More and more people are working from home; one in 20 Americans worked remotely in 2018. Developing the skills, however, to find a remote career can be tricky, especially when you have children. This problem is what local company Moms Can & Co. aims to solve.
Two years ago, Robinson-based Erica Peterson wanted to learn how to code to help her two young sons with homework, but she had a hard time finding resources that fit her busy schedule as a parent and an entrepreneur. She had previously founded a nonprofit called Science Tots that connects parents to STEM learning tools. Using her STEM education background, Peterson founded Moms Can & Co. to help other women like her.
"They're not returning to their previous career," Peterson said. "They're completely reinventing themselves, or looking to leverage past experience ... and show that they can work remotely and gain new employment."
Moms Can & Co. offers a few different learning programs, including an eight-week introductory course that teaches participants the basics of coding and what jobs are available with the skills learned.
The company's signature program is the Moms Can Code School, which is currently recruiting for its fifth cohort. Participants spend 12 weeks creating a web developer portfolio, which Peterson said is essential for finding coding work.
"You're working in two-week sprints with a team, learning how to work remotely," Peterson said. "And learning all the different tech and tools that are required to make that happen."
Petersen said the coursework is flexible enough to fit around parents' busy schedules. For group projects, the participants need to work amongst themselves to find time to get together online and work.
"Just like if you were working remotely and you needed to do something with a teammate, you too would figure it out," Peterson said.
Moms Can & Co. is running its first ever in-person summit this January in Pittsburgh. Fittingly, it also offers participants the option to watch from home.
