Coding boot camps have boomed in popularity and thanks to these intense programs, countless people have accelerated their way to a lucrative career in coding without needing a four-year degree in computer science.
People choose to attend coding bootcamps for various reasons and may be drawn towards them for the learning structure, sense of community they provide, job placement support, or to increase their accountability. Given the multitude of online courses available, you may wonder whether it’s more advantageous to self-study or go all-in on a coding bootcamp.
Here’s 6 questions you should ask before committing to a coding bootcamp.
1.What’s being offered?
Find out what languages are standard in the industry of your interest. For example, Python would be the best place to start if you want to go into data science and if you want to learn full-stack web development, then learning JavaScript would be the way to go.
Once you decide what language to learn, you can start filtering through bootcamps based on what language they use to instruct their students. Many front-end web development bootcamps, including Apprentice Cloud, teach the fundamentals of web development using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
Do your own research about what skills are in demand in your city. You want to learn the most in-demand skills in your area, to improve your chances of finding a job. This could start with a simple job search or organizing an informational interview with a developer operating in your region of interest.
Learn a stack that is in demand and don’t get stuck learning a language that no one is hiring for (especially if it’s your first programming language).
2. Is the bootcamp going the extra mile to provide career support?
Look for coding bootcamps that offer career mentorship and workshops in addition to their courses. These can include topics such as technical interviewing, resume reviews and other career-related subjects that you need to know about to break into a career in tech.
The career support you receive from a coach or in class will go a long way to helping you bridge the gap between bootcamp and a job, and will help you start your job search on the right footing
3. What is the track record of the company?
Always do your due diligence and find out what people have to say about a bootcamp before committing. Check out reviews from students and alumni and if possible, find out the percentage of graduates who find employment.
Finally, find out who will be instructing these courses. Ideally, you will be learning from people who have industry experience. Instructors who have worked in the tech industry can provide valuable anecdotal information about what it’s like to work on real-world projects.
4. Will I get value for money?
Coding bootcamps have holistic curriculums that teach relevant and up-to-date tools and languages and build on each skill you learn so that by the end, you have a well-rounded web development skill set. Measure progress in terms of skills and experience acquired, exposure to opportunities and career support. That said, you must do the work to succeed or risk wasting your money.
5. Does the program have a flexible schedule?
One of the first things to consider is whether you want to attend an online, in-person, or flexible coding bootcamp. A flexible coding bootcamp allows you to learn how to code in a way that meets your needs. Many people who enroll in a flexible program do so because they are either trying to deepen their technical knowledge for work, or they are simply interested in learning coding but don’t want to leave their day job.
An online bootcamp could be right for you if you cannot afford the opportunity cost of quitting your job or if you don’t want to or can’t change your physical location. They offer valuable flexibility and convenience for busy individuals. Online bootcamps are generally more affordable compared to brick and mortar institutions that pass down the expenses for paying for a space to the students
6. Does the bootcamp employ the active pedagogy or theory-based approach?
Companies across the globe are desperate to hire programmers. But they only want to hire developers with real-world experience.
If you learned to code in college, chances are you got this experience through an internship. But if you’re one of the thousands of people teaching yourself to code through interactive tutorials, online courses, and other web-based resources, you might not be able to take that kind of time off from your day job.
Apprentice Cloud offers another way; the active pedagogy approach.
Apprentice Cloud offers an intriguing way to give students more hands-on experience. By building real life projects, students learn about planning a project and how to work with a team. The center of learning is the student, not the instructor.
By the time you finish, you will have the understanding needed to proficiently code in a specific language and have a strong foundation to refine your knowledge in the future. Enroll Now!
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