Morgan Smith- CODE BOOT CAMP INSTRUCTOR

Morgan Smith recently began her new role as the Instructor of theClubhou.se Code Boot Camp (CBC), a 12-week, full-stack web developer course. One does not simply begin teaching a subject, so learn more about Morgan’s journey as a developer, and maker in general.

Morgan developed her interest in computer science at the early age of twelve when she realized she could create things on the internet. “So, you know in The Matrix when Neo wakes up in the ‘real’ world? That's kind of how I felt when I realized I could make things that the entire world could see through the internet!” Morgan shares, “After that, I started learning how to make web-pages for Neopets (little virtual pets); I haven’t stopped making stuff since.” 

Born in Hawaii, Morgan has lived in several states across the country, including California, New York, and Tennessee. Morgan landed in Augusta as a result of her father being stationed at Fort Gordon. She eventually enrolled at Augusta University, with a major in Computer Science, and a minor in Art. Morgan then started competing in hackathons. Winning one hackathon earned her an internship in .NET development. Morgan also has a cybersecurity certification, specializes in front end, and focuses on accessibility and SEO. 

 After graduating, Morgan worked as a DevOps engineer for Windsor Fine Jewelers. Outside of work, she began looking for a bigger cyber community and came across events hosted by theClubhou.se. Through attending Beer and Bytes, Augusta Developer, and the Southern Dev Conference Morgan learned that Code Boot Camp was looking for an instructor for the Fall 2019 cohort.

“I would tell future CBC students that this is a rewarding, and intense program,” Morgan advises. “The best way to learn development is to start creating. So, make sure to find something you are excited about, and make things around that!”

 As CBC instructor, Morgan teaches JS, HTML, and CSS in a rigorous twelve-week semester. Graduates of CBC are certified as Junior Web Developers , helping them secure a job in web development. Throughout this course, she also teaches community building, social media, and development ethics, along with any other help the students may need. “I would tell future CBC students that this is a rewarding, and intense program.” Morgan reveals. “The best way to learn development is to start creating. So, make sure to find something you are excited about, and make things around that!”

When asked how theClubhou.se has benefitted her, Morgan explains, “Having a dedicated maker space has gotten me to start Making more. Being able to help with events has inspired me to give back to the community more. Recently, I got to help with Brown Girls Who Code. It was so inspiring to see so many young girls getting excited about coding and computer science! It has also been so wonderful to teach, and hopefully inspire people to enter careers in tech.” This rings true with theClubhou.se’s core values, Risk Boldly and Give More Than You Take, which Morgan believes she best exemplifies as she pushes herself to take risks and rather give to others than to take.  

Morning lectures get the content delivered…don’t believe the white screen: there were notes there for sure!

In addition to instructing CBC students, Morgan is learning knot theory, the relationship between fiber art and computer science, how to use theClubhou.se laser cutter and resin-casting. She is also working on development processes like CI/CD and tooling.

In the future, Morgan plans to create resources that allow people to learn coding and to start giving back to the open-source community. She wants to attend and speak at more conventions. As for her future with theClubhou.se, Morgan states, “I want to continue to be a part of this community and to make CBC the best it can be.” 

To learn more about Morgan and Code Boot Camp, visit our website!