In technology alone, there are 500,000 job openings right now in the United States, according to the White House - good paying jobs. President Obama says chances are that you - whether you think you’re qualified or not - can potentially snag one of those jobs.

“A lot of these jobs don’t require a four year degree in computer science, they don’t require you be an engineer,” explains President Obama. “Folks can get the skills they need for these jobs in newer, streamlined, faster training programs. What’s more, these average tech jobs pay 50 percent more than the average private sector wage."

The President recently announced an initiative called TechHire, which among other things, will help get minorities and underserved populations scholarships into so-called “computer coding academies” all over the country. The academies typically offer 12-week intensive coding courses then often help place their grads into respected tech jobs. Problem is, these academies often charge $10,000 or more per student.

“All of us have done, historically, a really, really good job with placing students into these companies so I think it’s a really, really good idea to have more people have access to this education. It’s alternative education that’s really outcome-focused for students," says Harsh Patel of MakerSquare Coding Bootcamp.

If this interesting to you but you feel a bit intimidated, do not be. Coding academies say one of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to be a genius or have some sort of huge computer background in order to take one of these classes and be successful.

“We look for students who are passionate about tech, who have a strong work ethic, who have just the perseverance to proceed through the course and you know, do the work, learn, and then be successful on the job," says Jeremy Snepar of New York Code + Design Academy.

Among the incentives that President Obama announced while pushing TechHire is $100 million dollars in grants aimed at getting more of the non-techie workforce into computer coding boot camps.