No, web development bootcamps should categorically not teach pointers.[1]
Bootcamps typically take place over the course of several weeks, or at most a few months, and as such there is a high opportunity cost to each concept taught. Learning about (just a few examples) the HTTP protocol, CI/CD tools, version control systems, or agile software development methodology are all orders of magnitude more useful than learning about low-level concepts that are fully abstracted away in the languages used.
Joel on Software is a fantastic blog, but this is one instance where I strongly disagree with him. Interview questions should be tailored as closely as possible to the actual requirements of the job. While I agree it may be a warning sign for a JavaScript developer to not understand recursion, it would be absurd to expect them to have a deep understanding of concepts that aren't used in JavaScript.
I also wonder if Joel himself may have updated his opinions on this, since the article was published 14 years ago.
On the other hand, the difference between passing by reference and passing by value, which is the closest thing JavaScript has to pointers, is a fundamental concept. Any web development bootcamp worth its salt should cover this distinction.
[1] Nor should data science bootcamps and so on, for similar reasons. Unless of course they're using a language that actually has pointers.
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No, web development bootcamps should categorically not teach pointers.[1]
Bootcamps typically take place over the course of several weeks, or at most a few months, and as such there is a high opportunity cost to each concept taught. Learning about (just a few examples) the HTTP protocol, CI/CD tools, version control systems, or agile software development methodology are all orders of magnitude more useful than learning about low-level concepts that are fully abstracted away in the languages used.
Joel on Software is a fantastic blog, but this is one instance where I strongly disagree with him. Interview questions should be tailored as closely as possible to the actual requirements of the job. While I agree it may be a warning sign for a JavaScript developer to not understand recursion, it would be absurd to expect them to have a deep understanding of concepts that aren't used in JavaScript.
I also wonder if Joel himself may have updated his opinions on this, since the article was published 14 years ago.
On the other hand, the difference between passing by reference and passing by value, which is the closest thing JavaScript has to pointers, is a fundamental concept. Any web development bootcamp worth its salt should cover this distinction.
[1] Nor should data science bootcamps and so on, for similar reasons. Unless of course they're using a language that actually has pointers.