I have acquired superpowers that allow me to create things that don't yet exist, with the purpose of solving problems.
What did you do before switching careers?
I attended Binghamton University and graduated with a BA in Economics. I spent a few years working in strategic sourcing and procurement for retailers.
What team do you work on and what does your team do?
I'm on the Oscar for Business XP team which builds platforms and tools for small businesses to enroll and manage their health care services.
What about working at Oscar has been exciting for you/ highlights within the first 2 months?
I find it exciting to be able to learn so much and work on high-visibility and high-impact projects for the company.
What’s a fact about you that surprises people?
Despite being Dominican, I did not know how to dance until I joined a Latin dance team in high school. We always had a few performances at the end of each semester. Now I love dancing and don't feel shy dancing in public!
Chislaine wrote a blog post around her life after coding bootcamp and transitioning into Oscar. Read more about it here (opens in new tab).
We typically start recruiting for apprentices in the fall. Follow us throughout the year to learn more about our openings on our Careers page (opens in new tab).
