You've watched dozens of courses but never finished a real project.
Founding cohort · August 3 – September 28, 2026
Stop watching tutorials. Start shipping real apps.
Tech Trek Academy is an 8-week live cohort that takes you from curious beginner to confident builder — with real AI tools, a real community, and a real deployed app by the end.
- weeks, live
- 8
- weeks, live
- deployed app
- 1
- deployed app
- seats only
- 15
- seats only
Built for adults who build things
- Full-stack apps, deployed to the internet
- AI-native workflow from Week 1
- No CS degree. No prerequisites.
- Limited to 15 students per cohort
The problem
Tutorial hell is real. You've been stuck in it.
You know enough to be dangerous but not enough to build something from scratch.
You feel like everyone else 'gets it' except you.
Tech Trek Academy is different. Here's how.
The transformation
In 8 weeks, you go from watcher to builder.
1Step 1
Learn Live
Two 90-minute live sessions per week. You code alongside your instructor and cohort — not alone in front of a video.
2Step 2
Build Weekly
Every week has a real milestone. You ship something tangible, get feedback, and keep moving forward with accountability.
3Step 3
Ship on Demo Day
Week 8 is Demo Day. You present your full-stack app to a real audience. No hypotheticals. No "coming soon."
The trek · 8 weeks
Every week, you ship something real.
Eight weeks. Eight milestones. Each one gets you closer to a deployed full-stack app.
1
Week 1
Launch Pad
HTML/CSS, Git, GitHub, deploy on Day 1, AI intro
Code live on the internet by the end of Session 1
2
Week 2
Sparks
JavaScript, DOM, fetch(), async/await, public APIs
Build an interactive app that fetches real data
3
Week 3
React-or
React, components, props, useState, Vite, Vercel
Your first React app, deployed on Vercel
4
Week 4
The Engine Room
Node.js/Express REST API, Supabase, full-stack assembly
Full-stack: React + API + database
5
Week 5
Identity
Supabase Auth, protected routes, Row-Level Security
Real users, real login, real data ownership
6
Week 6
Intelligence
AI APIs (OpenAI/Anthropic), backend proxy, streaming features
Add a live AI-powered feature to your app
7
Week 7
The Final Mile
UX polish, responsive design, README, demo prep
Polish, responsiveness, and demo prep
8
Week 8
Trek Complete
Demo Day presentations + graduation
Demo Day — present to a real audience
Your capstone
You'll leave with something real. Not a todo app.
Your final project is a deployed, full-stack application with authentication, a real database, and at least one AI-powered feature.
Habit Tracker with streaks + AI coaching
Freelancer CRM with smart follow-up suggestions
Link-in-Bio tool with custom themes
AI Email Digest that summarizes newsletters
AI Journal with mood tracking + reflections
Subscription Cost Tracker
You pick your project. We help you scope it so it's actually achievable.
The toolkit
A modern, professional stack. Used by real startups.
ReactNode.jsSupabasePostgreSQLGitVercelOpenAICursorChatGPT
We chose this stack because it ships. No setup hell. No unnecessary complexity.
AI, done right
AI isn't replacing you. It's working for you.
Cursor
Your AI-powered code editor, used throughout the program for writing, refactoring, and exploring code.
ChatGPT
For debugging, prompting, explanations, and working through problems when you get stuck.
The rule
“You must be able to explain every line you commit.”
AI writes fast. You understand. That's the Understand-Before-You-Commit rule — and it's central to how we teach.
Is this you?
Built for curious adults who want to make real things.
This IS for you if…
- Career changers ready to build, not just learn
- Entrepreneurs who want to ship their own product
- Small business owners tired of paying for tools they could build
- Technical hobbyists who want structure and accountability
- Curious beginners who are done with tutorial hell
This is NOT for you if…
- People seeking FAANG interview prep
- Passive learners who want to watch videos without building
- Anyone unwilling to commit 10+ hours per week
The format
How the cohort works
2 live sessions per week
~90 minutes each, instructor-led
Weekly office hours
Drop in with questions, blockers, or wins
Discord community
Build buddies, accountability threads, daily momentum
Demo Day
Week 8 — present your app to invited guests
Weekly time commitment
| Live sessions | 3 hrs/week |
| Office hours | 1 hr/week |
| Building & homework | 4–6 hrs/week |
| Community & async | 1–2 hrs/week |
| Total | 10–12 hrs/week |
Your instructor
Meet the person teaching your cohort
This isn't a faceless course. You'll learn live from someone who's built software professionally and spent years in the classroom.
Joseph Hearington
Founder & Lead Instructor
Joseph Hearington has spent his career at the intersection of education and technology. Before founding Tech Trek Academy, he taught high school math and served as assistant principal and principal — leading schools with a focus on innovation and student growth.
He's been coding since 1999, when he taught himself HTML, CSS, and JavaScript at 12 years old. After years in education, he returned to software full-time and worked his way up from developer to Development Manager at a large telecommunications company, where he leads a team building production systems used in the real world.
With a Master's in Education and deep industry experience, Joseph built Tech Trek Academy to close the gap between tutorial hell and actually shipping — the way he wished programs worked when he was learning.
- Master's in Education
- Development Manager
- Former Principal
- 25+ Years Coding
Who treks with us
The kind of builder this cohort is for
Real testimonials coming after Cohort 1. These are the profiles we built this program for — if you see yourself here, you're in the right place.
I finally shipped something real. Not another half-finished tutorial project — a full app with login and AI features that I demoed live.
T
35-year-old teacher from Texas, career changer
Representative builder profile
The accountability changed everything. Knowing Demo Day was coming kept me building when I would normally have quit after week two.
S
42-year-old salon owner from Georgia, building her own booking tool
Representative builder profile
Cursor and ChatGPT felt like cheating at first — until I realized I actually understood what I was shipping. That is the whole point.
W
29-year-old warehouse supervisor from Ohio, first-time coder
Representative builder profile
Founding cohort pricing
Ready to build something real?
Inaugural cohort. 15 seats. Founding student pricing.
Inaugural cohort price
$750
$2,000
Save $1,250 as a founding student
- 8 weeks of live instruction
- Full-stack capstone project
- Weekly office hours
- Discord community access
- Demo Day + alumni network
August 3 – September 28, 2026 · only 15 seats
vs. future cohorts: Cohort 1 is $750. We expect to charge $2,000 once the program is established — same curriculum, same outcome, less than half the price.
vs. a public university: One 3-credit course at a public university often costs $800–$1,200 or more in tuition alone — and you still won't leave with a deployed full-stack app.
Have a question? Email us