They started where you are now
No fairy tales — just people who show up, do the work, and let the process carry them. The first stories land here as our first cohorts graduate.
The first stories are still being written
We would rather publish nothing than publish fiction. As our first cohorts complete their capstones and land their first roles, their real stories — with their permission — will be told here.
What a CEA story looks like
Our commitment for every story this page will ever publish.
Most academy websites publish success stories that read like advertising: flawless journeys, improbable salaries, stock-photo smiles. We have all learned to scroll past them. Our story series is built against that cynicism with an editorial standard we are stating publicly before a single story exists.
Every story published here will follow the same shape. The starting point: where this person actually was before CEA — including false starts, gaps and non-traditional paths, told in their own words. The work: what the programme genuinely demanded of them, which weeks were hard, what nearly made them quit. The evidence: real artifacts — their capstone project, their portfolio, their GitHub — linked so you can judge rather than trust. The outcome: stated plainly, whether that is a job offer, a freelance client, or simply honest progress toward one.
Nothing gets published without written consent from the graduate it belongs to, and nobody will ever be pressured to share figures they prefer to keep private. Where numbers appear (salaries, timelines), they come from the person themselves, not our marketing team's enthusiasm.
In the meantime, the closest thing to student experience we can honestly offer today is our writing: the insights on our blog are drawn from what we see teaching, building CEA-OS and working with employers daily. Start there — then check back as the first cohort writes the rest.
“CEA-OS is being built to track more than grades — every artifact, every skill, every leap from applicant to hired.”
Founder & Director
Your story starts with an application
The next cohort is two months out. Be one of the stories we tell next year.