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Below we list the answers to the most asked questions. If you still feel like your question has not really been answered you can email us your question and we will get back to you as soon as possible!
INFORMATION ABOUT REGISTRATIONS
Apply here! After registration, you need to pass a two hours long online test. If you succeed, you need to clear the last hurdle, the ‘Selection Piscine.’
The only requirement is being at least 18; there is no maximum age and no further requirements. Instead of having a specific background, education, or degree, we only ask for your motivation and commitment to the three-year study program.
Yes, developing soft skills, peer learning, and peer correcting are central to our learning philosophy, so students need to be at the campus in person.
We believe that everyone deserves a fair chance to develop their potential and follow their dreams, regardless of background and resources. For this reason, 42 Wolfsburg covers your tuition fee. You will not be charged before, during, or after your studies with us.
No, not at all! It is not necessary to have any knowledge in programming to join and succeed at 42. There’s no evidence students with coding skills do better at the Selection Piscine of 42 than those who don´t.
No! Certainly, mathematical skills can be useful when coding, but the most important skill you need is logic.
The online test can be done from anywhere in the world. Your presence is required a couple of weeks before the Selection Piscine starts to confirm that you’ll take a spot in it. In that case, you can also arrange for someone else to do it on your behalf.
42 Wolfsburg offers a program with a world-class curriculum that challenges students with projects of increased complexity. Every problem is unique, and it requires you to think outside of the box along with motivated peers. Everyone, coder or not, can find a rewarding path.
You do not need a laptop during the Piscine. The school is equipped with 250 iMacs, which are more than enough to serve all students. It is okay to use your own laptop during your studies, but it is not required, as you will be submitting your work on the school’s iMacs.
You need to be able to adapt and overcome difficulties, be proactive, curious, creative, thorough, and collaborative.
2 hours and 10 minutes.
Yes, it is. Now go back to figuring it out; self-learning starts now.
FOREIGN APPLICANTS AT 42 WOLFSBURG
At present, 42 Wolfsburg cannot help with Visas. Citizens that are not part of the EU, UK, Norway, or Switzerland are encouraged to inquire about possible visa requirements. As 42 Wolfsburg is not an accredited institution at this point- due to our nontraditional hands-on education approach- you may not be able to receive student visas.
For now, all of 42’s content and projects are available in French and English.
42 is the only school in Germany offering higher education that is 100% practical, focused on coding, project-driven, and relevant in the real world.
Students work in teams and write code every day. A study by Stackoverflow showed that 54% of Computer Science graduates say that study-content is outdated, requiring additional (self) study to qualify for a job in their field. 42-Graduates don’t face these issues because the content is updated every month, and students practice skills, on average, 8 hours a day during their studies. Students are ready to add value the first day they graduate from 42 – if not before: In fact, 80% of our students get offered employment before the end of their studies!
We believe that everyone deserves a fair chance to develop their potential and follow their dreams, regardless of background and resources. For this reason, 42 Wolfsburg covers your tuition fee. You will not be charged before, during, or after your studies with us.
During your study at 42 Wolfsburg, you will have to cover the cost of living ( e.g., accommodation, food, and anything else you might need). You will need money that you cannot earn from having a full-time job alongside your studies, as we strongly recommend to put all your energy and time into studying. The solution might be saving some money before you start studying or asking your parents for financial support.
DIVING INTO THE SWIMMING POOL
Piscine is the French word for swimming pool, meaning that everyone dives into the deep end of coding and learns how to swim together.
The Selection Piscine, or just Piscine, is a four-week-long trial period during which you discover the basics of coding from scratch. No prerequisites of any kind are needed: no previous degrees, no coding experience. This period will be very intensive and requires commitment. Don’t expect laid-back weekends. There is no fixed amount of applicants to be selected – there is no competition between applicants, and anyone can be selected as long as they can swim!
During the Selection Piscine, teams are randomly assigned and team members have to work together to solve the assigned tasks.
Not being accepted at 42 Wolfsburg after the Piscine means that it might not be right for you. The Piscine is designed in a way that both you and 42 Wolfsburg can validate if this educational model is the right fit for you. If you are not accepted after the Piscine, we advise you to try a different learning program. This is not the only way to learn programming!
That is totally okay! Applicants are free to leave the admissions process at any point. You can just walk out, with no strings attached. However, the educational staff would really appreciate learning the reasons why. Who knows, maybe talking it through with someone can change your mind!
Yes. The beginning of your studies is a continuation of the Piscine, so it would be better for you not to interrupt the learning process. If you know you might not enroll in the school right after the Piscine, it would be fair to leave the spot for someone eager to start.
Specific dates for the Piscine and check-ins will always be available on our website and social media.
EVERYTHING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES AT 42
42 is a French private tuition-free coding school founded in 2013 by the French entrepreneur Xavier Niel. With a disruptive peer-to-peer education model and philosophy, 42 has achieved great results: 100% of well-employed graduates, 80% have opportunities before graduation, 30% build their own companies, 50% never coded before. Due to its success, 42 has 20+ campuses around the world today. 42 Wolfsburg is the second partner campus in Germany and the first one to focus on Automotive IT.
P.S. 42 is also the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. If you have no idea what we are talking about, check out The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy from Douglas Adams.
42 is a school-based on peer-to-peer learning, in which students learn and discover by themselves and with peers, and with a pedagogical team that makes sure the learning environment works and that students are progressing. Not having teachers makes this education system scalable. It enables the education of many students compared to the traditional education system.
Peer-to-peer learning is an education model where students learn from each other instead of an appointed teacher. It emphasizes critical thinking, teamwork, and communication. Students also evaluate each other and learn from explaining their approach to peers.
In project-based learning, students gain a profound knowledge of a subject by exploring real-world challenges and problems. They learn by doing and thinking critically, rather than by following instructions and memorizing.
Your peers will assess the quality of your projects based on grading scales defined by the pedagogical staff.
Throughout the studies, you are free to work with whomever you want. If you have a team member that quits or is unreliable, you need to be resourceful and try to find a new team. That’s exactly how it works in real life.
Yes! The best way to keep students close to the real world is by organizing regular events with guest speakers and other forms of collaborations with companies and organizations, such as podcasts, hackathons and workshops.
You start building a base in the C programming language and fundamental programming concepts. As you progress towards your first internship, you can explore introductory branches in UNIX, graphics, and web programming. After your first internship, the curriculum will include more in-depth projects in many fields of computer science: Object-Oriented programming, Mobile programming, Functional programming, Web security, Reverse engineering, Malicious Code, Kernel programming, Network programming, Artificial intelligence, 3D programming, and many other areas of programming and IT. Your second and final internship will complete the studies.
Part 1 is the Piscine, a 4-weeks challenge in which students learn the basics of programming (C, basic algorithms).
Part 2 is the core part of the curriculum designed to reach minimal proficiency, which takes between 6 months and 1.5 years. Included are advanced algorithms, UNIX/Posix API (filesystem, processes, pipes, sockets, etc.), threads programming, C, C++, IP networks and basic system administration, and graphics web frameworks. After this foundational course, internships of 4-6 months follow.
Part 3 lasts up to 2 years and focuses on AI, Security, Data, Cloud, Mobile, Advanced graphics, and other skills. This is also the time for hackathons, side projects with companies, entrepreneurship, projects with partners, etc. An internship of at least 6 months concludes the program.
The proven curriculum of 42 in Paris includes a vast number of projects laid out like a tree. When you complete a project, you move to the next one until you can choose from different paths and discover multiple programming and IT aspects. Each student’s experience is unique, as they experiment with projects and decide to follow different specialization paths in the curriculum.
As much time do you need! We strongly believe that each student is unique and should be allowed to learn at their own pace. The course takes an average of 3 years of full-time dedication, including two internships to achieve senior-level software engineering skills. But it’s up to you. You can still graduate as a highly qualified junior developer after just one year. Some students will complete the course in less than two years; others will need five years. Both are good! It is not a race; 42 Wolfsburg is a learning curve. Find more information about how the 3 years are broken below.
Students progress in the curriculum by completing projects and getting points. With these points, students level up and unlock more projects and specialization branches. Students can also master different skills, tackle challenges, and gain achievements. Students can compare their levels to know how far along they are in the curriculum. At level 16, you can go to your first internship and achieve your junior developer level. At level 21, you can go to your final training and complete the program. Once completed, you are at master level.
The original curriculum was created in 2013 by the 42 Paris team by computer science education veterans in France and had been evolving ever since. The educational staff at 42, in cooperation with companies and students, will be updating the curriculum every month.
There are more than a hundred projects laid out like a tree. When you complete a project, you can move to the next branch until the branches split, allowing you to discover multiple aspects of coding and IT. Your experience will be unique as you experiment with projects and choose to follow different curriculum specialization paths.
Yes, companies can include real-life challenges in the curriculum. The pedagogical team in Paris -who created the curriculum- oversees it and updates it monthly, will review the suitability project. If the project fits, it will be offered as part of the curriculum worldwide.
Yes, other campuses such as Paris and Moscow already work with more senior students to upgrade their skill-set. Such courses are typically shorter than the standard 3.5-year program. Contact us for more information.
During your Piscine, it is close to impossible to work. Candidates spend an average of 60 hours per week in the Selection Piscine to progress and learn to program.
During the Curriculum, we generally advise against working part-time next to your studies. However, we understand that you need to sustain yourself, and therefore, you need an income. In case you have to work a few days next to your studies, we advise a minimum study investment of 24 hours a week. The remaining hours can be used for a part-time job. However, bear in mind that the more hours you put into your studies, the faster you learn and level up!
AFTER GRADUATION
At 42 Wolfsburg, you do not receive a diploma or certificate. However, this is not a problem! Companies can’t wait to welcome quality programmers. Our program is fittingly based on your experience levels as you complete projects, build a personal portfolio, and gain essential skills for a technology career. The 42 network strong international reputation and students’ 100% employment rate are proof. We do issue a certificate of completion at the end of our program.
Would you like to? If so, this is possible. But it is more likely that you will develop new skills and interests and find other digital-related positions. Companies and organizations in all industries are affected by technology and digital transformation. More often than not, these roles are multi-disciplinary and require you to collaborate in teams.
You name it! Completing the course gives you access to many positions and jobs in the digital world, from worldwide leading tech companies to startups and everything in between. Why not set up your own?
You learn how to understand various problems instead of solving specific issues with specific tools. Graduates of 42 are team players that exhibit strong problem-solving skills, critical thinking, and a desire for life-long learning. 42 does not lock you into a specific technology or language; instead, you learn fundamental techniques that allow you to develop and maintain relevant skills throughout your career.
Yes. Level 21 students are top-level programmers suitable for top jobs and responsibilities. They can join the most selective software companies. However, we strongly recommend that students pursue career paths they are passionate about. We’ll support this by offering excellent education and regular opportunities to meet up with companies and organizations (hackathons, speakers, workshops, etc.)
Yes! Once a 42 Wolfsburg student, our doors will always be open for you! Alumni can come back to continue their studies at any time they want. We want you to stay part of the community and share new-found knowledge from the real world with other students.
Finding both internships required to validate the course is a crucial part of your learning process. 42 Wolfsburg will provide you with a way to acquire knowledge, build confidence, and access professionals through conferences, hackathons, and workshops. However, it is up to you to make the call and step up to the challenge in the end.
Yes, you can switch to another school in the 42 network! Important notes for studying in another 42 school:
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- You have to do the first part of the curriculum until the first internship at the same campus where you did your piscine.
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- You can choose to do your internships wherever you want in the world.
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- After your first internship, you can switch to any other 42 school around the world.
- A minimum stay of 3 months is required before switching to another 42 school.