Let Me Upgrade Ya: Holberton School Moves Into New SOMA Location!
Everyone in the Holberton School family from staff, to mentors, to Holbie fans are delighted with the move from San Francisco’s FiDi to it’s SOMA- or, South of Market- neighborhood! Located at Mission and 5th/6th in the SOMA district of San Francisco, the new location is close to tech companies including Slack, Eventbrite, Yahoo!, Y Combinator and more. This move comes at the perfect time as staff and students get ready to welcome the January 2018 cohort. The building can eventually accommodate up to 1,000 students and we are looking forward to opening the space to many more future software engineers.
In less than two years, the school has grown from 35 students in January 2016 to more than 150. With an expected January incoming class of 65, the previous space, even with a generous donation of space from tech neighbor Gandi could no longer accommodate the growth. In January, Holberton will graduate its first “cohort” of students, 90% of which are already working at companies like Apple, LinkedIn and Dropbox.
The upgrade is made notable by more than doubling the amount of space of the school’s original site. The new spot already feels like home to Holberton, complete with hardwood floors that glow in the natural light provided by the space’s sizable windows. We’ve decorated the space with both comfort and functionality in mind- as whiteboarding is one of the foundations of solving any programming problem, we’ve outfitted the space with enough whiteboard space to satisfy even the most voracious dry-erase-programmer!
While the average classroom setting is configured with desks in neat rows, facing the front of the room. Holberton has sought to accommodate all types of learners- are you the type to be most productive curled up in an armchair, sofa, or even a bean bag chair?! No problem, Holberton has a variety of options in that department with various living room-style vignettes. However, if you’re one to appreciate the typical desk/desktop setup we’ve got you covered, too. We’ve equipped our space with brand new iMacs accessible to all students.
The community vibe has not been lost in the larger space thanks to the finer details. Students can be found collaborating in the kitchen over a meal or sipping coffees, and even gathered in the meetup area bouncing around ideas with a student-led peer learning session. The ample space for collaboration lends itself to the peer learning model Holberton has founded its success upon. There are plenty of conference rooms for groups to work on projects if the open space doesn’t provide the vibe you’re looking for.
If you’re curious about the new digs or just want to check out what Holberton is all about, our doors are always open for a visit and a chat. We’d be delighted to show you around and give you the 4-1-1 on Holberton’s curriculum and the opportunities in software engineering! We’ve even got an Open House scheduled for Thursday 1/18 @ 6:00 PM! This is the perfect excuse to come check out the school and chat with Holberton students, staff, and mentors!