Is a coding bootcamp right for me?
This is a question I answer every day, or one that I ask applicants of Deep Dive Coding to ask themselves. As Senior Program Manager for the Deep Dive Coding Bootcamps, one of my tasks is to talk to every applicant. This is a time consuming task, but an important one, because my goal is to make sure that participants who sign up for a bootcamp will be successful. In this blog post I’ll explain the criteria that helps us decide who will be a good fit for the bootcamp, common characteristics of a student attending a bootcamp, and what it takes to be successful post-bootcamp. All of these factors can help you determine if a coding bootcamp is right for you.
What Makes Deep Dive Coding Bootcamps Unique
For those who are new to the topic of coding bootcamps, I’d like to explain a little bit about what they are, and what makes Deep Dive Coding unique. Coding bootcamps began as an industry in the early 2000s to provide a quicker way to meet the quickly growing job needs of the software development industry, which became evident with staggering statistics, such as when Harvard Business Review noted that by 2020 there will be 1 million more programming jobs than computer science graduates to fill those jobs. Deep Dive Coding began in 2013, and has been booming ever since. What makes us unique is that we’re the only consistently operating coding bootcamp in New Mexico, and through our affiliation with Central New Mexico Community College, we’re able to provide wrap-around services that many New Mexicans need in order to have this opportunity and to be successful.
How I Know You’re Ready
When someone applies to Deep Dive Coding, I reply with an email asking them to read over all of the details on our website, including our program specific and general FAQs. Next I schedule an interview, in person whenever possible, to evaluate the applicant. The following criteria is what I’m looking for during this interview.
1. You Know and Love Your Computer
I want to know that you have good basic computer skills, with examples of software used, laptop operating system, previous computer classes, previous computer experience at a job, experience taking online coding classes, experience as a student in at a basic IT class (at CNM that’s IT1010), etc. Our bootcamps are designed to be entry level, but if you’re not already one with your laptop and don’t use a computer regularly, this isn’t the right training for you.
2. You’re Ready for a Time Commitment
It’s important that applicants are aware and ready for the time it takes to be successful in a coding bootcamp. This means you can commit to completing 50–90 hours of pre-work, 60 hours per week while attending a fulltime bootcamp and 20 hours per week while attending a part-time bootcamp. For most people, this requires not having a fulltime job or school schedule. You’ll need to have thought through how you’ll afford to do this without working during that duration, and whether you have the support of your family, friends, partner, etc. If your life isn’t in a place where you can dedicate this much time, this isn’t the right training for you.
3. You Know Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Applicants should be ready to show us that they can work well with others on a team project, giving examples of when they’ve done so in the past. In this intensive training environment, everyone has to work well together, or it impacts the experience for the entire cohort. With the workload it’s really not possible to go it alone, and almost all professional software and web developers work on teams. You have to be willing to collaborate.
4. You Like to Learn
I love to see enthusiasm to learn and participate, that you understand that learning to code is a lifelong process, and that you have a desire to use these skills in a future job. If you want to attend the coding bootcamp, but don’t have an interest in actually being a coder/programmer/developer, then this training isn’t right for you.
5. You Can Meet a Deadline
You’re ready when you’re prepared to pay in full by the deadlines, or you are eligible for funding and have talked through it with us by the deadline. We want to see everyone succeed, but a lot of resources go into each student, and we need to make sure we’re able to provide those resources. Your financial commitment reflects your readiness to fully dive in!
Once you’ve been accepted and have paid, we get you started on the mandatory course pre-work. The pre-work involves setting up the toolset you’ll need in the bootcamp, becoming familiar with it, reading documentation, and watching videos that our instructors have created that walk you through some fundamentals. Pre-work is how we make this an entry level bootcamp. It ensures that everyone knows some fundamentals before they begin. Successful students are often identified during the pre-work process, and have common characteristics such as showing commitment, patience, and problem solving abilities.
Bootcamp Students Come from Every Walk of Life
One of the most common characteristics of coding bootcamp students is that they are incredibly diverse. It seems counterintuitive that diversity can be a common trait, but for coding bootcamp students, it is. The average age of our students is 33. Some have never written a line of code in their lives, some are computer science majors, some are recently discharged veterans, many have never been to college, and many are changing careers. It’s common to get students with degrees in art, music, or foreign languages. Five of our current students were Spanish majors! As noted in a recent CIO Magazine article, coding bootcamp graduates are far more diverse than computer science graduates, and many employers are seeking employees that bring unique perspectives and backgrounds to the organization. The point is, your prior experience has little to do with your success in a coding bootcamp, but it could be applicable to what you do after. What successful students do have in common is commitment, work ethic, interest in problem solving, the ability to collaborate with a team, the ability to understand mathematical concepts, familiarity with an operating system, and perseverance. Coding bootcamps are hard work, but if you can stick with it and give it 110% of your effort, you will be successful.
What Happens After the Bootcamp?
After the bootcamp, success isn’t a guarantee. We’ll do all we can to prepare you for a job, but in the end, it’s up to you to sell yourself to an employer. To meet your career objectives after the bootcamp, you have to be flexible. You may not get a job with that hot new tech company right away. Those who are open to contract work, internships, or freelancing often get enough post-bootcamp experience that it leads to the next big gig, so be open to those resume-building opportunities! You also have to get out there. It’s all about who you know, especially in Albuquerque. While attending the bootcamp, we’ll introduce you to as many people in the local tech scene as we can, and we’ll tell you about what meetups to go to so that you can meet others. If you’re not networking, you probably won’t find a job. On average, it takes our graduates six weeks to find a job, so make sure you’ve planned your life in a way that you can afford to keep a roof over your head for as long as it takes.
To summarize, coding bootcamps aren’t for everyone. They’re a very different kind of educational experience. Before you commit, talk to me, talk to our alumni, talk to our instructors. Make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into. If you do think this immersive, challenging, and rewarding environment is right for you, you’ve come to the right place. Apply at deepdivecoding.com, and let’s start the conversation.
