10 Facts About Coding Bootcamps You Didn’t Know

More money in your pocket. Part of what makes coding bootcamps have such a strong return on investment is not just their low up-front cost - but also the positive results. Average coding bootcamp alumni saw a $19,485 (45.6 percent) salary increase in their first job post-bootcamp compared to their pre-bootcamp job (SwitchUp). The same data found that 43.7 percent of graduates, on average, saw a salary increase of $10,000 or more after finishing a bootcamp.

Less money up-front. Coding bootcamps have a lower up-front cost than many traditional computer science programs at universities. In fact, in 2019 bootcamp students paid $12,643 in tuition on average (Course Report), quite a difference from CS degrees which can reach as high as $55,000 per year! Hybrid community-based coding bootcamps such as Nucamp undercut this cost even further due to their low overhead costs, as most learning is done remotely along with weekly in-person workshops.

Location, location, location. Community-based coding bootcamps offer another advantage over many brick-and-mortar coding bootcamps: they are hyperlocal. Over 50 percent of all bootcamps in the US are based in just 10 cities. This means that for many, enrolling in coding bootcamp means a move to a larger city - and with that, a larger cost of living. The hybrid community-based coding model allows students to learn to code remotely at a time and location that is convenient for them. Weekly in-person workshops are arranged based on location so that students do not have to travel far.

Helping with diversity in tech. Because of their low up-front financial and time cost, coding bootcamps provide wider access to web development skills than before, increasing the amount of diverse representation in many programs. In fact, 34 percent of bootcampers are women compared with 19 percent in undergrad CS degrees (Course Report). This shift is important, as it’s no secret that the tech industry has lagged behind in diversity.

Using what you learn. This application-based approach enables students to apply for jobs that best align with what they learned in coding bootcamp - making their investment in bootcamp worthwhile! In fact, 79 percent of respondents of bootcamp graduates surveyed said they worked in a job requiring the technical skills they learned in the bootcamp (Course Report).

What do employers really think? From the data above, you can see that coding bootcamps have strong employment rates. But what do hiring managers actually think about coding bootcamps, and how do they stack up to traditional four-year degrees? Data shows that 72 percent of employers think bootcamp graduates are “just as prepared” to be high performers as degree holders (Indeed).

What jobs are out there? Coding bootcamps set students up for a wide variety of web development careers. For example, Nucamp offers varied tracks based on interest in Full Stack Web + Mobile Development, Front End Web + Mobile Development, and Web Development Fundamentals, giving students the skills they need for many different career paths. The most popular job titles post-bootcamp in 2018 included the following: Software Engineer (31 percent); Front End Developer (18 percent); and Junior Web Developer (15 percent). (Course Report).

It’s only up from here. The coding bootcamp industry is booming, and has been for several years now. Coding bootcamps have grown 11x in the number of graduates since 2013, and in 2019, 23,043 students will graduate a bootcamp - the largest number of annual graduates ever (Course Report). This is an exciting time of growth in the tech industry, with coding bootcamps introducing a wider pool of talent every year.