“To Bootcamp or Not to Bootcamp…That is the question.”
My take on whether or not coding bootcamp is the way to learn coding and get a job in tech.
For the last six months I attended a coding bootcamp, in the software engineering program. I have been asked by friends who are interested in learning to code whether or not bootcamp is the way to go. I will go into detail about the pros and cons that I experienced and hopefully provide insight on if a coding bootcamp may be right for you.
First, let’s talk pros.
Job Outlook & Career Coaching
At my coding bootcamp I was taught full stack web development. Full stack web developers work in both the front-end and back-end sides of a website and are in very high demand. Through lessons, labs, live lectures and project builds I have learned skills that will provide me with a career that not only I enjoy but will be in demand for years to come. The world we live in is surrounded by tech and as more industries rely on it, the job market is going to look a lot different. When considering ‘upskilling’ to remain competitive and marketable, consider a career in the tech space. There are thousands of jobs in addition to web development, such as data science, cybersecurity, and UX/UI design — all offered at most bootcamps.
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, the role of “web developer” is expected to grow 13 percent from 2018–2028, much faster than the average occupation.
Also part of the program, career coaching. Yes, on top of an entire curriculum, I had a career coach who reviewed my resume and LinkedIn, providing me with valuable feedback and critique. After came the mock interview and then the job search! All of which my career coach was part of every step of the way.
Structured Curriculum & Support
As I mentioned above, my learning consisted of lessons, labs, live lectures and project builds. I opted for the full-time pace so it was very intensive, requiring many hours of study and practice (about 40 hours a week). The curriculum started off with the basics and every subsequent module built on the knowledge of the previous one. For every lesson there were labs associated where I got to practice the concepts, and several times a week I joined my cohort in live lectures hosted by our cohort lead. Lastly at the end of each mod came our project. Learning to code means nothing if you don’t practice building. To demonstrate how well I understood the mod and how the code was working in my project, I had to do an assessment in order to move forward. All of which prepared me for what it will be like on the job.
Now the cons.
The only con I can think of is how fast the program was. If I had to choose again, I’d go the part-time route which is spread over ten months. I would only recommend full-time pace if you are in a position to only focus on bootcamp. Learning to code can be difficult, so it may require more time to learn certain concepts and the full time program really doesn’t allow room for “falling behind” if you need more time.
Overall, if you are seeking a career change and want to transition into tech, definitely explore bootcamps as an option. Most big tech companies don’t even require a college degree anymore to be a software engineer. Do your research, consider how you will finance it if there aren’t scholarships or an income share agreement (ISA) option. And, should you decide to go for it, give it your all! This is an exciting and ever-changing field so to get the most out of it, you must invest in educating yourself.
Happy Coding!
