Modern computer-science education is rigid. NextStep CS seeks to liberate students from the bounds normally placed on them in programming classes at school and external organizations. We prioritize what the student actually wants to do, and personally shape a lesson plan around their goals.
Three principles that set NextStep CS apart from every other CS program.
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Goal-first
We start with what you want to build, not what we want to teach. Your goal is the curriculum.
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Personalized
Every lesson plan is shaped entirely around your needs, pace, and ambition. No two paths are the same.
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Free
No cost, no barriers. NextStep CS is completely free and accessible to every student.
No predefined curriculum. No rigid structure. Just you, your goal, and an advisor who helps you get there.
The NextStep CS approach
The process
From sign-up to your first project
Everything at NextStep CS is built around you. Here is exactly what happens from the moment you reach out to the moment you start building.
01
Step
Sign up
Head to the Register as a Student section of our site and complete a short Google Form. It covers your schedule, goals, preferred meeting locations, grade level, and a few other details.
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Step
We reach out within 24 hours
After reviewing your application, we get back to you by email or text. Together we set up a meeting time and a corresponding advisor, along with a schedule for recurring sessions.
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Step
Your first meeting
The first session is all about understanding what you want to accomplish. Once we have a clear picture, we develop a comprehensive plan -- necessary skills, realistic timeframe, and a path forward.
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Step
Get to work
With a plan in place, it is time to build. You are the primary developer. Your advisor is there as a teacher and mentor: explaining new concepts, answering questions, and offering guidance every step of the way.
Our services
What are you able to accomplish with us?
Our services are extremely broad -- we are genuinely willing to help anyone with anything under the realm of computer science.
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Learn a language
Java, Python, JavaScript, or any language from scratch -- taught at your pace, your way.
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Build a project or app
Have a personal project or app idea? We will help you develop it from concept to working product.
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School CS support
AP Computer Science Principles or AP Computer Science A -- we have you covered.
What we do together is really up to you -- and whatever you choose, we will diligently follow your lead.
The people behind NextStep CS
Our Team
NextStep CS is built and run by passionate students who believe every learner deserves a mentor that listens first.
Our Board
President
Safwan Ali
Through his experience with Coding Club, robotics, science fair, and more, Safwan has gained the skills needed to direct and lead NextStep CS to success.
Secretary
Justice Capell
Justice works in a lightning-fast manner and is always on top of NextStep CS's internal affairs. He attributes this to his work with Boy Scouts, robotics, and more.
Treasurer
Braden Chua
Braden has had multiple successful business ventures that make him a great fit for managing the finances of NextStep CS.
Marketing Lead
Sammy Rutten
Years of Mock Trial has given Sammy a strong voice and mind that allows him to effectively spread the word of NextStep CS.
Our Advisors
While our advisors each have a primary language they are most comfortable with, their broad technical experience means they are fully equipped to help students and kids with projects, languages, and challenges of any type or scale.
Advisor
Safwan Ali
Primary language: Java
Also experienced in Python
Some exposure to TypeScript & React
Advisor
Braden Chua
Primary language: Java
Also experienced in Python
We need more advisors. We are currently lacking in tutors -- if you have the experience, please consider volunteering for us.
Our story
Where NextStep CS came from
Every organization has an origin. Ours starts with a sixth grader, a quarantine, and a dream that no one would help him chase.
2020
The beginning
A dream with no road map
Safwan Ali, a rising 6th grader, was dead-set on one thing: learning how to develop video games. But as a middle-schooler during quarantine, there were a lot of factors working against him. He had virtually no access to any form of help -- no free, easy-to-access services or teaching organizations that would personally guide him. His path was frustrating: he wasted months searching for a viable course, and when he finally found one, it took him far longer than it should have to get through even a week's worth of material. There was simply no one there when he hit technical walls or confusion.
2022
First step
The Coding Club
That experience stayed with Safwan through the rest of middle school -- and eventually pushed him to act. In his freshman year, he founded the Coding Club at the Thousand Oaks Library. Building on its early success, he ran the program again in his sophomore and junior years, and expanded it with a second chapter at the Newbury Park Library.
2024
The epiphany
What is it that we are missing?
Success at Coding Club was hit-or-miss. Many sessions simply did not draw many members, and Safwan found himself back at the drawing board. He reconnected with his sixth-grade self -- and realized exactly what was missing. Coding Club was decent at teaching Java fundamentals, but because it never asked students what they actually wanted to do with that knowledge, attendance suffered. Students were not inspired to show up for a curriculum that did not feel like theirs.
"What is it that we are missing?" -- the question that changed everything.
2025
The founding
NextStep CS is born
That epiphany sparked the creation of NextStep CS. Founded by Safwan Ali, NextStep CS does not just give students programming experience -- it gives them real-world experience by letting them learn through actually building the things they want to build. It is the organization Safwan wished had existed when he was twelve.
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Our promise
It always starts with one question
At their first meeting, every student is greeted with the same question: "What do you want to do?" And depending on that answer, our volunteers plan accordingly. That question is the heart of everything we do.
Register as a Student
Want to obtain our services?
Please fill out the form below. Our team will try to respond in a timely manner and get a meeting scheduled as soon as possible.
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Fill out the form
Takes about 2 minutes. Schedule, goals, experience level.
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We respond in 24h
Email or text -- meeting time and advisor matched.
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Start building
First session: your goal. Then you get to work.
Student Registration Form
Fill out our short form and we will be in touch within 24 hours to match you with an advisor and schedule your first session.
NextStep CS currently operates in Thousand Oaks and neighboring areas, including Westlake Village and Simi Valley. We are always open to growing -- if you want to bring us to your community, we would love to hear from you.
Current chapters
Headquarters
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Thousand Oaks
California, USA
Expand with us
Interested in bringing NextStep CS to your area?
We are always open to expanding into new communities. If you are a student who wants to open a new chapter of NextStep CS in your city or school, fill out our interest form and we will be in touch.
