Samsung SW Academy for Youth (SSAFY) is part of Samsung’s CSR program helping the young generation shine in the job market by providing advanced software education and employment services. Every year, SSAFY supports software developers in strengthening their practical skills through intense SW training and hands-on projects.

Since its launch in December 2018, SSAFY has nurtured a total of 3,678 graduates in six rounds, of which 2,770 students were employed at 730 companies, achieving an employment rate of 75%.

The ultimate game-changer

Hyunji Kim joined the fourth round of SSAFY after completing a degree in urban sociology. Dreaming of becoming an IT business consultant, she wanted to broaden her boundaries with SW skills. “SSAFY was the place where I could be re-born as ‘Hyunji 2.0’,” said Hyunji who, before the program, had zero background in IT. Through participation in SSAFY’s various coding and other technology-focused classes and receiving utmost support from her peers and consultants, Hyunji learned the latest IT trends, gained new insights, and expanded her interest in the field.

After the hard training at SSAFY, Hyunji has successfully landed a job as a DT (Digital Transformation) business planner at a top-tier IT consulting company in South Korea. “Because I have been accustomed to the language of the IT world at SSAFY, I could blend in the company even as a newcomer,” said Hyunjui. “Rather, at the very first meeting to discuss an IT system with the developers, I was excited to see and hear what I have learned and experienced at SSAFY in real life. Thanks to SSAFY, I have become a professional in the field of IT.”

Building working-level practical skills

Kwan-heum Cho, a fifth graduate of SSAFY, majored in computer science but joined SSAFY to polish his undergraduate-level project experience and boost his confidence in the field. “SSAFY resolved some of the practical concerns and limitations I felt while studying at university. It was especially helpful in terms of building working-level competencies, as projects were carried out in the same way that they would be in the real world. We even used tools like Git and Jira which are commonly used in many businesses,” said Kwan-heum.

Kwan-heum’s passion for SW along with SSAFY’s practical training curriculum successfully landed him a job as a developer at Samsung. He is now developing a cloud-based personalization recommendation service as part of the Samsung Electronics SR team. He commented, “If you aren’t satisfied with your undergraduate-level SW education even after four years like me, investing just one year at SSAFY will bring you unimaginable results.”