My bootcamp experience was great, and there's no way I would have gotten work in this field as quickly without it. It definitely helped that I had been self-learning for a while. And after it was over, I did have to learn the data structure & algorithm approach to interviewing (which undoubtedly made me better at my job).
At Flatiron we did three weeks in vanilla Ruby and three weeks in Rails (via Rack and Sinatra, so we could see some of the concepts at work). Then three weeks of vanilla JS and three weeks of React. I see this in other replies as well - a layered approach with an appreciation for fundamentals. I like that we were exposed to two languages, even if both are dynamically typed; it emphasized the common basic ideas of many languages.
I think "the fundamentals" is a wide and debatable pool of knowledge. To me, that's basic data types, iteration, logic flow, and tool coverage (what kinds of interactions are covered by which parts of your stack). But that's programming only, and most jobs are 50% soft skills. We were also asked to complete projects together and alone, write and present on technical topics, conduct mock interviews, and informally help each other learn. By emphasizing all of this, I think we were put in a good position to continue to grow and thrive. Much of it is up to the student, of course, which is true anywhere.
Basically I think you are focusing in too sharply on the idea that specific pieces of knowledge are key to being a good developer. Yes, one must appreciate the workings of the world they work in, or they'll make bad choices. But I can count on one hand the times I've actually used == in JS (though, yes, very common interview question). More important for the somewhat impossible task of learning a new field in 15 weeks is to teach an appreciation for the concepts that bind modern programming and web development, and the soft/research skills to dive into new problems and discuss them with others. As a bootcamp grad I'm obviously biased, but it worked for me, and I enjoyed it!
You wrote almost exactly what I was going to reply with. I attended Flatiron as well (online) and feel the same in terms of the curriculum there. I think something that this article misses is that, at least at Flatiron and especially with the online program, you learn how to learn. I’d think it would be seen as a strength that a person is able to complete such a rigorous course and actually develop skills rather than be overwhelmed.
I can only speak for myself but I went into the bootcamp knowing that graduating isn’t the finish line. I don’t know anyone who wasn’t excited to go out and start expanding their knowledge in different directions after graduating.
I find it hard to believe that anyone, from any training or educational background, walks into their first dev job (or any new job) 100% ready to hit the ground running.
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My bootcamp experience was great, and there's no way I would have gotten work in this field as quickly without it. It definitely helped that I had been self-learning for a while. And after it was over, I did have to learn the data structure & algorithm approach to interviewing (which undoubtedly made me better at my job).
At Flatiron we did three weeks in vanilla Ruby and three weeks in Rails (via Rack and Sinatra, so we could see some of the concepts at work). Then three weeks of vanilla JS and three weeks of React. I see this in other replies as well - a layered approach with an appreciation for fundamentals. I like that we were exposed to two languages, even if both are dynamically typed; it emphasized the common basic ideas of many languages.
I think "the fundamentals" is a wide and debatable pool of knowledge. To me, that's basic data types, iteration, logic flow, and tool coverage (what kinds of interactions are covered by which parts of your stack). But that's programming only, and most jobs are 50% soft skills. We were also asked to complete projects together and alone, write and present on technical topics, conduct mock interviews, and informally help each other learn. By emphasizing all of this, I think we were put in a good position to continue to grow and thrive. Much of it is up to the student, of course, which is true anywhere.
Basically I think you are focusing in too sharply on the idea that specific pieces of knowledge are key to being a good developer. Yes, one must appreciate the workings of the world they work in, or they'll make bad choices. But I can count on one hand the times I've actually used
==in JS (though, yes, very common interview question). More important for the somewhat impossible task of learning a new field in 15 weeks is to teach an appreciation for the concepts that bind modern programming and web development, and the soft/research skills to dive into new problems and discuss them with others. As a bootcamp grad I'm obviously biased, but it worked for me, and I enjoyed it!You wrote almost exactly what I was going to reply with. I attended Flatiron as well (online) and feel the same in terms of the curriculum there. I think something that this article misses is that, at least at Flatiron and especially with the online program, you learn how to learn. I’d think it would be seen as a strength that a person is able to complete such a rigorous course and actually develop skills rather than be overwhelmed.
I can only speak for myself but I went into the bootcamp knowing that graduating isn’t the finish line. I don’t know anyone who wasn’t excited to go out and start expanding their knowledge in different directions after graduating.
I find it hard to believe that anyone, from any training or educational background, walks into their first dev job (or any new job) 100% ready to hit the ground running.