kood/Jõhvi coding school co-director Karin Künnapas: anyone can write code with enough motivation and interest

Last fall, the modern and international coding school kood/Jõhvi was completed in Ida-Virumaa, where 500 passionate IT enthusiasts started studying. Together with skilled builders, architects and OCCO, a comfortable and modern learning environment was created for future professionals.

International coding school kood/Jõhvi is designed for adults of all ages who want to learn to write code to start their career in the field of technology or change their current profession. The school is funded by more than 30 reputable companies, including many domestic startups such as Veriff, Pipedrive and Wise, who are ready to hire graduates of the school’s program.

Masters of their time

The two-year program based on teamwork takes place in Jõhvi, but students can choose how and when to complete their tasks. “The teaching works on a self-learning methodology, which looks like that the students have to solve different tasks independently – a description is given, they write the code according to it,” described the school director Karin Künnapas.

“The biggest difference with other IT schools is that we don’t have teachers, but code is written together with other students. Therefore, learners themselves have a lot of responsibility and have to plan their time and work. We don’t have school hours as such.”

A collaborative environment

“With the new building, we wanted to create an environment that would encourage teamwork,” said Künnapas. “The school premises have very open areas and all the furniture and furnishings create a pleasant and cosy learning environment. The school building has separate areas where you can quietly work on tasks independently, and rooms where you can discuss things with the team.”

The building has five floors. The first floor is a teamwork area – there is a meeting room and a small classroom (for 30 people). After doing schoolwork, you can rest and spend free time on the first floor. The second floor has loft-style hostel rooms with 150 beds, characterized by high ceilings and a spacious layout. In addition, there are two communal kitchens on the second floor where you can cook together.

The third and fifth floors are similar in structure – they are open-plan study floors. In other words, they look like modern open offices. There is high-quality office furniture: tables, chairs and monitors to create the environment necessary for learning. The third floor is designed more for solving tasks alone and quietly, while the fifth floor is for teamwork. There is also a central open area where events, seminars and more are held. There is a server park on the fourth floor, which is not used by kood/Jõhvi learners.

OCCO offered full service

kood/Jõhvi building was built by the non-profit association Tuleviku Tehnoloogiaharidus, the architect was OÜ Kamp Arhitektid and the builder was OÜ KRC Ehitus. Bespoke furniture was requested for the school’s premises – hostel rooms, study and meeting rooms, and the kitchen area. OCCO was chosen to furnish the project and offered a convenient turnkey service, which included ordering furniture, installation and transport. “Cooperation with OCCO was very smooth and convenient,” said Künnapas.

If there is interest, it can be done!

You might think that writing code is especially suitable for those who are good at science subjects, but Künnapas disagrees: “If a person has the interest, time and motivation to commit and put in the effort, then they can handle writing code.” According to Künnapas, writing code is a very creative activity. One can write it in ten lines, another in a hundred lines. If the code works, then both are equally correct.

“Also, I think that there is no single way to learn coding – practical output is more suitable for one, lectures for another,” said Künnapas. “The main thing is that those who are really interested in learning find the right method that suits them best.”

According to research, there are currently 8,000 IT-related jobs in Estonia, and this number is growing. However, writing code is a skill with which you can find work all over the world – there is an opportunity to work for a foreign company while doing the work yourself from your home country.

The use of technology is becoming more and more important in every field, and more and more people are needed who can write or understand code. “That is why it is important that we offer comprehensive opportunities for learning IT.”