It all depends on the person. Plenty of really awesomeĀ codersĀ are self-taught. Some other coders haveĀ computer scienceĀ background. Others have gone throughĀ coding bootcamps. Thereās really no one-size-fits-all approach to becoming a professional coder.
So rather than talking about if a coding bootcamp is worth the money letās think about what valueĀ codingĀ bootcamps provide.
What value do coding bootcamps provide?
A path to learningĀ ā there are tons of resources out there to learn how to code ā thereās almost too much. There are an overwhelming amount of tutorials, most of which are geared towards one of two audiences: absolute beginners or people who are already proficient.
CodingĀ bootcamps can provide a clear path that can take you from absolute beginner to intermediate coder all the way up to a proficientĀ junior developer.
A support systemĀ ā sometimes you just need a little help. When starting out coding, sometimes youāll see error messages you donāt understand. Maybe youāll have problems setting up your computer. Bootcamps provide a support system so you donāt get stuck.
By having a support system youāre able to keep going and learning.
MotivationĀ ā by setting aside time and meeting in-person youāre accountable to make progress every single day.
Where you can find these things
So the big question is can you get these things elsewhere. I know for a fact you can.
You can get the path to learning, a support system and motivation to keep going without going through a full-time coding bootcamp. Itās good news: you donāt need to quit your job. You donāt need to move across the country and sublet your apartment.
Right now Iām a code mentor forĀ theFirehoseProjectĀ and youād be amazed how much people can learn when you give them a path, a support system and motivation to keep coding.
We provide our students a path.Ā When they come up with problems or get confused, we give them immediate help through our forum which senior web developers moderate and give answers within the hour. We also provide 1-on-1 mentorship and office hours.
We have our students come up with an idea they want to build out first, that way theyāre motivated to keep going so they get the skills they need to build out their own idea. Then we give them the 1-on-1 help they need to make their dreams a reality.
You can learn more about our approach to teaching through our virtual web development apprenticeship.