ThoughtWorks University
ThoughtWorks University (TWU) is our onboarding program for new graduate hires. This six-week long experience is a learning opportunity for both new graduates as well as us. As graduates you get to practice ThoughtWorks capabilities, and we learn how to mentor and coach those with less experience but equal aptitude. ThoughtWorkers take great pride in building mentoring relationships, and all the coaches at TWU are ThoughtWorkers. 'TWU turns you into a Ninja. A code writing, build deploying, story analyzing, client expectation setting, commit prioritizing, project managing, testing, traveling, churning, burning, twisting, turning freak of a software development ninja. When you leave, you know Kung Fu.'
- Sam Hotop, Business Analyst
Why have a University?
Graduates have long been a part of ThoughtWorks’ culture. You’re a source of energy and innovation, and challenge our thinking by offering fresh perspectives on existing problems. We’ve done college recruiting since 1997, and some of these earliest hires are now Managing Directors and Technical Leaders with our business. This said, graduates do need a bridge to the industry to deliver value to our clients. This is where ThoughtWorks University bridges the gap.
Practices and values quickly spread across the entire company in ThoughtWorks. We value experience and challenges because they offer such great learning opportunities, and we share what we learn with other ThoughtWorkers. However, sharing was easy when ThoughtWorks was small, but collaboration and learning are more complex now that we’re spread across eight countries.
We've designed ThoughtWorks University to help new graduates come together, fail fast, and imbibe values, principles and practices that make up the unique ThoughtWorks culture. By engaging you in a real project with a real client, we'll help you discover the practices that have made ThoughtWorks successful. By the end of the program, you'll no longer be rookies. You'll have 160 hours of real-world experience in your primary role.
How will I learn?
The six-week-long ThoughtWorks University program involves a live project for a ThoughtWorks client. You'll be responsible to deliver a real-world software application and we'll support you with individual performance and skills coaching. Our aim is to provide you with an opportunity to explore the issues faced everyday on our projects and in our community, and to discover your talents. On the way, you’ll discover the confidence to be professional consultants and take an active role in shaping the ThoughtWorks culture.
We believe that people learn best by doing; so we will throw you into the deep end as soon as possible. Don’t be alarmed. You'll have the support of experienced ThoughtWorks consultants to guide you on this learning journey. Real work will reveal some of the scenarios we face on-site with our clients. There will be a few breaks from the pace of the project and then we'll take time out to reflect on our experience and explore new skills as the need comes by.
We also believe socialising is an important aspect of learning. There will ample opportunities for you to mingle with the other grads in relaxed, social settings. ThoughtWorks University is usually in China or India and both are great countries to travel in -- make sure you've got travel plans for the weekends!
