How to Choose Your Perfect Bootcamp

3 key factors to consider before choosing a bootcamp. By Scott Bowman, Career Services Manager at SecureSet Denver.

Short-term professional training in technology, typically referred to as coding bootcamps, are rapidly gaining their share in the educational market for hot career pathways like web development, user experience, digital marketing, and other modern trades. This trend has seen a lot of growth due to the rising costs of traditional education. They promise that with little experience, the average career changer can gain the technical skills necessary to get hired for skilled roles averaging $60K-$70K to start.

The craziest part about this is that it works! Food service employees, healthcare workers, military veterans, and otherwise average Joes and Josies have been touted as some of the most remarkable success stories. However, it is important to ask the right questions when deciding if this is a transition for you; your success may depend on it.

Why am I making this point? I have had the privilege of working with thousands of students in career transition, many of them attended a coding bootcamp before seeking my assistance. It is important to know what you are getting yourself into. For your reference, a bootcamp is a school that uses “immersive programs” in a condensed and hands-on format as opposed to traditional methods of education, which predominantly involve lecture and theory. In essence, bootcamps streamline your education, while providing you with industry-applicable, hands-on experience.

I currently have the privilege of developing and managing a career program for SecureSet Academy, a provider of the most complete, immersive and compressed cybersecurity programs across the country. Everything I have learned has come from my experience with managing career services at RefactorU (a now defunct full-stack coding bootcamp), DeVry Bootcamp (an offshoot bootcamp that had high ambitions but ultimately caved to competition and declining enrollment), and as the co-founder of Bootcampers Collective (a free Meetup and Slack community designed to assist technical career changers with their transition in Colorado).

All of these roles have put me in the best position to see the success and shortfalls of bootcamp training and support. I will do my best to provide clear and unbiased insights while helping you in your effort to find the ideal educational program. If you ask the right questions for any school, you will gain a clearer picture as to your fit.

Career Outcomes

When considering a bootcamp, it is crucial to understand how the school defines the success of their graduates. Many schools do not agree on what necessitates a successful career outcome. As a career counselor, I am hesitant to use the word “placement” because job success is often in the eyes of the beholder. One person’s life-changing, part-time job in their desired industry could be seen as a shortfall to another job seeker.

There are efforts underway to standardize career outcomes metrics and reporting. CIRR.org is an initiative to provide better transparency in results reporting. You will notice placement is measured based on the type of role achieved (in-field, out-of-field, full-time, part-time, contract, etc) and the period of time (60, 90, 120 days); there is pay transparency data as well. Below are some example questions that you can ask to more clearly define a school’s career outcome statistics and policies.

• What percentage of students were successfully employed in X period of time?
• Who hires your students and for what roles?
• What will the opportunities in this industry look like in 10 years?
• Can I meet a graduate? (Find alumni on LinkedIn and ask about their experience)
• How does your school prepare its students for success (not just technical skills)?
• What does the day-to-day job in this industry look like?
• What support is offered to students after graduation?
• What technologies are used in job search?
• Do you have a talent portal?

Community Engagement

A good sign of your success beyond a bootcamp is how involved the school is in their community. Creating partnerships, hosting events, and active outreach to employers is crucial to the success of a bootcamp. They need to continuously manage their brand’s reputation. That reputation will also help you as a student in getting noticed by the right employers.

The secret to your career success, no matter where you go to school, is relationship building. If you get to know the right people during your program, it is not uncommon to earn a job prior to graduation. The bootcamp you want to attend understands and values this strategy. Here are a few questions to ask to give yourself a better picture of a school’s relationship with their community:

• How does this school define its community?
• What support will I gain from being a part of this community?
• Are you hosting events that bring prospective employers to campus?
• Do you have an event strategy?

Staff Support

You need to feel supported in a bootcamp to properly showcase your best assets in the job market. From my experience, some schools have very limited capacity to assist their students. They may not have a dedicated career team and instead rely on teaching assistants or instructors. This is not critical, although it is a good indicator of how effectively you will be helped over time. It is easy to “fall through the cracks” if you are not actively communicating with school staff beyond graduation (as with any type of school). This is the most crucial time in your job search. A good career services team should be doing continuous outreach to alumni to keep lines of communication open.

Mentorship opportunities add major value for any career changer, but not every school has a formalized program. Ask the questions below to find out how you will be supported what options are available to you.

• Can I meet with staff and instructors prior to attending?
• How have other students effectively managed their time during the bootcamp?
• For students with backgrounds similar to mine, what advice do you have?
• Do staff maintain open office hours for one-on-one coaching?
• Are instructors and course materials accessible after graduation?

Landing on your ideal education program can be challenging; asking a lot of questions is the best possible way for you to get a complete picture of a school, before making a major commitment. With the above questions in mind, please exercise discretion when contemplating any school. Keep your options open. More importantly, ask yourself if this is something you really want to do. A little research goes a long way. Bootcamps are not easy; you want to know you have what it takes to be successful and that the school will efficiently facilitate that success. Only you can unearth the answers that you need, so when in doubt, ask.

Scott Bowman is Career Services Manager for the Denver campus and brings over 8 years of experience coaching professionals in career transition in both higher education and human services, across the country. Originally from Wisconsin, he achieved a Masters in Higher Education Leadership from the University of Colorado. Scott is passionate about the great outdoors, as well as supporting students and facilitating valuable relationships with pillars of the cybersecurity industry.