Coding bootcamps are worth it for people who want a faster way to start a career in technology. Coding bootcamps aren’t as comprehensive as traditional four-year degree programs, but they are more affordable and take only six months to a year to complete. Many employers hire bootcamp graduates because of their specialized skills and the hands-on experience they receive from tech bootcamp programs.
Coding bootcamps are growing in popularity and many people are attending them as an alternative to college. However, some people aren’t sure if coding bootcamps are legit. When it comes to the question, “are coding bootcamps worth it?”, there are several things to consider, such as coding bootcamp cost, job placement guarantees, and time commitment.
This article answers questions like, “are bootcamps worth it?” and “how much do coding bootcamps cost?” Keep reading if you’d like to know how the best coding bootcamps of 2022 can help you start your career in tech.
How Do Coding Bootcamps Work?
Coding bootcamps work by equipping people with the skills they need to start a career in tech. Students start by choosing a coding bootcamp that trains them in a career field that is in high demand. They then go on to develop their tech skills, learn programming languages, and work on hands-on projects.
Coding bootcamps are designed to help students achieve the following:
- Ability to Secure a Job in Desired Field
- Increased Income
- Job Satisfaction
Coding bootcamps allow graduates to secure jobs in their desired fields, earn an increased income, and find job satisfaction in a new career path. In addition, you don’t have to worry about restricting your work to the tech industry. There are job openings for programers in finance, manufacturing, healthcare, fashion, and more.
Are Coding Bootcamps Worth It? 10 Reasons Why Coding Bootcamps Are Legit
- Coding bootcamps are less expensive than a traditional college program.
- Coding bootcamps focus on training you for a specific career.
- Most coding bootcamp programs last a few months to just over a year.
- Many tech bootcamps allow students to attend with no prior technology experience.
- Most coding bootcamps are taught by industry professionals, many of which still working in the fields they teach.
- Tech bootcamps provide additional aid outside of courses, such as mentoring, career coaching, and academic help.
- Coding bootcamps often offer online, weekend, and night courses to fit around the schedules of working professionals.
- There are several ways to pay for a coding bootcamp, such as through scholarships, the GI Bill, deferred tuition, and income share agreements.
- Major tech companies such as Google, IBM, Apple, Salesforce, and Dell have hired students immediately after they’ve graduated from a coding bootcamp.
- The average salary of a coding bootcamp graduate is around $60,000 to $70,000.
Coding Bootcamps vs Degree Programs
A traditional college degree program is designed to teach students through a well-rounded curriculum. The college experience includes courses related to a student’s career field, but also extracurricular courses, and core courses such as math, science, and history. A coding bootcamp is much more streamlined.
The reason why coding bootcamps take less than a year to complete is that they’re designed to help people make a career change. Coding bootcamp programs only give you courses related to your career. If you attend a web design bootcamp, every class you take will be related to web design, developing your coding skills, and getting you to a professional level as quickly as possible.
While bootcamp graduates and college graduates can work in similar fields, the two programs are very different. While both programs have their merits, a coding bootcamp is designed for people who want to start a new career in tech quickly without a degree.
How to Choose a Coding Bootcamp
Due to the rise in popularity of bootcamps, there are many programs to choose from. These programs prepare you for popular careers, such as software developer. However, the truth is that not all coding bootcamps are worth it. Picking the right one can mean the difference between finding a job quickly and struggling to get a company to hire you.
- Consider the Type of Coding Bootcamp
Coding bootcamps come in three types: full-time, part-time, and online. Full-time bootcamps allow you to find a job in a matter of months. Full-time coding bootcamps are intensive programs that develop your technical skills. Even if you’re a beginner, you can still become a professional in three to six months by attending one of these bootcamps.
Part-time bootcamps are designed for working professionals. While part-time bootcamps aren’t as intensive as full-time programs, they still require a time commitment. These programs take longer to complete and coding classes are usually held during the evenings and on weekends.
Online bootcamps allow people from all over the world to participate. People that enroll in a bootcamp online have access to the same tools as in-person bootcamp students. Most remote bootcamps are self-paced, but some require you to attend your online courses according to a schedule.
- Consider the Coding Bootcamp Cost
Most coding bootcamps offer students a variety of payment options. You can choose to pay the full tuition upfront. Coding bootcamps cost an average of $11,727 in 2020. While this is cheaper than the average cost of attending a private four-year university, it is still a large amount to pay at once. This is why bootcamps offer loans, scholarships, and income share agreements.
- Consider the Coding Bootcamp Programs Offered
The range of topics that coding bootcamp programs focus on has increased rapidly in the last few years. In the past, students could only choose from a few types of programs, such as software engineering or web development. Since then, the industry has grown significantly. Below are just a few of the most popular coding bootcamp programs available.
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- Mobile Development
- Web Development
- Cyber Security
- Product Management
- Software Engineering
- Quality Assurance Engineer
- UX/UI Designer
- Data Science
- Digital Marketing
These are just some of the programs that coding bootcamps have to offer. Many bootcamps provide a long list of programs for careers related to tech.
How to Make Your Coding Bootcamp Worth It
Tech bootcamps require a lot of hard work but that’s why you graduate with so many new skills. During the bootcamp, you can expect to feel lost, frustrated, stressed, or overwhelmed. You might feel like you’re not learning fast enough or like other people are learning faster than you. You might even question if you made the right decision.
You’ll have a better bootcamp experience if you prepare a bit before. It’s not required, but it’ll make your time in the classroom much more valuable. The more you know when you arrive, the more you’ll be able to build on that knowledge. There are also some free coding bootcamps out there. For example, Codecademy and Fullstack Academy have free intro to coding resources for coding newbies.
Doing all the work you’re assigned and practicing the skills you acquire will help you learn much faster. It sounds silly, but you’d be surprised how many people do nothing during the tech bootcamp they’ve paid for. Coding bootcamps teach through active learning, so you’ll learn better by practicing rather than just listening.
Last but not least, don’t compare yourself to others. Your classmates may be absorbing information much faster than you, but instead of feeling sorry for yourself, remember that the point of a bootcamp is to leave with more opportunities than you had when you arrived. As long as you keep that mindset, you’ll be able to kickstart your career with a bootcamp, making your time at coding bootcamp worth it.
How Much Do Coding Bootcamps Cost?
Coding bootcamps cost an average of $11,727. Most tech bootcamp programs takes less than a year to complete. In comparison, the average tuition cost at a college or university is $13,360 per year. Because an undergraduate degree normally takes four years to complete, this means college students end up paying nearly four times the average coding bootcamp cost.
While the average coding bootcamp cost may seem steep, there are ways to reduce it. Most coding bootcamps offer scholarships, grants, and other ways to help students cover tuition. Below is an overview of the common payment options offered to coding bootcamp students.
- Income Share Agreements. An income share agreement allows students to complete a bootcamp course without paying anything upfront. After graduating, the student agrees to pay back a certain amount of their income per month until the total cost of the bootcamp has been paid.
- Coding Bootcamp Loans. Many coding bootcamps partner with low-interest loan providers like Ascent Funding and Climb Credit. Interest rates and loan terms will depend on the program and bootcamp you choose to attend.
- Coding Bootcamp Scholarships. Most coding bootcamps offer scholarships to people from backgrounds that are traditionally underrepresented in tech. These scholarships are usually offered to women, LGBTQ+ students, people of color, and low-income students.
Will a Coding Bootcamp Get You a Job?
Yes, coding bootcamps get their students jobs through career services and mentorship, and by providing an opportunity for people to get valuable technical skills in a short amount of time. Research has shown in recent years that 74 to 90 percent of bootcamp graduates get a relevant career within six months of completing a bootcamp program.
Coding Bootcamp Graduate Salary
The average coding bootcamp graduate salary is over $70,000. Bootcamp graduates find a job within 120 days and see their salary increase by over 50 percent within two years. Some bootcamp graduates go on to earn a six-figure salary through their new tech career. Furthermore, they see their salary increase by $10,000 with every new tech role.
Job Placement for Coding Bootcamp Grads
The best tech bootcamps equip students with the knowledge they need to find a job after graduation. Most coding bootcamps offer job placement services. These services give students career counselors or coaches, mentors, and other resources to help them with their job search. Some of the tools coding bootcamps give their bootcamp alumni are listed below.
- Interview practice
- Help with creating a resume
- Creating a professional LinkedIn profile
- Building a personal brand
- Networking
Bootcamp students have proven their worth in the real world. More hiring managers are taking bootcamp students seriously. Even large tech companies are hiring bootcamp graduates for their tech jobs. According to Indeed, four out of five US companies have hired a bootcamp graduate. Nearly all HR managers say they would hire a bootcamp graduate again.
"Career Karma entered my life when I needed it most and quickly helped me match with a bootcamp. Two months after graduating, I found my dream job that aligned with my values and goals in life!"
Venus, Software Engineer at Rockbot
What Tech Companies Hire Coding Bootcamp Graduates?
According to Career Karma’s State of the Bootcamp Market report from 2021, there are tons of tech companies that hire bootcamp grads.
- Amazon
- Microsoft
- JPMorgan Chase
- IBM
- Apple
- Accenture
- Booz Allen Hamilton
Popular tech bootcamps such as App Academy, Flatiron School, Springboard, General Assembly, and Fullstack Academy have all placed several students in high-level positions at tech companies all over the country, including Apple, Accenture, and JP Morgan Chase.
So, Are Coding Bootcamps Worth It?
Yes, coding bootcamps are worth it, especially for people who are looking for a way to break into a new career but aren’t sure where to start. Many people have gone from complete programming beginners to working with some of the largest tech companies in the world.
In the past, the only way someone could get a coding job was through a four-year computer science degree program and moving to a popular tech hub, such as New York or San Francisco. The coding bootcamp model has made coding jobs more accessible and allowed people who can’t afford high-cost degree programs to find a successful career in tech.
Are Coding Bootcamps Worth It? FAQ
The average salary professionals make after attending a coding bootcamp is $60,000. Entry-level jobs in tech still provide relatively high salaries. If you attend a data science bootcamp, you can get a job as an entry-level data scientist and earn $65,084 per year.
The best online coding bootcamps are Flatiron School, Simplilearn, Thinkful, and Nucamp. All of these bootcamps offer remote courses in a variety of subjects including data science, web development, and digital marketing.
Yes, a coding bootcamp is a good alternative to a college degree if you are interested in a tech subject. If you want to become a computer programmer, quality assurance analyst, or graphic designer, tech bootcamps can help you achieve your goals in a short amount of time.
Yes, bootcamps are worth it. Coding bootcamp costs are much lower than college tuition costs. Plus, online bootcamps allow you to educate yourself from anywhere in the world, so you don’t have to worry about relocating for school. With the career help that tech bootcamps give, you can get trained and find a new position in less than 12 months.
About us: Career Karma is a platform designed to help job seekers find, research, and connect with job training programs to advance their careers. Learn about the CK publication.
