Launched in December 2021, Virtually Human Studio’s Growth Academy program is an initiative that invests in the next generation of artistic and engineering talent.
Created by VHS Co-founder Geoff Wellman, Growth Academy was born out of a desire to build a team of engineers to accomplish the ambitious goals ZED RUN has set for itself. Wellman says with so many companies working to keep pace in the evolving Web3 space, his team needed to get creative in discovering talent.
“When VHS started gaining more traction with ZED RUN we were faced with the challenge of rapidly scaling our engineering team,” Wellman says.
“We realised the challenges of finding talented engineers with the level of Web3 experience we were looking for.”
Growth Academy consists of nine Junior Engineers, who have been accepted to the program following the completion of an intensive coding bootcamp training and/or university education.
The projects they are tasked with range from intricate to complex, but the overarching goal of the program is much simpler – talented young people learning from their peers.
“There is exceptional talent out there, but many are simply not being given an opportunity,” Growth Academy Lead, Eugene Astuto says.
“Even junior entry level jobs require three-to-five years of experience. We want to find that untapped talent pool and give them a chance so they can realise their potential.”
Prior to joining VHS, Growth Academy applicants are required to pass both a technical and behavioural assessment. While not expected to be coding wizards, the program does require some entry level knowledge of core technologies such as JavaScript and a general knowledge and understanding of what Web3 is.
While teaching is at the forefront of the program, investing in the future of engineering talent has already paid immediate dividends. The Growth Academy’s work on less urgent projects has helped free up more time for senior product team members and back-end engineers to focus on building ZED RUN.
“We want to give our junior engineers an opportunity in the right environment that offers space to grow and succeed,” Wellman says. “Traditionally, this growth would require more time from the senior engineers. With Eugene leading Growth Academy the result has been the exact opposite for our senior engineers.”
For members of the Growth Academy, having a granular level of involvement with the product and solving even the smallest problems for senior staff members has been most rewarding.
“Being a part of the Growth Academy has been an amazing learning experience,” Junior Software Engineer Chris says. “Having the opportunity to work on and develop ideas within the company from the ground up has been a remarkable experience.”
At its core, Growth Academy provides up-and-coming engineers an environment to experiment with new ideas, products, features, and technologies.
“I have grown so much in a short amount of time since joining Growth Academy,” Junior Engineer Yujin says. “The work we’re putting in on a daily basis and the variety of problems we’re solving is just incredible.”
The make-up of the program encourages discovery of ways in which ZED RUN can disrupt the blockchain gaming industry.
“I have learnt so many new techniques, technologies, and have gained invaluable experience seeing how real world projects are conceived, designed, and brought to life,” Junior Software Engineer Leigh says.
In the end, the Growth Academy is all about one guiding goal – engineers supporting engineers in the pursuit of bettering the space.
“I gain a great deal of personal satisfaction from fostering the development of others,” Eugene says. “For me, it’s been rewarding to see the exponential rate at which our people have grown and the contributions they’ve made in such a short period of time.”
As the old adage goes “With great power comes great responsibility.” Growth Academy is just the beginning of Virtually Human Studio using its platform in a way that ensures the future of blockchain gaming is in good hands.
“Growth Academy is here to provide educational resources and learning opportunities and to offer a pathway for a career within the Web3 space,” Wellman says.
“We’re still very much exploring what the true potential of the Growth Academy can be, but one thing is definite – it will be a part of the future of Virtually Human Studio”.
Interested in joining the Virtually Human Studio Growth Academy team? New openings that encourage new candidates to apply are routinely published on the VHS company website.
Please also follow the Virtually Human Studio LinkedIn page for Growth Academy-related announcements and job openings.
