42's campus in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge
42's campus in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge
42's campus in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge
42's campus in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge

Free coding school in Abu Dhabi has 1,000 places available


Kelsey Warner
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Abu Dhabi's free, no-teacher and no-classroom coding school has opened admissions for its second cohort of students.

42 Abu Dhabi is offering a further 1,000 seats for aspiring coders after welcoming 225 students to its Mina Zayed campus in September.

Traditional classes and teachers have been dispensed with and the school — open to students 24 hours a day — relies on peer reviews, coding projects and internships.

A student who goes through the programme over three to five years is expected to emerge as a coder.

“Coding is no longer the future — it is the present. 42 Abu Dhabi’s peer-to-peer gamified methodology enables students to build a unique repertoire of soft and hard skills,” said Leo Filardi, chief executive of 42 Abu Dhabi.

He said “unprecedented demand” had led to the expansion of the Abu Dhabi campus, its first in the Middle East.

The UAE is focused on developing and attracting coding talent in its push to build a knowledge-based, technology-driven economy.

In July, the government signed a deal with a host of technology giants, including Google and Amazon, to train 100,000 young people in computer programming, and has opened 100,000 Golden visas — which deliver long-term residency to recipients — to entrepreneurs, owners of enterprises and start-ups specialising in coding.

42 opened its first campus in Paris in 2013 and to date has equipped more than 12,000 students around the world with digital and business skills. It has been endorsed by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel.

While no previous coding experience or academic qualifications are required to apply, candidates must be at least 18 years old and “display ambition, aptitude, commitment, proactivity, curiosity, creativity and possess an innate ability to adapt and collaborate,” according to the school.

Successful applicants are required to complete 42 Abu Dhabi’s preselection “Game” — an online assessment which evaluates cognitive capacity via logic and memory tests — and attend a virtual briefing on the school's methodology for teaching and learning.

Potential applicants for the next programme, which will begin in March, must submit applications before registration closes on January 4, 2022.

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Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community

• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style

“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.

Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term. 

From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”

• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International

"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed.  Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."

• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."

• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com

"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.

His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.

Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."

• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher

"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen.  He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”

• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."

Other key dates
  • Finals draw: December 2
  • Finals (including semi-finals and third-placed game): June 5–9, 2019
  • Euro 2020 play-off draw: November 22, 2019
  • Euro 2020 play-offs: March 26–31, 2020
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

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Oscar de la Renta @oscardelarenta

Ouai Hair @theouai

Outdoor Voices @outdoorvoices

Prada @prada

Revolve @revolve

Uniqlo @uniqlo

Warby Parker @warbyparker

Zara @zara

WandaVision

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany

Directed by: Matt Shakman

Rating: Four stars

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David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

The biog

Name: Sarah Al Senaani

Age: 35

Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2

Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism

Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin

Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding

Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier

Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish

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The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Updated: December 15, 2021, 7:32 AM