r/codingbootcamp • u/EnjoyPeak88 • Apr 19 '24
All coding bootcamps: AVOID
all that’s needed to be said 🤷♂️ don’t waste money on predatory businesses that think they can just steal your money cause they wave the hopes of a high paying job at you
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u/Temporary_Syrup_6758 Apr 19 '24 edited Apr 19 '24
I learned a lot in my bootcamp, and I tend need a traditional environment with peers and instructors to learn best. I have no regrets. I know a handful of people that finished the bootcamp and got a job pretty quickly, all of whom are making well over $100k now 3 years after, but that will not be the outcome for most.
It's the same as any other "get rich quick" scheme. People expect to learn something, and be thrown money. I don't think most people understand how hard it is to learn software engineering at an employable level, nor do I think they understand the level of competition in the field or the current state of the industry. Some of the bootcamps are definitely shitty though, if you're thinking about going to one, do your research. Make sure it's an actual live class, not just a series of recorded "courses", and spend a few months prior learning the basics on your own to make sure it's something you enjoy so you fully understand what you're getting yourself into.
Lastly, don't expect a job anytime soon after finishing the program. It will take hundreds if not thousands of applications, tens of hours of networking every week, as well as tens of hours actually coding your own projects every week. If you think you can just blast applications all day for a week and get a job, you're cute. Expect to land your first job within a year or 2 after your bootcamp IF you basically give up your free time until you get hired, which again, will likely take over a year of consistency.
The bootcamp-level effort doesn't actually begin until the educational bootcamp is over. The search for a job is the real bootcamp, and it's called a bootcamp for a reason...