Built on a second chance.
HopeCoders exists because someone once bet on a student nobody else was betting on. This is that story, and what we do with it now.
Someone took a chance on me.
Hi, I'm Marcos Hope, the founder of HopeCoders. I was doing poorly in school when someone gave me a chance and taught me computer science. It changed the direction of my life, and HopeCoders is how I pass that chance on.
I meet students wherever they actually are: a kid who's never written a line of code, a teen who wants their Unity game on itch.io, or a student fighting through AP CS A. We work in public spaces your family already knows, like public libraries, community centers, cafes, or your own home, because comfortable students learn faster.
Who's teaching your student.
Every HopeCoders coach is background checked, fingerprinted and drug tested before they work with a student, and every one of them writes code for real.
Every coach is vetted.
- Background checked & fingerprinted
Every coach passes a fingerprint-based criminal background check before they teach a single session.
- Drug tested
Every coach is drug tested before they start working with students.
- Trained to keep kids safe
Coaches complete California's mandated-reporter training on recognizing and reporting child abuse, as state law requires of anyone working with kids.
- Places you can see into
Sessions happen in public spaces like libraries and community centers, at your home by arrangement, or online over Zoom. You're always welcome to sit in.
Real programmers, not script readers.
Our coaches write code themselves. Every one brings at least one of these:
- .workProfessional experience writing software
- .degreeA degree in computer science or a related field
- .certsIndustry certifications
- .schoolCurrently studying computer science
Want to know more about the coach who'd teach your student? Ask us and we'll share their education, teaching experience and work history before you book. Our safety policy.
I wasn't the kid anyone expected much from.
I was doing poorly in school. Not a little behind, poorly. It's easy to start believing that's just who you are.
Then someone gave me a chance. They sat down with me and taught me computer science, and for the first time I was building things that worked. Solving a problem on a screen turned into believing I could solve problems, period.
That one person changed the direction of my life. I don't think about it as luck anymore. I think about it as something I owe forward.
Passing it on.
HopeCoders is my way of doing for other students what was done for me. Whether your student is ahead of the class, falling behind, or has never written a line of code, they get someone who takes them seriously and shows them they can build real things.
Sometimes that's a first Scratch game. Sometimes it's getting through AP CS A. Sometimes it's just the first time a student walks out of a session thinking, “I'm actually good at this.” That moment is the whole point.
Build first. Theory follows.
Nobody fell in love with coding from a worksheet. From the very first session, my students are building something they actually want to exist, a game, a website, a little program that does something funny. The theory shows up exactly when the project needs it, which is when it sticks.
I keep sessions calm and judgment-free. Students get stuck, that's the job. My role isn't to hand over answers; it's to teach the questions that get you unstuck, because that skill outlasts any single language or framework.
And I keep parents in the loop without homework for them: after every session you get a short recap of what we built and where we're headed next. You'll always know what your investment is producing.
What we can work on
All ages · all skill levels · 1–1.5 hr sessions · in-person or online
Sound like a fit?
Grab a time on the calendar, the first conversation is always free.