Coding bootcamp: full-time or part-time?

Jas — Mon, 21 Aug 2023 21:03:52 +0000

Hey everyone,

Newbie here, considering a career change into coding. For the last couple of years I've been running a blog and trying to make money from it -- it's been challenging, and rewarding, but ultimately it hasn't been sustainable to do this full-time.

In recent days I've been researching the world of web development -- from which languages to learn, and self-learning study paths vs coding bootcamps. I think I would want to be a part of an in-person bootcamp for the support & accountability, of which Le Wagon appears to be one of the most reputable here in London.

My questions is as follows... there is a full-time and a part-time option, I believe one of which is over 2 months (40hrs a week) and the other over 6 months (15hrs a week).

In theory, I am available full-time, and it's tempting to go for that option so I can be fully-fledged and working as quickly as possible.

However, a part of me is more drawn to the part-time option. I wonder if this would not only be less intense (long days commuting to/from London, something I've not done for a while), but also allow me to spend more time on each module, and practising coding beyond time spent in the classroom. In other words, I think it would let me become a more rounded developer with stronger foundations in place. It seems to me that studying part-time would be combining 'bootcamp learning' with 'self-study'; I like the idea of having the structure of a classroom environment, combined with my own learning to solidify the theory & get to practice coding -- which I understand is the key to actually being a developer. I also imagine (I would hope!) my coding portfolio would be more extensive after 6 months, than just 2.

In fact, aside from the shorter time taken to complete the course, I'm not sure what other advantages there are for choosing the full-time option...

And here's the Le Wagon 'Web Development' syllabus.

I'd be curious to hear from any current developers or developers-in-training...

1) What are your thoughts on studying full-time vs part-time?

2) Does the Le Wagon syllabus look decent? (it's highly rated by attendees, averaging 4.8/5 stars)

Thanks for reading -- I'm grateful for any thoughts/suggestions 🙏

DEV Community: Jas

Coding bootcamp: full-time or part-time?