Pathrise: How the Mentorship Platform Helps Tech Workers Land Dream Jobs and Reduce Debt Issues

In a Nutshell: Pathrise is a platform that helps professionals in the tech industry take their skills and expertise to the next level. The company provides mentorship, training, and advice for a wide range of areas within tech, including software engineering, web development, project management, data science, marketing, design, and sales. Fellows who are accepted into the program don’t pay anything until they land a job and begin earning money. The company also offers a variety of scholarships and discounts that not only make the program more accessible, but it also helps to diversify the tech sector.

Debt is a burden millions of Americans bear. The reasons behind it can vary greatly.

Unfortunately, financial literacy is not a top priority in the U.S. education system, and finances are often not a topic of conversation in the home either. This lack of knowledge can lead consumers unknowingly onto a path toward debt.

Due to circumstances beyond their control — such as health issues or other emergency expenses — some people have created a scenario where they have ended up in insurmountable debt.

It’s safe to say that nobody enjoys being in debt or dealing with the stress that accompanies it. The good news is that there are a number of ways to lead a financially healthy life and say goodbye to debt forever.

Perhaps the most direct path to overcoming debt is to make more money. Of course, that’s easier said than done. People can easily become comfortable in their careers and forget that there may be room to grow. Others may be at a company that is limiting their potential.

For professionals in the tech industry, Pathrise offers a multi-pronged platform to help workers reach the next level in their careers — and income level.

We recently spoke with Pathrise Content Lead Lizzie Kreitman to learn more about this innovative platform designed to help today’s tech workers get ahead.

“Pathrise was founded by Kevin Wu and Derrick Mar,” Kreitman said. “They were in the tech industry and also in the education space when they were at Berkeley. They decided to figure out how to teach people how to hustle your way into a job rather than relying on going to Stanford or some other prestigious school.”

The duo launched Pathrise in 2017 and participated in the Y Combinator startup incubator the following year.

Lizzie Kreitman is the Content Lead at Pathrise.

Kreitman said Pathrise initially focused on people in the software engineering sector, but has since expanded to nearly all areas of the tech industry.

“We now work with software engineers, web developers, product managers, product designers, data scientists, marketers, and salespeople,” she said. “It’s grown quite a bit since the beginning. It also started with just new grads, and now we work with new grads as well as more experienced folks.”

That means Pathrise is ideal not only for people fresh out of college but also for tech professionals or even people in other industries looking for a mid-career change.

“After years of offering career advice to tech professionals, we realized how hard it was to advance in your career alone,” according to the company. “Career services today just aren’t effective, especially compared to the cost of our education and the effort we invest in our work.”

Pathrise is focused on leveraging the team’s expertise in the tech industry and technology itself to deliver positive outcomes for participants. In addition to being backed by Y Combinator, the company is supported by other notable tech investors including GoAhead, BerkeleyHaas, and WTI.

Kreitman discussed how Pathrise works for participants, including its mentoring and training opportunities.

“People apply to the program, and once they get in there’s a two-week free trial,” she said. “So they can just experience the program without signing an agreement. If they want to continue, they sign an agreement — we use an income share agreement as our payment structure.”

This means Pathrise participants, referred to as fellows, don’t pay anything until they land a job.

“We recently updated our ISA so it now includes variable pricing,” Kreitman said. “It is 5-9% of the fellow’s salary for up to 24 months. That way, fellows are making smaller payments each month. In addition, we also have a fair number of scholarships and discounts, and flexibility in place for people.”

Fellows can expect to gain advice from established professionals in the tech industry.

“Pathrise is an online program for tech professionals that provides 1-on-1 mentorship, training and advice to help you land your next job,” according to the company. “On top of that, we’re built around aligned incentives. You only pay if you succeed in getting hired and start work at a high-paying job first.”

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Mentors come from places like Google, Facebook, and other top companies. Fellows can learn online with live video sessions tailored to meet their schedules, and also receive unlimited support whenever they need.

Mentors work with participants on a one-on-one basis once every week until they are hired at a top tech company.

The Pathrise impact-focused approach has already proven effective for more than 1,000 fellows who have been successfully placed — that represents a 96% placement rate.

The average junior salary base is $90,795 while the average senior base salary is $152,432.

Pathrise scholarships make Pathrise more accessible while helping to bring more diversity to the tech world.

“Our scholarships were created to bring more people into the Pathrise program who are looking to learn from experts, find a great job, and close the pay gap,” according to the company. “Through our workshops and 1-on-1 sessions, we continue to help hundreds of people find fulfilling work at companies that support their growth.”

Kreitman said Pathrise offers three different scholarships aimed at providing opportunities to segments of individuals that have typically been underrepresented in tech.

“People can apply to any and of all of them that they identify with,” she said. “We have a Women in Tech Scholarship, an LGBTQ+ in Tech Scholarship, and a Diversify Tech Scholarship.”

She said applying for these scholarships only adds a few more simple steps to the application process.

Pathrise offers several scholarships aimed at helping to diversify the tech industry.

“At Pathrise, we are working to close the gender gap in tech by empowering more women on their search for the best possible job,” according to the website. “Our program teaches lifelong skills and our negotiation tactics regularly increase our fellows’ salaries by 10% to 20%, helping to close the wage gap as well. This scholarship is open to any individuals who self-identify as women.”

The LGBTQ+ in Tech scholarship is open to any individuals who self-identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community, including genderqueer, nonbinary, and transgender individuals. Not only does this scholarship help out financially, fellows will also learn how to search for jobs where they can be their true selves.

“When we diversify our organizations, we open up the room to new voices, and companies change for the better,” according to Pathrise. “Our Diversify Tech scholarship helps make the Pathrise program more inclusive to people from underrepresented groups within tech who are looking to optimize their job search and find a great job.”

This scholarship is open to any individuals who self-identify as Black, Latinx, Pacific Islander, and Native American.

Kreitman said Pathrise is also willing to help other fellows who may be experiencing financial hardships.

“We’ve had fellows who were experiencing homelessness or who were close to experiencing homelessness,” she said. “We’ve had fellows who were in the process of taking care of loved ones. Whatever it is, we are extremely flexible in these cases.”

Pathrise may be an option worth considering if you’re working in the tech sector and looking to increase your wages while decreasing your chances of running into debt issues.