How many of you have set a New Year’s Resolution and failed to keep it because you didn’t have enough help to get you over the hump, or maybe you didn’t keep it because there wasn’t anyone else pushing you or keeping you motivated? Maybe you didn’t keep it because when the task is out of sight, it’s out of mind. Well…lucky for all you coders and potential coders, Code Year is hoping to solve all of those problems for you this year–at least when it comes to learning to code.

Code Year, a project from Codecademy, promises to help the hundreds of thousands participants to learn enough code to build their own app or website by the end of 2012. Code Year bring lessons in the form of a game to participants each week through email. Participants started the year learning Javascript. The program awards badges to help keep the participants motivated.

So what connection does this have to SproutBox? Besides the fact that we think this is a totally awesome idea, we are going to host the first of many Code Year Meetups in Bloomington. Anyone who has signed up for Code Year (and yes, you can still sign up and start to learn how to code) will get together on February 7th, at 7pm at SproutBox and chat with other coders. We’ll have some developers here to help you solve that problem you just haven’t been able to figure out or give you insight and tips. We’ll give coders a chance to meet up with other coders and help each other out or show off what you’ve already learned. It’s always great to connect with someone trying to reach the same goal you are to help push you and keep you on the right track.

We are really excited to host this event. It allows our team to network and share the passion of development with participants and engage them in the Bloomington tech scene and even meet some of our Sprouts, like Squad. Code Year is a great opportunity for anyone wanting to learn how to code or even just to better your skills, so join us at the meetup and we’ll help you stick with your resolution!

Interested in joining Code Year? Make sure you sign up so you don’t get behind!

Make sure to RSVP and come join us!

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Can you take an idea from pitch to launch in 54 hours? Nearly 100 cities are participating in the Startup Weekend Global Battle for Startup Weekend and this can be your chance to experience one of the most intense weekends of your life. Startup junkies, this is your chance to build a company and relationships.

I participated in Startup Weekend Indianapolis 2010 and joined a team to get the app, Notesee, launched in 54 hours (53 hours by the time the pitch session was over). The team consisted of five team members: me as a front-end developer, David the Ruby/Rails developer, Joel the excellent designer, and two business developers. We jumped into a quiet space and started planning with a montage of discussion, writing, coding, and strategizing to make this app functional. This went on for the rest of Friday and Saturday, then Sunday rolled around. Sunday was a blur with all of us rushing to make sure the app was running and the final presentation was ready for the judges. It’s difficult to really explain the roller coaster of a weekend, the whole event was amazing and exhausting, and I’m ready to do it again.

You have the chance to make something great and launch a real company in 54 hours, but more importantly, you can meet driven individuals in your community. Take this opportunity to build a disruptive company and join a class of startups grown out of Startup Weekend like LaunchRock, Scanadu, and Mingly. Did I mention you will be participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week?

Startup Weekend Bloomington 2011

Register Now!

$15 off registration Promo Code: sbox

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Freelancers everywhere. Lend me your ears.

Working at home is great, in theory. You wake up, make yourself an omelet (or don’t), pull on some sweats and start the day. There is no wasted time commuting and no meetings to attend. Your boss isn’t checking how often you’re on Facebook or asking questions about your progress. Better yet, there’s no guy with bad body odor playing Michael Bolton in the cubicle next door. Life is sweet.

If only it were that simple. In real life there’s no time for omelets. You’re busy managing multiple tasks and looking for projects on top of a supposedly healthy social life.  But doing quality work takes more than just time. It takes motivation. Some can function from the comfort of their couches or kitchen tables. Others, not so much.

At the local coffee shop you wait 20 minutes for a table, only to find walls with no outlets and a weak wireless connection. Hours later you look at your clock and realize you’ve been there 3 hours and all you have to show for it is an empty latte and nothing done. It’s enough to make you swear off coffee.

Where’s the happy medium? Inspiration comes from surrounding yourself with inspiring people, but nobody likes to be micromanaged.

Hackers in Residence is for freelance developers and designers looking for office space and project opportunities. Use our space in exchange for a fraction of your time to work on projects for our sprouts. You reap the benefits of a laid-back, creative atmosphere while maintaining a constant work flow and access to our resources and networks. Better yet, you can get health care at the SproutBox group rate.

Best of both worlds? We think so.

Interested? See our Opportunities page for more information on how to apply and what we’re looking for.

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