Is it worth to depend on a Coding Bootcamp to get a Job?

Let’s face the truth - learning how to code is hard!

It doesn’t matter if you are just starting out as a coder or are preparing yourself to learn an entirely different language, somewhere along the way you are bound to face boredom.

At times, it often becomes frustrating to build a feature which crashes dozens of time and seems difficult to solve.

Coding Bootcamps are often considered as a fast-track to get into programming industry. They promise to make you job-ready within months. But is it worthwhile to spend thousands of dollars in a bootcamp?

Let’s get our facts right, shall we?

Coding Bootcamps : show me some numbers?

Over the last few years, there are many bootcamps that have been rising in the United States metro cities. The increased desperation and need of getting a programming job among an average American has made many companies to run their own Bootcamps and earn money from it.

These companies --- usually provide 8 to 12 weeks long coding classes --- which costs about $10,000 to $30,000 on average. There are trainers which offer you hands-on training, career guidance and community support to the students thereby making them capable to work on the respective projects.

The major anecdote promised by these bootcamps can be defined in a single line: Are you ready to transform your career?

It’s true that many Americans are still stuck in low-paying jobs that they don’t actually enjoy. Although, there can be a variety of physical and psychological reasons behind this, but often it’s caused by the lack of training to get the job they desired.

Many people are stuck in low-paying jobs that they don’t actually enjoy. This happens for a variety of reasons, but often it’s because there’s a lack of training to get the job they truly want. A coding bootcamp can help you develop the tools you need to make the big shift.

According to a study done by Coursereport, the majority of students participating in coding bootcamps are there to find themselves an opportunity to full-time employment, and 79.3% of graduates surveyed say they've been employed in a job requiring the technical skills learned at bootcamp, with a median salary increase of 49% or $21,000. The average starting salary of a bootcamp grad is $64,528.

Zoe Koulouris and Kseniya Lifanova, two of the four co-founders of Upstate Interactive, also went through coding bootcamps before starting their own company.

Enough of numbers, show me how do I decide that coding bootcamp is right for me or not?

Still finding it hard to convince yourself if the coding bootcamp is right or not? Here are some tips:

Ask yourself: Are the free coding courses really helped you make the most out of your skills?

Jeff Atwood, the co-founder of StackOverflow, perhaps sums it up best:

“While I love that programming is an egalitarian field where degrees and certifications are irrelevant in the face of experience, you still gotta put in your ten thousand hours like the rest of us.”

That said, you gotta taste the first-sip of your programming experience and then decide. There are plenty of online coding schools that teach you it for free. Why not join them?

Going in, you might experience some confidence problems and frustration at the beginning. But, it’s worth if you decide to persevere and build a timeline.

If all that still doesn’t make you capable, you might decide to go for a Coding bootcamps.

Don’t treat Bootcamp as a “shortcut” to the programming world

Bootcamp is more than just a shortcut. There are no shortcuts to learn programming. Harder you persevere in learning coding, most likely you will be going to get good at it. I’ve been trained at the Coding Bootcamps in Atlanta. Most of them are all good. The average bootcamp grads are more focused on real-world programming than any CS grad.

I’ve seen my class-mates doing better than most CS graduates just because they have built upon their learning and practiced many times. The fact of the matter is, US job market is highly politicized and people are forced to take on outdated courses and thrust out in the job market without any clue. Bootcamps can give you the skills to get any type of lucrative programming jobs but it’s only you who can make the best use of these skills; by your dedication, hard work, patience and perseverance.

All in all, I believe the answer to the question “Is it worth to depend on a coding bootcamp to get a Job” is: Yes, if you build-up your learnings and practice a lot on side-projects. And No, if you are only getting into them for the sake of getting a job.