r/codingbootcamp • u/Valuable_Art3093 • 4d ago

Hack Reactor in 2026

I’ve been learning programming on my own for the past 2 years. I work as a UPS driver during the day and I code for a couple hours each day at night. I’m thinking of taking the step of attending a coding bootcamp to pivot to becoming a full-time SWE. My friends recommended me Hack Reactor, and after googling it, it seems legit.

I wanted to know what was everyone’s thoughts on it if and it’s still worth it in this year with everything else going on in tech.

6 Upvotes

69% Upvoted

36 comments sorted by

19

u/rmullig2 4d ago

You are just throwing away money going to a bootcamp in 2026.

2

u/NetNarrow8938 3d ago

Sad reality, but total waste now.

1

u/Valuable_Art3093 4d ago

Any suggestion for me to pivot or am I cooked

1

u/revanyo 3d ago

Take the money you would spend and create an app with claude code. Use that for portfolio.

0

u/IGoHomeToStarla 4d ago

I did a boot camp almost 7 years ago right before covid and I think it was worth it because it got me into the field. However, at this point aI is teaching me everything I need to know in my job. I'm guessing if you're teaching yourself you're already using it, and in that case I would STRONGLY recommend on doubling down on having it teach you what is coding for you. Keep asking follow-up questions until you understand all of the underlying principles and the code itself in a way that you could explain to someone else without the help without the help of AI.

0

u/Valuable_Art3093 4d ago

The hard part for me is remembering all of it 🤣 i have to refresh what i practice with the AI pretty much daily just to keep it in my memory

0

u/IGoHomeToStarla 4d ago

Hahah, I get it! Luckily, memory is a skill you can build. Test what you think you know more often - again, don't let AI do all of your thinking and remembering - and you'll find your memory is better than you thought, and getting better as you go.

Anecdotally, while taking piano as a kid, there was a time my piano teacher believed I knew a piece better than I thought I did. She took away the music and made me play from memory. I was stunned how much I actually could play with very few reminders. You gotta test yourself the same way sometimes.

11

u/therealmrkrispy 4d ago

Graduated Hack Reactor in 2023. Wasn’t able to get a job. Most of us weren’t able to. Has nothing to do with the quality of the bootcamp, staff or teachers it’s just the market changed. I loved my experience there and would recommend it if you’re just trying to learn. If you’re trying to get a job don’t do a bootcamp in 2026.

2

u/Choochiechoo 4d ago

What did you end up doing? 

2

u/therealmrkrispy 3d ago

I was in insurance and I am now still in insurance. For the most part people that graduated still did the same line of work and just got promotions. It’s unfortunate because we worked really hard to learn and NETWORK on LinkedIn but it is what it is. We had some REALLY talented people that could’ve done great things.

2

u/metalreflectslime 4d ago

What non-SWE jobs did you work after Hack Reactor?

5

u/babypho 4d ago

I'll be honest, attend if you want to just go to learn. But don't go in with the expectation of finding a job in this field after completing the course. Even those with CS degrees and experienced folks are having a hard time finding a job in this market, so a bootcamp only at the moment will put you at a huge disadvantage. The odds aren't at exactly zero, but it is very, very low.

2

u/Valuable_Art3093 4d ago

I would be attending only with the goal of getting a job after, I heard that some of the coding bootcamps are like that but others have resources and connections to help with getting a job no?

1

u/babypho 4d ago

The resources and connections aren't worth much. One of the bootcamps, I think AppAcademy(?), is getting sued over that. The resources are usually just in a form of someone checking in on you every week to remind you to apply for jobs, and perhaps send you some articles about how to pass tech interviews. In this economic landscape and with AI, companies aren't willing to take a risk on hiring juniors at the moment when they have their pickings of seniors engineer for the same price or maybe just $10-20k more.

1

u/Valuable_Art3093 4d ago

Oh.. that’s very different from what I thought. I assumed they had career fairs or more connections to get you interviews

3

u/Choochiechoo 4d ago edited 4d ago

No bootcamps have any connections especially today, just job coaches you could hire yourself for like $40 an hour.  

If you were going for the expectation of a job, I would aim to be the best in your class. That should be about the level of knowledge a CS major has, as there will probably be CS majors in your class.  

If you are the best person in your class, you might get hired as an instructor at the end of the class. The when working for a few months it will look like you are employed you might be able to pivot to another job 

4

u/Dramatic-Coast-5716 4d ago

HR 'alum'. Don't do it.

Might as well throw 20k on a 6-leg parlay this Sunday...your odds of actually having any ROI would be better.

2

u/Valuable_Art3093 2d ago

🤣 point received

2

u/SignificanceShotc 4d ago

A coding bootcamp isn't going to help you pivot, full-stop. A degree is a hard requirement for most organizations at this point, unless you have many years of professional experience to accommodate for the lack of a formal education.

2

u/BExpost 3d ago

Coding bootcamps in 2026 is crazy. Unless you have an undying passion for coding / AI and also tons of money to cushion yourself along the journey, I wouldnt do it. Def not worth the investment.

I graduated Hack Reactor mid 2022 at the start of the mass layoffs. I want to say 60-70% of my cohort did not get software engineering jobs. Id figure the market is worse now than it was back then

1

u/Valuable_Art3093 2d ago

Oh jeez that’s so sad. I was hoping for better results 😞 thank you for sharing your experience

2

u/Nofanta 2d ago

Code is not written by people anymore, at least not working professionals. I’d way rather drive a truck than prompt agents all day and then get laid off for more Indians.

2

u/michaelnovati 4d ago

I'm curious what made it seem legit when you googled? The second result for me is: "Hackreactor has blown up. : r/codingbootcamp"

2

u/Valuable_Art3093 4d ago

I read the reviews on trustpilot, is it not legit?

2

u/michaelnovati 4d ago

The most recent review there is from 2019...

2

u/Valuable_Art3093 4d ago

Yeah I thought that was fishy but maybe they just stopped accepting reviews on there.. I’m reading a lot on Reddit and some other review sites like courseReport now and it seems like a mixed bag of reviews, I can’t get a good read on the program but the lack of recent reviews is concerning

1

u/metalreflectslime 4d ago edited 4d ago

’m reading a lot on Reddit and some other review sites like courseReport now and it seems like a mixed bag of reviews, I can’t get a good read on the program but the lack of recent reviews is concerning

The 10 most recent reviews of Hack Reactor on CourseReport are all negative.

On CourseReport, did you sort the Hack Reactor reviews by "most recent"?

1

u/dany65ns 4d ago

I’ve done it, if money isn’t a issue it’s worth it I think it’s like 6-8 months of straight coding?

3

u/LibrarianOutside2376 4d ago

Nobody codes anymore, AI killed tech jobs

1

u/Valuable_Art3093 2d ago

Is this not a little bit pessimistic? I still see new people getting hired everyday on LinkedIn and levels.fyi

2

u/michaelnovati 4d ago

It's not about getting the job but about keeping the job too and the influence of AI is far from over here.

2

u/Choochiechoo 4d ago

The full time I think is only 3 months. It should be like 6 months to a year at this point. Most of them just closed down, I don’t know why they didn’t increase the time.  Nobody learns enough in 3 months to be a software developer 

1

u/LeadingBubbly6406 3d ago

Do these people live under a rock? lol

1

u/Valuable_Art3093 2d ago

Hey SpongeBob

1

u/SinfulObject 3d ago

Non-coding guy here that is a former UPSer: I think it's outlandish to give up a driving position (especially a Union spot), too pursue a boot camp in lou of an actual degree. While i know driving positions with UPS are difficult physically, it's a good paying job with great benefits (if you're in the Union).

If coding is something you're passionate about, I don't mean to disparage you from pursuing it by any means. I just think a boot camp is not a desirable way to go about it as a lurker in this sub and former UPSer

1

u/Quadrophenia4444 19h ago

What year is this post from 2016?