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There are zillions of factors that could make hiring a bootcamp grad a good or bad idea, from the type of bootcamp, to the type of individual, to the type of company, to even the interview process. I did several online "bootcamps" (free code camp, Udacity, and some Udemy/Coursera courses), since I felt like no single curriculum really satisfied what I felt to be necessary. I just like learning, so I made sure that I practiced every day. And now I have a job working at a small start-up (4 employees including me). The last dev they hired was from Free Code Camp as well, and he's doing very well. The CEO of the company mentored him, and now the dev is mentoring me. The interview process is something I think a lot of other companies could learn from--no brainteasers, no tricks, just coding. They asked me to open up a project I worked on during the bootcamp, describe it, then add a new feature. They stepped out while I was working so that I wouldn't be nervous about making a mistake. The CEO himself applauded my use of Google when I ran into road blocks. It took about an hour total, and during that time, they were able to determine if I was fit for the position. So I think the viability of hiring bootcamp grads stems from how good the interview process is--if it's terrible, you may be disappointed in your new hire. |