As of late August 2026, 10 students from Daegu Software Meister High School are halfway through an intensive six-week global field training program in Silicon Valley, running from July 20 to September 1, 2026, to tackle real-world software engineering and AI projects.
Silicon Valley Engineering Immersion and Tech Training
The global field training initiative is a cornerstone program for Daegu Software Meister High School. Launched back in 2019 and sustained across academic cycles, excluding the pandemic period, the program yields tangible international career outcomes. According to school records, 50%—or five out of the ten students dispatched last year—secured overseas employment following the program. This year’s cohort is embedded directly inside operational tech environments.
The students are placed across Silicon Valley software firms, including XL8, A&K Systems, Ceeya, Runbear, and Luckmon. These students collaborate with local engineers on projects. They apply major knowledge learned at school to practical work, testing their problem-solving capabilities in commercial settings.
Advanced AI Curricula and Technical Bootcamps
Beyond traditional enterprise placement, the curriculum dives deep into modern artificial intelligence engineering and developer workflows. The itinerary features specialized training sessions led by industry practitioners.
Students undergo preparation via coding interview prep and mock evaluation sessions hosted by active Google engineers. Additionally, the cohort is participating in a "Claude Code Agent Boot camp" hosted at Plug and Play.
Entrepreneurship and venture creation form another critical pillar of the 2026 program. Douglas Park, an active lawyer and the author of the bestseller Starting Startups, leads an all-English entrepreneurship track. Students debate market entry strategies, map out business models, evaluate investment pipelines, and pitch original startup concepts.
Global Exposure at Stanford and Big Tech HQs
Theory meets macro-market scale through institutional site visits. The student group toured Google’s corporate headquarters, where active developers briefed them on internal hiring frameworks, recruitment pipelines, and daily development cycles. This direct exposure highlights the non-technical variables of software engineering: team trust, engineering reputation, and cross-functional communication.
The event exposed the cohort to current AI technology trends and broader technology shifts.
Balancing technical rigor with civic duty, the students spend weekends volunteering at Los Altos Christian School. They run an “AI + Drone Innovation Lab” for Korean diaspora children, teaching drone assembly, 3D modeling and printing, vibe coding using AI, and AI-assisted workflows.
The Student and Institutional Perspective
Reflecting on the 6-week curriculum, one participating student noted the shift in engineering mindset: “기업에서 실제 프로젝트를 수행하며 주어진 일을 처리하는 것에 그치지 않고, 내가 하는 일을 정확히 이해하고 필요한 것을 스스로 찾아 의견을 제시하는 것이 중요하다는 것을 배웠다.”
School principal Kim Yu-kyung emphasized that the initiative serves as a proving ground for future software builders. “글로벌 현장학습은 학생들이 실리콘밸리의 현장에서 자신의 역량을 확인하고 SW 엔지니어 및 미래 창업가로 더 큰 가능성에 도전하는 과정,” Kim stated, noting the institution’s ongoing commitment to backing global technical mobility.
