What is Branchout?
Branchout is a free online fellowship for students and self-taught developers who want real project experience. You pick one of six tracks, build a project with a small group called a pod, and earn a certificate that employers can check.
It is free to join and it is unpaid. Here, “fellowship” means a structured program you take part in to learn by building, not a paid position.
Branchout at a glance
- What it is
- A free online fellowship where you learn by building a real project.
- Who it is for
- Students and self-taught developers, from complete beginners up.
- What you do
- Pick a track, join a pod of up to six, build a project together, and have a mentor review it.
- Tracks
- Full-Stack Web, AI & Machine Learning, Mobile Development, DevOps & Infrastructure, Frontend Engineering, and Data Engineering.
- Cost
- Free. No card needed.
- Mentors
- Volunteers who work in the industry.
- You finish with
- A project you own and a certificate employers can check with a code.
Who it is for
Students and self-taught developers who want work to show employers. You do not need experience to start: you begin at your current level, and you join a pod of students at a similar stage when you are ready for a project.
How it works
- Create a free account and choose a track. The six tracks are Full-Stack Web, AI & Machine Learning, Mobile Development, DevOps & Infrastructure, Frontend Engineering, and Data Engineering.
- Get placed in a pod. A pod is a group of up to six students working on the same project brief.
- Build the project together. You plan the work, review each other’s code and keep each other moving. Volunteer mentors answer questions along the way.
- Hand it in for review. A mentor reviews what your pod hands in, scores it and writes feedback. If it needs changes, your pod can hand it in again.
- Earn your certificate. When a mentor passes your pod’s project, you get a free certificate: a code you can share with employers.
What it costs
Nothing. The whole program is free: tracks, pods, mentor support, project briefs and the certificate of completion. No card is required to join. Nothing on Branchout is for sale at the moment.
What it is not
- Not a job. Branchout is unpaid and educational. There are no wages, no fixed hours, and no one supervising you as an employee.
- Not a job guarantee. The program does not promise employment, income or interviews. What you get is skills and work you can show.
- Not academic credit by default. Branchout is not affiliated with any school. If you want credit, your institution decides; we can provide documentation.
What you leave with
- A project you own. The code, the deployed application and the write-up of how you built it all stay yours.
- A certificate employers can check. Employers enter your code on the verify page to see your name, the project you finished and what the mentor said. It never shows your contact details, and you can switch your page off at any time.
Who runs it
Branchout is independent. It is run as a sole proprietorship from British Columbia, Canada, with volunteer mentors who give their time to students. It is not affiliated with any school, and it is not connected to other companies or apps that share the name.
Learn more
See how the program works stage by stage, compare the six tracks, or read the frequently asked questions. Employers can learn how to verify a certificate, and working developers can become a mentor.
Plant your roots
Create a free account and choose your track. No card needed, and you can pause or leave at any time.