Should I go to a Bootcamp?
Tags: codenewbie, beginners
Published: 2020-08-07 18:17:34

If you are reading this post, you are more than likely contemplating the question above. Perhaps you have been wrestling with this question for a few days or a few weeks - I know I did when I was in your shoes. For me, it was helpful to read about the experience of others before making my decision, so read on to hear my thoughts on the matter. I hope reading about my experiences will help you too. 

The first thing to consider is your current proficiency with coding skills. Have you never touched the stuff? Just done it for fun? Taught yourself the basics? I had very little exposure to coding before starting my bootcamp, so jumping into anything online was intimidating. I would definitely recommend giving the 'Teach Yourself' route a go first. See how fast you pick things up and how you do with solving problems on your own or with the help from folks online. There have been many success stories for self-starters, and if you have the grit and proficiency for it, there is the potential to do it all for free. 

I tried my hand at teaching myself, and I felt like I needed a bit more support, as I tend to thrive when part of a community. It's absolutely possible to create your own coding network online through Discord DMs, Stack Overflow questions, etc. If you want more face-to-face interactions and individualized support like I did (even if that is through Zoom calls, like everything else is nowadays), then start looking at what bootcamps can offer you. There are many different options out there, so do your research to find which program is best for your financial needs, work style, and schedule. I choose to do the in-person course through Flatiron School, so I will talk about the experience I had there. Mileage may vary depending on the bootcamp you attend. 

In comparison to teaching myself, having scheduled course instruction with a dedicated instructor was quite refreshing. The ability to talk to someone face-to-face about issues or bugs is invaluable, especially when you know your instructors and those around you have gone through the same experience. Sometimes you'll get lucky online doing this, where the exact bug you are fighting has already been solved, but being in a bootcamp made it felt like this was the norm rather than the exception. Being surrounded by other students learning the same material and working through the same projects helped with my motivation, especially when finding myself inevitably stuck. Being able to talk to and rely on other bootcamp members helped me get through some rough patches where I may have given up if I was still just teaching myself. 

Now for the money. At the end of the day, no matter what bootcamp you are looking at, you will need to put down a large sum of money. If you don't have that kind of money on hand, look carefully into your option on how to borrow. If the school if offering something like financial aid or an income share agreement, make sure you read the fine details so you know exactly what you are getting into. For example, Flatiron offers a money-back guarantee if you don't get a job within 6 months of graduating. There is a lot of money on the line here for them (they are a business, after all), so they have some serious stipulations on how that guarantee works. However, they also have a lot of dedicated support systems designed to help you start your career in the field. Make sure you identify and understand those fine details before you sign your name anywhere.   

Now of course, having just dropped a lot of cash or taken out a considerable loan, you find yourself stuck worrying "Well, now I will be out of a job for awhile..." 

At Flatiron, the course lasted 15 weeks. I saw some other bootcamps were anywhere from 12 - 17 weeks, so look around to see what works with your schedule. However many weeks it is, it will be short. You will gain the skills that you need to graduate and then you will be straight into the job hunt. One of my major considerations when looking at bootcamps was how long the course was. I got stuck into thinking that once the program was over, I would have a job shortly afterwards. Don't get stuck in this mindset--it's likely that employment post-bootcamp will take some time. This is not to say that you can't get a job the week after you graduate, but I would not make your financial and scheduling plans banking on this specific outcome. My suggestion is to plan for your unemployment to be much longer than the duration of your studies. 

So then that begs the question, should I look at a school that has a longer duration? I believe there are some potential benefits to a longer program. One of the challenges of completing a shorter bootcamp is that you come out with only a few month's experience. That's it. You also don't have an official degree, you don't have four years of experience. There are plenty of bootcamp grads that have landed awesome jobs, though, so don't think of the bootcamp route as narrowing your future job options. However, you will need to be prepared to apply to positions that ask for more experience than you have. This is pretty common for any industry, but I advise you to go into the job hunt knowing that there aren't many job postings specifically asking for bootcamp grads (if there are, I have not found them yet). Some companies will offer positions designed for recent graduates, but those listings are also pulling from college attendees or recent graduates with degrees in computer science. You can still get these kinds of jobs, just know who and what you're up against.

If you have the time and financial resources to complete a longer bootcamp through a college or university, I would definitely consider it. You'll come out with more experience under your belt and potentially have a degree as well. Are these things to just pad your resume? Perhaps. Regardless, take the time to look into all of your options to see what is going to give you the best chance for success. 

Another thing to keep in mind is that you will not have learned everything by the time you graduate. Will you learn a lot? Absolutely. You will be impressed with the amount of knowledge you gain through the course of your bootcamp, but once you're out in the world you will quickly feel small. And that's okay. You just started out and there will always be new things to learn, especially in the software world where things are updated and created so rapidly. The important thing to remember here is that you will be teaching yourself how to learn throughout the bootcamp. This skill is one you will need to continue fostering and one that will be incredibly valuable to any company that you end up at. There's always something new to absorb, even something that your senior software engineer friend doesn't know about yet. Learn the old stuff (as long as it still applies, of course), definitely learn the new stuff, but whatever you do, just keep learning. 

A word of warning: it is called a bootcamp for a reason. This is by no means a walk in the park. If you don't do well under pressure or with high amounts of stress, I would strongly consider looking into a longer course option. Even though the advertisements say that you'll only be at school for a set number of hours per day, you will need to work evenings, early mornings, and weekends to keep all of the new material from escaping your brain. It's hard work. You will be stressed. You will want to quit multiple times throughout the course. But you can do it. Just know that it will not be easy. 

Having a community of bootcamp peers was a huge boon for my success, so lean into those new relationships because you are all going to need each other. Perhaps this is not a benefit you were necessarily looking for, but it is in these types of high-stress scenarios where you make friends. Usually very good friends. You spend 15 weeks with these new people, all going through the same rigorous process, all working together to solve problems and gain new skills. This sort of camaraderie is what brings people together. If you are new to a city like I was, coming out with new friends in the field was a great cherry-on-top to my experience.

Hopefully all of that helps answer some of your questions. Maybe even the big one of whether or not you'll go to a bootcamp. If there is anything I missed or something you still have questions about, let me know in the comments and I'll get back to you as best I can. Good luck with your decision!