S5E13: Setting Students up for Success - Smooth Start Program with Karis

S5E13: Setting Students up for Success - Smooth Start Program with Karis

Author: Launch School April 29, 2024 Duration: 56:27

Sign-ups for Smooth Start 5 are open now! Read more and Apply here

In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Karis about Smooth Start. Karis is part of the Launch School staff and is largely responsible for creating Smooth Start, an introductory program to help students overcome common hurdles that are often faced at the early stages of Launch School.

They discuss why Smooth Start was created and new students' struggles, whether they're in the prep course trying to gauge how to take the plunge into the core curriculum, or fresh into the core curriculum, nervous about taking their first assessment.

Karis shares the week-to-week schedule that Smooth Start students get to participate in, along with how the agenda has changed over the various cohorts based on feedback from students and leads.

Finally, we get a sneak peek at what's to come with Smooth Start 5. Karis explains what's new in this cohort and how you can get involved.


For anyone curious about the deliberate, patient path to becoming a true software craftsman, the Launch School Podcast offers a grounded and insightful companion. This isn't about quick hacks or trending frameworks; it's a deep, ongoing conversation about the fundamentals of mastery itself. Each episode connects through the shared experiences of learning to code, drawing on voices from within the Launch School community and beyond. You'll hear from students navigating the curriculum, employers discussing what they truly value in developers, and seasoned engineers reflecting on the principles of long-term career growth. Discussions naturally explore effective study habits, the philosophy of mastery-based learning, and the practical realities of transitioning into a professional role. By focusing on the underlying process of expertise, this podcast provides a unique and thoughtful resource for anyone committed to a meaningful education in technology. Tune in for honest conversations that reframe the journey of learning to code as one of continuous, intentional growth.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 57

Launch School Podcast
Podcast Episodes
S5E7: Launch School Explained with Chris Lee [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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In this episode, recorded at the end of 2023, Brandi asks Chris the most frequently asked questions that current and potential students have. Chris starts the episode with a recap of the story of Launch School, and how h…
S5E6: Julia Martin - The Journey from JS101 to Databricks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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In this episode, Chris interviews Julia Martin, a Capstone graduate and software engineer working at Databricks. Julia shares her story about deciding to make a career transition from business to software. Her interest i…
S5E4: Jon Kulton - From Software Engineering to SRE [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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In this episode, Chris interviews Captsone Graduate Jon Kulton, a software engineer at Datadog. Before Launch School, Jon was a UX designer in a role that included some programming. Ultimately, Jon decided he wanted to t…
S5E3: Student Resources - The SPOT & GatherTown [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 54:30
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S5E2: Student Spotlight - ADHD and Parenthood with Benjamin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:34
In this episode, Brandi has a conversation with Benjamin Walker, a current student, nearing the end of the back-end portion of the curriculum. They discuss Benjamin's approach to balancing full-time parenthood and his jo…
S5E1: Ginni Pinckert - Ancient Greek to AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:59
In this episode, Chris interviews Ginni Pinckert, a software engineer at Sudowrite. Ginni is a recent capstone graduate, finishing in early 2023. She has a diverse background pre-Launch School, having studied classical l…
S5E0: Welcome to Season 5! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:12
A quick introduction to this season with a peek at what's to come.
S4E8: Capstone Salary Reflections [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:51
In this episode Chris and Karis discuss the latest Capstone Salaries page update. Chris shares important data to look out for on the new salaries page, and provides advice when comparing other career-launching programs o…