Getting A Job After A Coding Bootcamp—The Full Story

Do Companies Hire Coding Bootcamp Graduates?

Yes.

Open positions for software developers are expected to grow 22% through 2030, which is faster than all other jobs in the US.

The average entry-level software engineer salary is over $75,000.

And for software engineers with full-stack web development experience, the salary exceeds six figures.

This optimistic job outlook has many people considering coding bootcamps to help switch jobs and begin a career in tech.

They offer students the opportunity to learn quickly and effectively the technical skills they need to get their first software development job.

Students learn to code without paying for an expensive 4-year computer science degree.

Coding bootcamps open doors to a wide variety of job opportunities.

What Skills Lead to Employment as a Web Developer?

1) Web Fundamentals: HTML, CSS, JavaScript

2) Front-end Development

3) Back-end Development

4) Full-stack Development

Web Fundamentals

Web Development Fundamentals coding bootcamps are entry-level courses that help advance your career by building your technical foundation.

They introduce the skills needed to customize websites by teaching HTML, CSS, and JavaScript basics.

Students don’t learn the in-depth nuts and bolts of building a website from scratch.

But they gain the experience needed to build upon existing products and services.

This includes:

• Build Client Websites :
• Most businesses need a website.
• With high-level HTML, CSS and JavaScript knowledge, you’ll be able to customize off-the-shelf website templates.
• The skill to create and maintain websites with good user experiences helps new businesses get started, and existing businesses continue to adapt.
• Design Email Templates :
• Email marketing is a huge part of any business marketing program.
• Companies expect their emails to look great.
• With a mix of HTML and CSS skills, you’ll be able to build email templates businesses will be proud to use.
• Collaborate with Developers & Digital Teams :
• Not everyone wants a job as a developer.
• But they might want a job in the tech sector or see themselves working with developers.
• Having some web developments knowledge helps to communicate with technical teams and manage projects more effectively.

Front-end Web Development

More advanced programming courses, like front-end bootcamps, will expand the types of jobs and career opportunities you can pursue.

They delve deeper into building user interfaces.

They teach languages like React.js and React Native, as well as how to leverage code libraries.

After learning front-end development, students can:

• Build Responsive Websites :
• Businesses are building websites for visitors who use everything from phones to tablets, to laptops.
• To keep visitors engaged, they need their sites to adapt across all these screen types.
• Helping companies create responsive websites means you’ll be offering their customers a best-in-class user experience.
• Create Dynamic Mobile Apps :
• Over 6 billion people own smartphones.
• Websites must perform well on mobile devices to engage users.
• Front-end web development courses teach you the coding skills needed to build engaging mobile applications users will love.
• Design Cross-Browser Websites :
• People visit websites using Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox.
• Companies need their sites to work across these different browsers.
• Front-end developers know these browsers’ quirks and how to work around them.

Back-end Development and Full-stack Development

People who enjoy behind-the-scenes work will be drawn to back-end bootcamps or full-stack bootcamps that combine user interface design and database development.

Back-end languages like NodeJS and database frameworks like MongoDB power websites and applications by taking care of authentication, security, user data processing and much more.

After attending these advanced programs, students are qualified to:

• Certify Software Quality :
• Organizations need a last-line-of defense to verify that websites and apps will work well.
• This is why they hire Quality Assurance Engineers or Quality Assurance Testers.
• These individuals intentionally try to break the app to find problems before their users do.
• Develop Systems:
• Having both front-end and back-end design expertise, software engineers build sites and applications to support the business.
• Most organizations have many integrated systems, so developing interfaces is also an important skill.
• Administer Databases :
• Large businesses manage and store a lot of data and need this data to be easily accessible.
• By managing business databases, you can ensure that data is always available and secured from unauthorized access.
• Back-end web development courses train you to be the first line of defense helping users troubleshoot the issue and get their systems working again.

Can You Switch Careers with a Coding Bootcamp?

Yes.

They are a fantastic way to risk-proof a career-switch.

One of the biggest advantages is that their part-time, flexible schedule allows you to learn while still earning an income.

So, by the time you graduate, you’ll be debt-free and have the skills to begin a new career in tech.

Many bootcamp graduates start their technical career path as Quality Assurance Engineers or Quality Assurance Testers.

These professionals “kick the tires” of new code before it’s released to users and customers.

This vital role requires logical thinking, and troubleshooting skills, and ensures only high-quality products are delivered.

It allows beginners to improve their coding skills on-the-job, while getting exposed to other aspects of the software development lifecycle.

Coding skills are not just for developers.

They’re beneficial to many non-engineering jobs, so many participate to be more successful in their existing careers.

If you’re unsure whether a career in coding is right for you, enroll in a web development fundamentals course.

This shorter entry-level class teaches HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

It will provide you with the basics you need to succeed in more advanced courses.

What Salary Can You Earn After Completing a Coding Bootcamp?

The salaries that students earn vary based on a variety of factors.

One major factor is location. Cities and towns with a higher cost of living will naturally pay their employees more.

Another factor is a student’s non-development skills.

After working years in related industries, graduates may have a wider range of applicable skills that warrant a higher salary.

In contrast, students with limited work experience are likely to be compensated a bit lower.

That said, there are objective ways to gauge potential salaries in some of the classic jobs obtained after graduating.

Research by coding bootcamp evaluator Course Report, found that the average starting salary of students in their first year of graduating was nearly $71,000.

This was about $25,000 more per year than they were making prior to attending.

The same research found that graduates averaged $80,000 per year in their second coding jobs.

That increased to over $90,000 per year in their third job following graduation.

Further, with on-the-job training and more experience, they are able seek job opportunities with even higher-paying salaries.

One notable finding in this research was about students who self-taught before, during and after their bootcamps.

These students were on record as making more money on an annual basis.

Meaning, students who are committed to learning, and attend with a basic understanding of what to expect, get more out of the experience.

They graduate with stronger portfolios, which makes them more attractive to employers.

Do Coding Bootcamp Job Guarantees Work?

A reasonable question prospective students ask is if they’ll get a job after graduation.

After all, enrolling is a big commitment.

Many students balance jobs and other life responsibilities around their coding education.

There’s also the financial investment.

Students want this investment to pay off.

Some bootcamps guarantee that you’ll get a full or partial refund if you don’t find a job within a set amount of time after graduation.

Be wary of such guarantees.

You always need to look at the fine print since many of these job guarantees...

• Have unreasonable job-search conditions :
• Some programs stipulate the minimum number of applications you must submit per week and other criteria involving your job search.
• Depending on the job environment and the type of job you’re seeking, these criteria may not be reasonable.
• Don’t let you turn down job offers :
• That’s right! If you turn down a job offer, some won’t give you a refund.
• This includes job offers that are terrible personal or professional fits, or jobs that offer mediocre salaries.
• Consider internships as employment :
• Internships certainly help you build your skill set and become a better coder.
• But they don’t necessarily come with the salary or benefits you expect from a full-time job.
• Nor are they a guarantee of a full-time job.
• Don’t stipulate the type of job you’ll get :
• Many consider non-technical jobs or even positions offered by their own organization as viable positions.
• This allows them to technically fulfill the guarantee.
• But it certainly doesn’t align with the spirit of the guarantee or what students expected upon enrolling.

The idea of a job guarantee is attractive on the surface, but not necessarily valuable to students in the long-term.

A better approach is to ask how well a program prepares students to seek the job they want after graduation.

Questions to ask prospective bootcamps:

1. Do they teach languages that are in-demand by employers today?
2. Do they offer the opportunity to build a portfolio so you can show prospective employers what you can do?
3. Do they help you build your professional network so you can begin getting high-quality interview opportunities?
4. Do they help you hone interview skills?

These are far stronger signals of job search success than a job guarantee.

Coding bootcamps are great ways to learn the skills to get a job in tech.

The job opportunities are wide ranging with competitive salaries.

Coding skills are in high demand.

Now is a great time to consider a programming career in web development.

WANT TO LEARN MORE ? For more on information, check out our Ultimate Guide to Coding Bootcamps.