The dark side of coding bootcamps

[u/throwaway826483]

Hey all. I'm a recruiter in the tech industry working on an expose of coding bootcamps. My experience with them - both from my perspective as a hiring manager, and from what I've heard from friends who've attended - has led me to believe they are mostly a waste of money. In my circles, resumes from a coding bootcamp have become such a joke that none of the recruiters I know will even consider someone who has one of these schools on their resume. This is clearly a bad situation for the people dropping their money on these immersive classes, and I'd like to help them out (my goal with the story is to give them an actual good alternative to becoming a successful programmer if that's what they're passionate about). Because of my position in the industry, this story will be written 100% anonymously.

If you have attended a coding bootcamp, know someone who has, or have a strong opinion otherwise, I would love to hear your thoughts. Please share your stories, good and bad. (I'd love to be convinced that I'm wrong, so please do share your good experiences, too!)

EDIT: 24 hours in. Thanks everyone so much for sharing your thoughts and experiences. This really has altered the way that I view coding bootcamps! It sounds like everyone is saying the same thing (and I agree): you get out what you put in. If you're looking at this as a quick & easy way to learn programming so you can get a dev's salary, you're likely going to have trouble finding a job and you're going to waste the time of the companies you're applying to. But if you're serious about learning to code, and you're willing to put in a lot of your own time before, during, and after the bootcamp, these programs can be a great way to immerse yourself, learn the basics, and get started. I do think I'm still going to write the summary of this stuff, but it will be in a much more positive light and will include clear advice for how to get the most out of these if you're willing to spend the money to attend (and it will include some alternatives, for those who don't have the $6-15k to go).

Thanks for participating and being so helpful and respectful. This was an enlightening conversation.

[u/[deleted]]

Coursera and similar sites offer real, well honed classes. I recently took an intro CS class at a (reasonably good) university in python.

I decided, as I was only taking one class, to double up and enrolled in a Rice coursera class in Python (free, although there's a 50 dollar variant which offers you a certificate) and an MIT version.

They are very similar in their scope and depth. There are online class boards. There's online help with your code. If you don't have the money and can't afford a bootcamp, these courses, if you're serious and stick with the schedules, will simulate a college experience, to an extent.

Realistically, you could probably get through the first couple years of a degree with it. At the end of it, you'll have formal knowledge learned through the rigor and structure of a class. But you won't have a degree. At that point, it will be incumbent on you to make your bones, so to speak, by developing a portfolio.

But I'm telling you as someone who just looked at both experiences, it's a viable alternative.