Coding Bootcamp to Job a Complete Guide
Changing Your Career is a Big Deal
At Skill Distillery, we've helped servers, exterminators, and veterans change their careers and their lives. People looking at bootcamps want a better paying and more challenging job, a better work-life-balance, and better job security.
Choosing a bootcamp to become a programmer can be overwhelming with all the information out there.
To help, we’ve made a guide with only the most important information you need to know about choosing a bootcamp.
What is a Coding Bootcamp?
Demand for programmers has grown 15X over the last 10 years. To keep up with this demand, more and more people are attending coding bootcamps. There is expected to be 30,000 bootcamp graduates in 2020.
Bootcamps were made to meet this demand by quickly teaching anyone interested in learning all the necessary skills to become a developer. In short, bootcamps are accelerated computer science degrees, with more practical applications. Most coding bootcamps will have you work in teams on projects, which is very similar to what a normal day as a computer programmer looks like.
There are hundreds of coding bootcamps in the U.S. alone, which makes choosing one to attend a difficult choice. Let’s start from the beginning with the curriculums of some of the different coding bootcamps available.
Coding Bootcamp Curriculum
All coding bootcamps are not the same. They teach different technologies, the programs have different lengths, and they prepare you for very different jobs. There are bootcamps for full-stack developers, Java developers, Ruby developers, iOS developers, and more. It is important before choosing a bootcamp to know what kind of job you want in the end. Work backwards. Look at the skill required for the job and then select a bootcamp that will give you those skills.
What do You Learn at a Coding Bootcamp?
Here are some examples of what is taught at different coding bootcamps:
Is it Worth Attending a Coding Bootcamp?
How Long Does a Coding Bootcamp Take?
Coding Bootcamp Tuition
What is the tuition for a coding boot camp? It’s not cheap. The average coding bootcamp cost is $13,500. That makes the decision of which bootcamp to attend serious - this isn’t a $50 online course!
However, there are some ways to pay the high tuition if you do not have a rich uncle willing to spot you. Most bootcamps offer financing. Some offer an income share agreement that lets you pay for the bootcamp only after you’ve got a job.
Below is a list of bootcamp tuitions:
Is A Coding Bootcamp Hard?
Coding bootcamps are not easy. Can you fail a coding bootcamp? Yes. They are intensive courses where many hours of studying and practice are needed. Bootcamps are meant to teach you all the necessary skills in a short period of time, which requires a very fast pace. Some students do drop out. Not everyone is cut out to be a programmer.
Summary:
You will learn a lot at a coding bootcamp, and not everyone can keep up with the pace.
Not everyone graduates. Coding bootcamps are hard.
There are many choices. Work backwards from the job you want to ensure the bootcamp you attend covers the skills you will need.
Coding bootcamps are expensive. They are an investment.
How Do I Know if Coding is Right For Me?
Coding Isn’t for Everyone
Programming is not easy to learn. It takes a passion for the subject that will motivate you to study and practice a lot. It takes a very technical, linear, and logical mindset. Many people don’t find this easy to adopt or a fit for their personality.
Are Bootcamps Worth it in 2020?
Is coding a good career? Will this bootcamp get me a job? The answer in 2020 is still yes.
Here's an example:
Let's say you're moving to Denver, Colorado for a 16-week, or 4-month coding boot camp.
- The average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in Denver is $1,265.00 a month. That equals $5,060.00 for the duration of the bootcamp.
- For the average American who buys groceries and cooks at home, the cost of food is $299.33 per month or $1,197.32 for the duration of the bootcamp.
- Public transportation will cost someone living in Denver about $114.00 a month, or $456.00 for the duration of the bootcamp.
- Utilities will cost about $57.35 a month, or $229.40 for the duration of the bootcamp.
- On top of that, the average tuition for a coding boot camp is $16,000.
In Total:
- Housing: $5,060.00
- Groceries: $1,197.32
- Transportation: $456.00
- Utilities: $229.40
- Boot Camp Price: $16,000
- Total: $22,942.72
With such a huge investment for four months of training, why are bootcamps worth it? It's because the median salary of computer programmers is $105,590 per year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even the starting salary of programmers is high at around $60,000 a year.
Many bootcamps offer to finance the tuition of the bootcamp. This allows students instant access to a fairly expensive program if they can not afford it. Some bootcamps even offer income share agreements, which means you can start a bootcamp with paying nothing. Then after the program, when you get a job, you pay the tuition of the bootcamp. You can learn more about financing options for bootcamps with Climb or Meritize.
Can You Get a Job with Just a Coding Bootcamp?
Programming jobs have been in demand and rising for many years, and software developers (also called full-stack developers, software engineers, or programmers) are very popular. Job posting sites publish data about the popularity and demand for jobs frequently. It is not hard to see the trend that programming jobs are on the rise.
Source: Glassdoor.com
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also lists software developers as one of the fastest growing occupations when sorted for highest median pay.
Source: BLS.gov
As a bootcamp graduate, there is no shortage of job opportunities, and the industry is growing.
A quick search on Glassdoor.com shows 71,948 job results for software engineers in the U.S in August 2020, and 69,357 on Indeed.com.
Coding Bootcamp Salary
Starting salaries for entry-level programmers are around $60,000 a year. For a starting salary, that’s pretty good.
This is a huge improvement for many who come from service or retail. With a few years of experience, many programmers find themselves closer to a 6 figure salary.
Bootcamp grads usually have no issue getting hired. Below are the employment rates offered by many top bootcamps.
Are Coders in Demand?
With all the information presented above, it seems clear that getting a job after attending a bootcamp is not a problem.
There are thousands of job openings, and the employment rates are also very high for graduates.
The biggest question that many people looking at attending a bootcamp ask before they go is: can you get a job after a coding bootcamp? The answer is yes.
Summary:
Coding is not for everyone - you need a very logical mindset and attention to detail.
Coding bootcamps are worth it. There are initial costs, but these are easily paid back with the high salaries of a job in programming.
Coders are in high demand. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor.com, and Indeed.com all show the high salaries, number of available jobs, growth in the industry, and high job satisfaction of programmers.
The Future of Coding
Another benefit that is often overlooked to becoming a programmer is the stability of the profession. Programmers are not going away or being replaced by automation anytime soon.
AI will most likely make the job of programmers better, being used for tasks like debugging and assistance writing code instead of replacing the job completely.
Another benefit of being a programmer in 2020 is that working from home as a programmer is relatively easy. For many programmers, they have kept their job through changing job conditions and stay at home orders.
Next Steps
If you're serious about choosing a bootcamp, hopefully after reading this you have more confidence in choosing. We recommend next you contact the bootcamps you're interested in attending to get your personal questions answered directly. If you're interested in applying to Skill Distillery, you can schedule a call with us to learn more.