Capital One is building a better tech industry with CODA

Here at Capital One, we’re celebrating the fifth anniversary of one of our most important training programs: the Capital One Developer Academy or CODA for short. This program’s journey from a single cohort of sixty learners in McLean, Virginia, to now a community of graduates numbering in the hundreds across three different cities is a feat unto itself. But there’s more to honor than just CODA’s growth. It’s also important to celebrate how CODA has been integral to Capital One’s desire to move the tech industry forward.

CODA’s success lies in its elegant training model: this program offers a fully paid, six-month software engineering training program that provides great people with the technical knowledge to become great engineers. To do this, Capital One recruiters search across the U.S. looking for non-computer science college grads who have a strong interest in engineering as a career. 

At Capital One, we believe that learning by doing facilitates authentic professional uplift and self-sufficiency. So, unlike training at many other tech companies, CODA’s curriculum is crafted entirely in-house by Capital One tech associates. As a result, CODA does not use third-party learning platforms, busy work or redundant knowledge in its learning environment. Instead, CODA participants receive real-world instruction in a real-world Capital One environment that is interactive, dynamic and engaging. We train future engineers to hit the ground moving, both on their teams and in their careers.

To hit the ground moving means that once a CODA graduate lands on a team as a Technology Development Program (TDP) associate, they immediately begin work that impacts their teams. This swift impact is what makes CODA grads so successful. For example, in five short years, several graduates have already risen through the company ranks to lead their own teams! In total, 764 non-computer science graduates have completed CODA, with 200 associates poised to graduate in 2023.

Moving the industry forward means tech recruitment  must also move forward. We know that tech spaces often lack meaningful representation—Capital One is ready to change that. We are committed to ensuring historically underrepresented groups get access to impactful tech careers at Capital One. And this is not only a recruitment effort. Once tech associates start at Capital One, they get the support they need to thrive at the company. We demonstrate a daily commitment to our CODA graduates through ourCoaches and Buddies program, as well as programming and managerial training to foster a team-first culture in the classroom. 

To move training forward, Capital One and CODA reach beyond the classroom by cultivating a positive and inclusionary culture both in and outside the classroom that ensures CODA grads know and feel like they belong. We strive to be the model company our associates can hold in high regard and esteem, including making our engineers feel valued by delivering a consistent work-life harmony. Together, Capital One and Capital One Developer Academy are upending both traditional tech culture and traditional tech training for the future. 

Interested in joining the next CODA cohort? Check out CODA: How Recent Grads Become Software Engineers. Also, sign up for the CODA job alerts found on our full-time programs page.