SINGAPORE – Many people who start at the tuition-free coding school at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) do not make it even halfway to the end.
But Mr Brian Young, 36, and Mr Jeffrey Goh, 35, have become the first Singaporeans to reach the highest certification levels offered by 42 Singapore (42 SG), an unconventional free coding programme known for its rigour and high attrition rate.
In October, Mr Young was awarded the RNCP Level 7 certificate, a French certification equivalent to a master’s degree.
Mr Goh completed 17 levels in July, earning the RNCP Level 6 certification – equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. He is on track to complete all 21 levels by August 2026.
Their achievements are no small feat as even finishing the first nine levels in the 42 SG programme has proven to be a challenge for many.
Of the 320 students in the first two cohorts at SUTD, just 40 have graduated so far after completing nine levels. About
100 from the first cohort have quit
, The Straits Times reported on June 9.
Launched in September 2023
, 42 SG is modelled after Ecole 42 in Paris, which offers a free coding programme for anyone above 18 years old.
It relies on peer learning and offers full hands-on, project-based learning in a gamified environment. There are neither teachers nor structured lessons, or academic prerequisites to enrol.
To be eligible, students have to clear a two-hour memory and logic test that does not require any coding knowledge, before moving on to a second test called “The Piscine” (French for swimming pool).
For Mr Young, this journey began more than a decade ago.
first Singaporean to enrol at Ecole 42
in Paris in 2014, after quitting a bachelor’s degree programme in computer science at the National University of Singapore after just six months.
Despite failing 15 projects, he completed all 21 levels of the curriculum in four years – a feat achieved by fewer than 2 per cent of Ecole 42 students worldwide.
