………………………..… By sudo, use your brain! ………………………….
So you ended up with this article because you didn’t read 1337's website, yeah we’re watching you; people keep asking the same questions over and over about the school, it’s because either they are lazy to check the website or they still haven’t developed the mindest of self-directed learning yet! Thus, this article is another resource for you to stop asking questions.
1337! What is it?
In one sentence, 1337 is the heaven of Morocco, but let me split it for you into chunks:
1337 is the first to provide IT training in Morocco, completely free of charge, open and accessible to anyone between the ages of 18 and 30. No need for an IT degree, or of having undergone extensive IT training. The only criteria for admission in Treize, Trente-Sept is CREATIVITY. (1337, 2020)
Exactly as in the quote, 1337 is completely free and doesn’t require any diploma or previous knowledge in IT, the only requirement is that you be between the age of 18 and 30 and have a creative brain of course.
- But why does such a school have a weird name?
So, as known as 1337 provides IT training, the name came from “leet speak” which is an informal language used on the internet, this language replaces letters with numbers and therefore:
For 13 37… there is nothing simpler: L=1, E=3, T=7. (1337, 2020)
- Is the school located in Ben Guerir or Khouribga?
The school is located in both Khouribga and Ben Guerir, both are campuses with the same culture and spirit.
- English or French?
It’s up to you to choose.
- OCP Group & 42, what does this have to do with 1337?
1337 is sponsored by the OCP Group and has a partnership with 42 Paris, so yeah 1337 students have the same training program of 42 students all around the world.
- Do you get a diploma?
The answer is NO, we don’t get a diploma but we get an international certificate “Certificate of an Architect in digital technologies” delivered by 42.
How can I join 1337?
If your age is between 18 and 30 as you have a creative brain, congratulations you’ve already satisfied the requirements and you’re up for the challenge!
1. The online tests
So the application starts on their website (the “apply now” button), once your registration is approved you’ll have to pass the online tests, there are two tests; the 1st one tests the strength of your memory, and the 2nd one tests the power of your logic.
2. Check-in
If you passed the 1st step, the real game starts here because a lot of people want to join the school, yet nobody knows when they will announce the Check-in dates (only the sudo has access to this type of sensitive information).
At this step, it’s either you come up with an idea that gets the job done for you, or you’ll have to keep up with their updates on social media, so you can keep an eye on @1337FIL Twitter to know when the check-in is announced.
Once you know about the check-in you have to be as fast as you can to get a place. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until another check-in! If you got a place, you’ll receive an email about the date you chose to visit the school, and then on that date, you’ll have to go to school (with your ID and the invitation of course) and meet some staff who will present the school for you and answer the questions you have.
3. Preparation for the pool
As in the check-in you have to be fast, in order to get a place in the pool too, if you got it, then you got a valid visa to pass 4 weeks in 1337.
The pool is one of the most incredible months you’ll ever have in your life if you are the kind of a person who’s really fascinated by IT, but let’s talk about serious stuff like what you’ll need to go there; first, if you are not a person who’s used to travels, make sure to pack a suitcase (clothes, toothpaste …etc come on you are ≥ 18 take responsibilities).
So you managed everything including the suitcase and the amount of money you might need, and you’re wondering about a place to spend that month; exceptionally for that month (The pool) the school allows people to sleep there, but it would be something like a summer camp where a lot of people sleep close to each other (just a piece of information: girls and guys are separated), so if you are an introvert you might not like such situation, then you’d better find rent and as I did that, the price of a good home starts from 1500 MAD (153 $) for a month in Ben Guerir city.
About the weather, it’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter, even in the summer the cold might hit you during the night, so you better take some winter clothes with you as a precaution; Moreover, although the school provides 3 meals per day (for poolers), it might not be enough for some people and they might think about getting fast food, I’d like to let you know that Ben Guerir fast food is not tasty, and groceries close at 11 PM or 12 AM, so you’d better learn how to cook, at least fried eggs to not suffer from hunger during the night.
4. The pool
The pool is an immersion for 4 weeks in the world of coding. (1337, 2020)
Yay, it’s finally time for the pool and you’re at the school not knowing about what you’ll have to do, so once you enter you’ll get your badge which will be your key to access 1337 every day/night during the pool, you’ll first start by a meeting with the staff who are going to explain few things and give you some tips, and then they will let you start your adventure.
So before you touch that IMac, you’d better read your 1st guidance gift, the following picture was made with love by the Boss of 1337 Ben Guerir for the future poolers so that they can learn from our mistakes
So now that you got some tricks, let me tell you how it goes in the pool; In brief, you have to be a self-directed learner and RTFM! (Read The Fucking Manual!) before you ask your peers, you don’t want to look stupid on your first day right? If you kept searching and you ended up with nothing, then you’re allowed to ask your peers.
From Monday ~ Thursday you do your assignments as you learn with your peers, each Friday you do an exam related to what you studied during the week, and then at the weekend, you can do some extra projects either in a group or alone to boost your level and your knowledge.
Some people come to the pool with all this information, so they think they are smart and they start cheating and make fun of others who are struggling to learn, this paragraph is for you smart people; If you decided to cheat, make sure you’re affecting no one but yourself, as well that our staff is not stupid otherwise they wouldn’t have such position at the school, so they will request you for a re-code session, and as a piece of information there’s a cheaters slayer called Spoody, so if you’re a cheater and you were requested to a re-code session with him, you’d better bury yourself alive, otherwise you’re dead.
Giving more information about the pool is forbidden now, it’s better to not spoil you in this article in order to let you have an unforgettable experience at 1337, just enjoy your adventure and make yourself a memorable person.
4. Wait! What? You became a student!
So you succeeded in passing the pool? First things first, congratulations! now you’re a part of our family, your first day as a student will be much more like your first day as a pooler; Thus, some people keep asking about the benefits that 1337 students get, and yes we get a scholarship but with conditions, and if you came to 1337 just because of this, you’d better go back home and that’s because the real “treizoriens/treizoristes” (Hellio, 2020) are the ones who chose the school for the love of code and nothing more.
Another question we keep getting as students in 1337, is if we have dorms and a restaurant! it’s 2 meals per day for the restaurant, and for the dorms, the only ones who are getting them currently are Ben Guerir treizoristes (Girls), For others in both campuses, you’ll have to find rent, and here come my cheers to my fellows who work hard to pay the rent from the scholarship they get.
Finally, this article specifies the essential stuff only, in other words, it describes what you’ll need as someone who’s interested to know about the school. Please don’t come to it just because of the benefits, we’d like to have people who are passionate about technology and making a difference in the world, I mean people who’d like to make the name of the school shine bright in the sky, those are the real ones who belong to us.
Reference:
1337. (2020, May 17). DNA. Retrieved from https://1337.ma/en/
