I Did It...I Joined A Bootcamp
Tags: webdev, beginners, career, javascript
Published: 2021-12-29 16:50:55

There seems to be this intense reaction either for or against bootcamps. And honestly, for a long time, I was one of them!

But first, back story...

I started my programming journey, like so many others, in the early days of Covid shutdowns. Call me crazy, but I was actually one of the early investors in the growing field of "Unemployment". 

I know, I know, there were so many of us who joined, early investors like me! But sadly, most of us were forced to. 

So, here I was without a job, a lot more time on my hands, and a career that wasn't going anywhere. 

The perfect time for a career change!

So, with the help of my more successful twin brother, I (he) bought a JavaScript course and thus began my downward spiral of joy and despair into the vortex of programming. 

And. It. Was. Amazing.

I loved it!

It didn't always love me back, though.

In the midst of what turned out to be a love/hate relationship with coding, I found myself struggling with the mounting pressure of taking care of my family, unemployment income, and an inevitable move out of our apartment. 

And with that, coding took a backseat for a while.

My wife, our little girl, and I moved from Texas to Ohio to live with her family for a while, just till we could get back on our feet. 

It was a difficult season. It's not always easy to live with family again. Personalities clash, and ways of doing life doesn't always mesh together.

Everyone was gracious, but it needed to change. 

I got a job in tech support, and we moved into another place by the end of the year. But coding was still on the backburner. 

I spent the first half of 2021 floundering. We had another girl in March, and all I really wanted was a safety net again - to get some sense of security underneath of us. 

I started programming again towards the latter of half of 2021, diving deeper into freecodecamp.com and Colt Steele's amazing Udemy course: "Web Developer Bootcamp 2022". 

But I still kept "course-correcting". 

What I mean is, I kept looking into freelancing, web design, front-end web development, and going back and forth between different options. But you cannot do that! You have to get a plan, stick with a plan. And keep marching forward. 

The bootcamp snuck up on me. I wasn't planning on one. I started recognizing I needed to make a directional choice, and stick with it. But then a bootcamp tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hi!" 

We met for coffee, talked back and forth for a few days, and then I finally said, "I do!".

But seriously, I realized something. I can struggle through this, going back and forth between different potential opportunities, or I can just say "yes", go with it, learn, grow, and be in a better place 3-4 months down the road for a job than where I'm at now. 

This bootcamp guarantees a job within 6 months or you pay nothing.

6 months!

I realized, the opportunity cost of getting a job within 6 months and having better pay outweighs my own struggle of doing it on my own within the same amount of time. 

It might take me 6 months, it might take me 9-12 mo. If I could get a job sooner, then I will be much better off by the end of the year than if I tried to do it on my own. 

Plus, the added benefit of having classmates and more structure only adds to the likelihood of getting one sooner!

It's a win-win! 

Maybe, a little more costly than doing it myself, but I will take the expense on the front-end for the ability to have a $60k-$80k potential job. 

Should everyone go for a bootcamp? NO!

I chose it for 3 main reasons: 

1. Structure and accountability.
2. Guaranteed job within 6mo (or pay nothing).
3. Level up my skills faster

But, If you are more structured than me, maybe you have way more time than I do with a wife and 2 little girls, then by all means, push for that job without a bootcamp. Plenty of other's have done it and are doing it right now!

But, it might be worth it for others. Especially if you choose one with guarantees that make it their mission to get you a job.