Online learning, MOOCs, and What They Have to Do with Coding Bootcamps

Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and bootcamps have picked up steam in recent years; these alternatives are appealing to students as tuition costs continue to rise at universities.

The global market for MOOCs is projected to grow from $3.9 billion in 2018 to $20.8 billion in 2023, according to reporting by Software Development Times. The popularity of bootcamps has also picked up speed, and isn’t expected to stop anytime soon. Coding bootcamps now are graduating 11 times the amount of students they did in 2013, according to data from Course Report. And 2019 is on-track to have the largest number of annual coding bootcamp graduates ever.

Whether you’re happily employed in a role and just want some professional development, or are trying to jumpstart your career with a new skillset, both options offer a more time and cost-effective approach to learning than the traditional four-year university.

What’s the difference between MOOCs and Bootcamps?

MOOCs are courses that can be taken online, some are free while others can cost up to $300 a month. They are completely open, with no prior admissions or enrollment process required. For this reason, many are also massive, sometimes including thousands of participants due to the open nature of the course. Classes are also typically self-paced, meaning that there are no deadlines for students to complete coursework by. This is a welcome option for many full-time employees interested in professional development but concerned about balancing deadlines alongside their job.

Bootcamps, however, are typically a more schedule-driven, immersive experience with a focus on time and results. Depending on the program, coding bootcamps can be done remotely or in-person, and focus on project-based learning to keep students on-task learning the skills they need to land a job quickly. Although bootcamps usually cost money, they are far cheaper than a computer science degree at most universities and take less time to complete. Many students feel that this hands-on approach is worth the investment for jumpstarting their career in web development.

Scheduling is not the only major difference between MOOCs and bootcamps; location is also key. The remote nature of MOOCs, while convenient, can also be a barrier for students finishing their coursework. Although convenient, some students prefer an in-person experience to keep them motivated. Hybrid community coding bootcamps like Nucamp offer a great in-between option, allowing students to complete all coursework remotely but attend a once-weekly, in-person workshop that is local to them, even if they do not live near a major U.S. city. As a web developer, you’ll likely be working on a team alongside other developers, so these workshops are a great chance to learn problem-solving alongside peers and instructors.

What bootcamps and MOOCs mean for the future

Education at universities isn’t just expensive; it’s also created a high-pressure environment for applicants to even enroll. This has led to some pretty insane consequences, such as the recent college admissions bribery scandal involving some of the world’s most rich and famous. This pressure on students has made many be more “college ready” than “career ready.” High school students spend so much time preparing their academic resumes for acceptance into competitive colleges that many don’t have time to envision their long-term career goals wholistically.

These pressures, and rising costs, have led many students to search for lower-cost, lower-commitment alternatives. Enter the world of online learning - and ultimately, bootcamps and MOOCs. These programs not only have a high return on investment, but they also let students skip the pressures of college acceptances and focus entirely on the training that matters most in their future career. Bootcamps and MOOCs are changing the way that we think about education as a society.

Online learning is also giving more people access to education than ever before, financially and geographically - it has a huge opportunity to be a win for equity. In relation to coding bootcamps, this is likely to lead to some amazingly positive consequences, such as more diverse representation in the tech and STEM industries that still struggle with diversity today. 

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