Are Coding Bootcamps Worth It?
If you’re looking for a high-paying job in the tech world, learning how to code is a great way to get your foot in the door. Programmers can make close to six figures, and there are plenty of opportunities available for anyone who knows how to code.
Traditionally, learning how to code meant attending a college or university and earning a bachelor’s degree. But the rise of a new phenomenon means that’s no longer necessary. Coding boot camps allow students to learn to code in a much shorter period of time. Most coding boot camps only take about 3 months.
But are these coding boot camps really worth it? Some have questioned whether it’s possible to condense everything you’d learn in a four-year college program in just a few months.
The truth is, some coding boot camps are basically scams. They charge students hundreds or thousands of dollars and don’t offer real training or job opportunities. However, other coding boot camps can help students learn useful skills in a short amount of time.
In choosing a coding boot camp, students must be careful and do their research. The most important thing to look for is job placement statistics. Do students who graduate from this coding boot camp end up with jobs in the tech field? Programs with low job placement numbers are most likely not worth it. After all, the purpose of attending a coding boot camp is to land a job.
It’s also important to look at the types of classes offered at the boot camp. Are they keeping up with current trends in the tech world? Compare what you’ll be learning to the skills that employers in your desired field are looking for.
Finally, students who want to attend coding boot camp should be prepared for exactly what these programs will do for them. Coding Bootcamp is certainly worth it if you just want to get a job as a programmer, web developer, or software engineer. But to advance in the tech field, it may be necessary to earn a college degree.
Coding boot camps are designed to teach the skills needed for very specific jobs quickly. However, they can’t give students all the knowledge that comes with a four-year or even two-year degree. Graduates from boot camp programs may find that they later decide to go back to school. But for job seekers who are short on time and money, coding boot camp can be the perfect solution.
Do you have any experience with coding boot camp? Did it help you find a job? Tell us your thoughts!
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At the IT University of Copenhagen we offer a free IT coding bootcamp for female high school students through fall break. We do this for two reasons. Firstly, as a part of our strategy to attract more female students to ITU. Secondly, we want support female students in developing their coding skills. Our research shows that if we don’t do anything they tend to leave coding to their male peers. It goes for all of our graduates that good coding skills improves their chances for getting a well paid job in IT.
As a coder of 30+ years … if you want to be a computer programmer, pick a language stack (ask a friend who codes), grab a few books sit down at your computer and begin. It’s that simple, or difficult depending on whether you can discipline yourself to spend a few hours each day.
1. Don’t just follow the examples, once you have even a tiny bit of understanding, start experimenting. Invent simple things you could try and code. Some will be easy and you will probably find parts of the project that are more difficult or beyond your current ability. in either case, that’s great! The parts you cannot do yet, provide some direction as to what you might need to learn.
2. Don’t worry, what may seem like an overwhelming amount of information and sub-categories initially, will eventually all fall into place until it comes without thinking. If you play a musical instrument, you’ve already experienced that feeling, the same with learning anything complex like chess or doing magic tricks or playing poker, etc.
3. Have FUN – In general other programmers will enjoy answering your questions (we tend to have fairly large egos and so love any opportunity to show off LOL).
4. Every programmer has strong opinions on languages, syntax, methodologies and frameworks .. listen to them, read about them and then find your own way.
5. Most importantly ENJOY the process.
Coding camps can by both fun and useful, but I would use them like an encyclopedia…go when you want to learn something specific or very abstract. Something with which you are not very familiar .. maybe something like security, encryption, new technologies (for an overview), etc. But in general I wouldn’t recommend them to learn coding from the beginning.