Thanks for sharing your experience, I find the concept of Bootcamp really interesting. There are hundreds of institutions offering these types of courses and I wonder if there is consistency with content. I'm not sure any other industry has stepped into this model for education, is it just Web Development?
The course I did wasn't an immersive bootcamp but 10 weeks part-time. I had done online learning before the course but that did not prepare me for the pace. The rest of my cohort were all developers by day so it was a tough ride trying to keep up, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I've come out the other side being able to talk the talk, if nothing else, and have stepped into a more technical role. I was not expecting to become a JS developer after a part-time course but it was a good way to get more hands-on with new technology.
You are right that there is no consistency with content which is potentially one downside of not being accredited. I have talked to people who have gone through various boot camps around the world and the breakdown is in how these boot camps are being marketed. They're essentially deceiving most of the students. It's one thing to be upfront about what you will and will not learn and another to promise a job after the boot camp, which is ridiculous. If someone attends a boot camp knowing what to expect exactly, then that is one thing. However, I think if most people knew what to expect from their $12,000 loan and time, it could deter many of them. That's what these boot camps don't want to happen.
The biggest issue I see is that they're promising these people that they will become Full Stack Developers after the program. Just because someone has sat through a session and done a standard project doesn't make them a Full Stack Developer. The grading is extremely lenient and so is the acceptance process.
I have been researching a lot about this space mainly because I've noticed this emerging pattern and I've felt really bad for these students.
You seem to have set the right expectations ahead of time. What are you doing now and what are your goals for the future (in Software Development)?
Have you found in your research that there are more courses that offer to defer fees until course completion? Do you feel this is a step in the right direction?
My only expectation was that I'd come out the other side with a better understanding of scripting, be able to use the command line and have a better grasp on concepts like loops and functions. We whizzed through the content and could have spent a lot longer delving into some areas, but as it was 10 weeks part-time (not an immersive Bootcamp) it was the right amount of time to get a taste for it.
I've never heard of deferred fees at a boot camp. However, in the past six weeks, I came across an individual at a boot camp who was kicked out after mid-terms and refunded half the money. Prior to that incident, I had never heard of such a thing. I'm not sure if it is a common occurrence. The individual was devasted (had recently lost one of their parents and was genuinely trying to get back on track) and I was trying to help them as best as I could prior to the test, but I didn't have enough time to work with them and cover enough fundamentals so they could effectively work on a project. The whole boot camp was just rushed.
I have heard of some place that takes 10-20% of your salary for two years. That is definitely an interesting angle, but we need to understand the fine print as well.
Have you come across such courses? BTW, may I ask how much you paid for that non-immersive boot camp?
It's over a year old and I didn't click every link to check it was still the case, but the concept of deferred fees sounded like an interesting proposition, for better or worse.
Lead at iO Academy in Bath. Passionate about all things web, especially front-end. Striving for constant self improvement and helping those around me do the same.
There are some bootcamp style courses out there that offer deferred fees. Not many. I run Mayden Academy in England. Our bootcamp industry is very different to that in the US, and is still fairly young. At Mayden we offer interest free loans to be repaid after our students start earning. We do this because we whole heartedly believe in the course we have created and are dedicated to maintaining our 100% success record for placing our graduates with good companies.
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Thanks for sharing your experience, I find the concept of Bootcamp really interesting. There are hundreds of institutions offering these types of courses and I wonder if there is consistency with content. I'm not sure any other industry has stepped into this model for education, is it just Web Development?
The course I did wasn't an immersive bootcamp but 10 weeks part-time. I had done online learning before the course but that did not prepare me for the pace. The rest of my cohort were all developers by day so it was a tough ride trying to keep up, but I'm glad I stuck with it. I've come out the other side being able to talk the talk, if nothing else, and have stepped into a more technical role. I was not expecting to become a JS developer after a part-time course but it was a good way to get more hands-on with new technology.
You are right that there is no consistency with content which is potentially one downside of not being accredited. I have talked to people who have gone through various boot camps around the world and the breakdown is in how these boot camps are being marketed. They're essentially deceiving most of the students. It's one thing to be upfront about what you will and will not learn and another to promise a job after the boot camp, which is ridiculous. If someone attends a boot camp knowing what to expect exactly, then that is one thing. However, I think if most people knew what to expect from their $12,000 loan and time, it could deter many of them. That's what these boot camps don't want to happen.
The biggest issue I see is that they're promising these people that they will become Full Stack Developers after the program. Just because someone has sat through a session and done a standard project doesn't make them a Full Stack Developer. The grading is extremely lenient and so is the acceptance process.
I have been researching a lot about this space mainly because I've noticed this emerging pattern and I've felt really bad for these students.
You seem to have set the right expectations ahead of time. What are you doing now and what are your goals for the future (in Software Development)?
Have you found in your research that there are more courses that offer to defer fees until course completion? Do you feel this is a step in the right direction?
My only expectation was that I'd come out the other side with a better understanding of scripting, be able to use the command line and have a better grasp on concepts like loops and functions. We whizzed through the content and could have spent a lot longer delving into some areas, but as it was 10 weeks part-time (not an immersive Bootcamp) it was the right amount of time to get a taste for it.
I've never heard of deferred fees at a boot camp. However, in the past six weeks, I came across an individual at a boot camp who was kicked out after mid-terms and refunded half the money. Prior to that incident, I had never heard of such a thing. I'm not sure if it is a common occurrence. The individual was devasted (had recently lost one of their parents and was genuinely trying to get back on track) and I was trying to help them as best as I could prior to the test, but I didn't have enough time to work with them and cover enough fundamentals so they could effectively work on a project. The whole boot camp was just rushed.
I have heard of some place that takes 10-20% of your salary for two years. That is definitely an interesting angle, but we need to understand the fine print as well.
Have you come across such courses? BTW, may I ask how much you paid for that non-immersive boot camp?
The article I found while looking into this is Here -> studentloanhero.com/featured/codin...
It's over a year old and I didn't click every link to check it was still the case, but the concept of deferred fees sounded like an interesting proposition, for better or worse.
The 10 week part time JavaScript course was £3000
There are some bootcamp style courses out there that offer deferred fees. Not many. I run Mayden Academy in England. Our bootcamp industry is very different to that in the US, and is still fairly young. At Mayden we offer interest free loans to be repaid after our students start earning. We do this because we whole heartedly believe in the course we have created and are dedicated to maintaining our 100% success record for placing our graduates with good companies.