Oakland s Bitwise puts diverse students on path to tech success by paying them to learn
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Adorable Jasmine went through a pay-to-learn program from Bitwise Industries and now works at Code for America.Yalonda M. James / The Chronicle
For years, Adorable Jasmine sought to break into technology. But the 35-year-old Oakland resident couldn’t land even an entry-level gig despite years of nonprofit work, a master’s degree and a lot of diligent self-instruction. Jasmine, who is Black, said she encountered racism and sexism at interviews and networking events, but kept trying, eager to leverage tech for social change.
Then by serendipity she learned about a school where she could not only get tech training but be paid to learn through an internship.