The Recurse Center
The Recurse Center is a self-directed, community-driven educational retreat for programmers in New York City.
Recurse Center
The Recurse Center is a retreat for curious programmers.
Rediscover the joy of programming
The Recurse Center is a programming retreat. People travel from around the world to spend 6 or 12 weeks coding together in our two-floor space in Brooklyn. (You can also attend remotely.)
You come to RC to become a dramatically better programmer, to learn and build new things, to find community and kindred spirits, and to advance your career.
Dedicated time for building and self-study
You set your own goals and how to spend your time. You can work on just about anything that sparks your curiosity, so long as it's code you can share: that side project you never had time for? A silly hack or game? A new compiler? Figuring out how to code with agents?
RC is a place for joy and rigor: a place for you to work at the edge of your abilities, to build your volitional muscles, and to learn generously.
I created a programming language based out of emojis, and a Whac-A-Ghost game like Whac-A-Mole, except you whack online dating ghosts. That was good for my soul. I needed to rediscover my love for programming and to find joy in creating things for fun.
Funmi, Winter 2, 2026
A community of like-minded programmers
You attend RC as part of a group, called a batch, alongside 30 or so kind and curious peers from a wide range of backgrounds. You and your fellow Recursers will pair, run and attend workshops, provide support and encouragement, and frequently become friends. New batches start every six weeks.
RC is for you if you are kind, curious, and ready to build and grow. We don't care how long you've been programming, so long as you've done it enough to know you like it, can write short programs from scratch, and are intellectually engaged in your work.
After your batch, you join a community of over 3,000 alums from our past 15 years. We believe learning is a life-long process, which is why our motto is "Never Graduate."
Lightweight structure and accountability
There are weekly 5-minute presentations to share what you're building, and core batch events like Impossible Stuff Day (where you tackle things that feel impossible to you), Half-Baked Demos (extremely low-stakes demos, with a potluck of baked goods), and the Pairing Jam (a day-long pairing hackathon).
Our core hours are 11am to 5pm, but our two floors of space are open to you 24/7. One floor is the loud, collaborative one, with everything from pairing stations to pen plotters. The other floor is for focused work, with plenty of desks and a cozy library.
One of my favorite feelings is being in a room with other people working hard. RC gives you that - but the things you're working on are exactly what you want to be doing, instead of what somebody else wants you to be doing.
Nolen, Summer 2, 2023
Find the right programming job
There is no tuition or other fees. RC is free because we run an integrated recruiting agency that helps place interested Recursers into jobs. Whether it's right after RC or years later, our team will try to match you with a role at one of our partner companies. Our revenue comes from recruiting: companies pay us if they hire people we introduce to them. (And it's fine if you're not looking for a job.)
A small selection of our partner companies
We are always accepting applications, so the best time to apply is now! 🎉
Apply now
Funmi
Nolen