$0 Bootcamp. Pay only if you get a job. Is Microverse legit?
By: Miguel Farias
Tags: Coding Schools, Coding, Microverse, Income Share Agreements, Codingbootcamp

I’ve seen this question many times on Facebook, Twitter, and Google search. People want to know if “Microverse is legit”. The short answer is yes, Microverse is legit, and it is great!.

Microverse is an online school that trains you to become a web developer with $0 tuition upfront. You will start paying after you get a job that pays more than $1,000 USD per month.

It’s a cultural thing, really.

“There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”.

If you work in Mexico, Latin America, or Africa, you might have a salary below $1,000 USD per month. If this is your case, getting an education for $0 upfront may sound unbelievable.

There’s a cultural mindset that has rolled down through generations; the “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”. This mindset often drives people away from opportunities that could change their lives.

People might think “this must be an elaborate scam of some sort”. “I can’t trust some Facebook ad that looks too good to be true”, or “ there might be ‘hidden charges’ after you get accepted”. I have to admit I had a few of these concerns when I first found out about Microverse. I wondered if the line “Study now, pay later” had a hidden catch. Maybe, I would end up with a “student loan” building up with interest after graduating.

In reality, Microverse is not a scam. There is no catch. And the offer is not unbelievable. These payment plans are popular and people know them as “Income Share Agreements” or ISA. ISAs open the door to education for many people who would otherwise be unable to afford it. In exchange, the student commits to pay a percentage of their salary (usually ranging from 10% to 20%). The payments start only after they get a job. And only up to a cap with no built interest (Microverse’s cap is $15K. USD). ISAs are quite popular in the U.S. and now Microverse is making them available worldwide.

Web developers are in high demand.

It’s no secret that an internet presence is a must-do for companies to thrive. As internet-based businesses are on the rise, web developers are in high demand. There are more than 200,000 open positions for developers to fill in 2020. Also, there are estimates that 250,000 new positions will open in the next 5 years. (posted by theknowledgeacademy.com)

It’s not hard to find open positions for junior developers with salaries from $30,000 to $90,000 USD. Salaries often depend on programming languages, expertise, and location. It’s always a good idea to learn front-end, back-end, testing, git and professional skills.

Microverse offers a full-stack program that covers all the above mentioned. It’s worth noting that the admission process is not for beginners. If you are new to coding, you can join the pre-course path with pair programming practice sessions. In this course, you will learn the basics to ace the trials and get accepted.

Microverse is no coding Bootcamp

Microverse is not one of the boot camps that claim you can become a full-stack developer in 8 weeks. It is instead a school that provides you with a work-like environment and a big solid structure.

These are some cool perks of Microverse vs. coding Bootcamps:

Microverse focuses on mastery learning. Ther’s a team of Technical Engineers who perform code reviews for student’s projects. They would request changes when necessary and approve them when completed.

Ther’s a team of Technical Engineers who perform code reviews for student’s projects. They would request changes when necessary and approve them when completed. You get a stand-up team with members from different countries from over the world. There are morning meetings and stand-up meetings to wrap up the day with them.

to wrap up the day with them. You get support from the student success department, your mentor, and a coding partner. This partner will be working with you every day. You’ll motivate each other, bring accountability and might even become great friends.

This partner will be working with you every day. You’ll motivate each other, bring accountability and might even become great friends. There are monthly assemblies where you get to meet everyone in the school and find out about school news.

Microverse’s Full-time program from 8 A.M. to 5:15 P.M. UTC-6. runs from Monday to Friday. It includes a 1-hour lunch. This helps you get used to a schedule that resembles the actual workplace , remote or local.

, remote or local. Microverse has partnered with several companies that offer 3-month paid internships. You can apply to these positions that will get you real-world experience.

You can apply to these positions that will get you real-world experience. There are career coaches that will help you with the job hunt. They will review your documents, applications and help you negotiate your job offers.

that will help you with the job hunt. They will review your documents, applications and help you negotiate your job offers. And the most important one; you don’t owe anything until you get a job in tech that pays more than $1,000 per month.

The whole process is simple and transparent.

After I decided to shake off all my doubts and fears, I started the application process to Microverse.

I got in on my first try, but in case you don’t, you can apply as many times as you need until you get in. There are classes starting every month.

These are the steps to follow

Register and fill out an application to see if you are eligible here or in microverse.org Complete a few coding challenges by yourself in any programming language (with a time limit). Do a pair-programming session with 3 other applicants. You will solve one coding challenge and building a project with HTML and CSS. You get to score the other applicants, and they get to score you. If you pass, you will get an acceptance email with all the information you will need for your first day.

This opportunity might go away so don’t wait too long.

Income share agreements are fairly new and almost exclusive to schools in the U.S.

Microverse is the first school to offer ISAs for people all over the world, but it might change in the future. All depending on the results they get from the first few graduates of the program.

The increasing number of applicants will raise the bar in the admission criteria. So, my recommendation is don’t wait too long before applying.

I joined in September 2019. I’ve gained so much confidence and experience. I have built a great network of fantastic smart people that I’m proud to call friends.

If you want to learn more about my journey, let’s connect.

Twitter @mkezmkez

Image courtesy of pressfoto /freepik