7 FAQs about coding bootcamps

There are are many reasons to enrol on an online coding bootcamp. For example, you can study in your own time while still holding down a full-time job and earning a salary. Here we’ve outlined the most important FAQs about coding bootcamps. Find out whether this is the right career choice for you by checking out the answers to these frequently asked questions.

 

1. What is an online coding bootcamp?

Online bootcamps are structured, mentor-guided platforms that replicate the in-class experience. You should expect to devote between 5 to 30 hours per week to the course, but the flexibility of an online medium allows you to choose when those hours will take place. The average length of a coding bootcamp is about 14 weeks or about 3.5 months. 80% of coding bootcamp graduates, states Course Report, say that they’re employed in work requiring the technical skills they learnt in the bootcamp, and the majority are finding full-time employment.

 

2. Why pay for a coding bootcamp when I can do an online course for free?

It’s true, there are many online free coding course – you could try a coding MOOC (Massive Online Open Course), for example. But if you get stuck, you could well run into problems. One of the most important aspects of a paid online course is the mentorship you receive.

Coding mentors are particularly helpful, because they:

1. Teach coding best practice – a mentor helps you avoid common stumbling blocks and teaches you best industry practices.
2. Offer constructive feedback – mentor feedback should be specific, timely, understanding and positive. The faster you receive feedback on your code submissions, the better.
3. Allow for individual attention – Mentorship is 1:1 personalised feedback.

 

3. What is the difference between a coding bootcamp and a Computer Science degree?

Firstly, there’s the time issue: many degrees have a longer duration, approximately three to four years, compared with a bootcamp, which can be a couple of weeks up to six months. And then there’s the course content itself: bootcamps tend to teach industry-specific coding skills, whereas a university Computer Science degree is likely to be more abstract, focussing on things like  how computers are able to solve problems for programmers”. It’s a more theoretical than a practical approach – consequently, you might not learn how to actually code in real-life scenarios.

 

4. Will I get a job after completing a bootcamp?

Yes, more than likely you will. Here are some reasons why:

• 68% of graduates work in IT within 6 months of graduating from an online coding bootcamp, according to SwitchUp.
• A 2017 survey, conducted by Indeed, found that 72% of employers think graduates from bootcamps are “just as prepared” as degree holders to be high performers.  In fact, 12% of employers think bootcamp graduates are more prepared and more likely to be high performers than those with computer science degrees.

 

5. How much more can I expect to earn after finishing a bootcamp?

Simple answer: a lot. After surveying reports from 73 qualifying coding schools, Course Report found that average salary increase was 50,5%, which equated to $23,724 extra per annum. The average post-bootcamp salary was $70,698. The average salary for a web developer in the US, for example, is $76,633.

 

6. How do I choose the right coding bootcamp?

Coding bootcamps aren’t a one size fits all; they need to map to your needs, states a Medium article. Before deciding on a particular bootcamp, some questions you should ask yourself include:

• What do you want to achieve from the bootcamp?
• What languages do you want to learn?
• Do you want personalised mentoring, or are you happy to learn alone?
• How much money are you wanting to spend on tuition?

Once you’ve answered these questions, do some research among the wide pool of bootcamps. You could check out the following sites: CourseReport or SwitchUp. To figure out which bootcamp is worth your time or money, you need to do some further research via reviews, Quora or searching for blog posts.

 

7. What should you do if you can’t afford a bootcamp?

From an affordability perspective, an online coding bootcamp makes sense bearing in mind that a face-to-face bootcamp in the US costs in total between $9,000 to $21,000, with an average of $11,451, whereas you can enroll at an online coding bootcamp for as little as $3000. But this is still a fair amount of money, so what should you do if you can’t immediately afford a bootcamp? Here are some ideas:

 

• Plan and save: A Business Insider case study works out that if you forego your daily purchased coffee, you save in the region of $1000 per year.
• Try for a scholarship: Plenty of coding bootcamps offer scholarships on the basis of financial need or merit. Here’s a list from Course Report of scholarships on offer for bootcamps.
• Crowdfund: Digital Trends lists some of the best crowdfunding sites online including Indiegogo and GoFundMe.
• Opt for a different payment plan: Many bootcamps offer a variety of payment plans, from paying the full amount at a slightly discounted rate upfront to paying off the course over the duration of study. HyperionDev offers several payment plans, including a monthly option and a significant discount if you choose to pay upfront.
• Work sponsorships: If you’re planning on continuing your full-time employment during your online coding bootcamp, consider speaking to your employer – they may want to invest in the skillsets of their employees.

 

We’ve covered 7 FAQs about coding bootcamps. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask them in the comments below.