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socrathustra profile image
Socrathustra

Coding bootcamps are great for a tiny fraction of their student base, and they are tantamount to stealing for the rest. I was a "mentor" (aka TA) and then an instructor at a coding bootcamp. There were some strong successes: I work with one of my first students, now, and I've worked with other students from the same bootcamp. The one thing they had in common: they had at least some education. They were smart people. Not all of them had previous coding experience, but many did. The ones who didn't yet were successful got by on their smarts (e.g., one woman already had her master's).

The people who didn't do well, though... they were the majority. By the time I was leaving, the company was accepting almost anyone, and they would never turn someone away because of low performance on the preparatory beginner's section. I left when one of my online students broke down crying because he was using his disability money and really needed this to turn into a job. He had a disability that made it difficult for him to type! He should have been turned down from the start.

The industry needs regulation, period. Companies are stealing ten thousand dollars at a time from vulnerable people who want nothing more than to have a good job, but they don't understand the skills involved in being a software developer. They have almost no chance of success in this environment and need to be told as much so they don't waste their money.

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theoutlander profile image
Nick Karnik

Thank you for sharing that. I've noticed the exact same thing. Recently a student who had lost a parent got kicked out of one after mid-terms for poor performance and I felt so helpless.

The problem I have is with the way this is marketed. People raise their expectations because of that and are devastated after.