How coding bootcamps compare with a degree from the university?

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Coding bootcamp have appeared these last years in the USA and in Europe. The high Tech sector is recruiting at a very high pace. The big issue about training today is the adequacy of training programmes to the needs of the professions. For some skills, it is natural to take some time to learn from a young age and then to develop the skills through a career. The High Tech sector has tumbled down this traditional path of learning and evolving. The technology requires some specific skills which can be acquired in about a year, considering the students are motivated and have a kind of intuition about computers and the net.

What are the specific requirements to attend a bootcamp?

Universities are offering long term programmes, and they propose a holistic approach about knowledge. Bootcamps are more particular and aim directly at specific, tasks orientated knowledge like coding bootcamp UK with lewagon.com in Europe. At the university, students are also developing social skills while interacting with other students. They need to discover the methodologies to learn and to look for a job. Most of the students population is very young and needs to know more about life while finding a motivation for a job or to continue to study.

Bootcamps request instantly to know about one’s career. There is no possibility to switch from one training to another. For example, if a student opt for coding, at the university, he may be able to attend course also dealing with web design. At the end of the curriculum, he may re-direct his studies according to his choice. When applying for a bootcamp, in coding, for example, the student will have to commit to take the course about coding and only coding. Consequently, the student will have to apply to the training programme and to pass tests about his motivation. The training session to become a coder is short, it can be less than a year.

This implies hard work and almost no time for social life during this period. Again, this is a big contrast with some studies at the university. The decision to study coding at a bootcamp, or anything subject directly linked with a professional position involves sacrifices. For example, finances are more difficult to find since it is complex to find funding. Again, it is the opposite for studies at the universities where grants can be allowed. So, what are the real advantages of studying at a bootcamp?

  • the teaching is performed by professionals;
  • the companies are hiring direct from bootcamps;
  • the demand is high for newly trained high-tech employees.

The matter to have professionals as teachers is twofold. Of course, it guarantees that the knowledge just learned is fitting into the requirements of the most important employers. It also involves meeting people with a know-how of the best practice in the field. This justifies the interest of employers who are seeking to hire highly efficient new employees and operational. The updating of skills also matters, this does explain why bootcamps are not only for post A-levels students but also for people with the ambition to develop a new career with a good salary.