[stickperson]

I did one back in 2013 and went in with very minimal experience-- I could write simple loops in python but had no idea how to actually build something. At the time I wasn't even sure if that's what I wanted to do for a living. I knew I wanted to try something in tech since it's everywhere in SF. At a bare minimum, the bootcamp would give me an idea of how the engineering process works.

All of the bootcamps I know of focus solely on web dev. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of places need web people, and you can always keep learning and transition to something else if you want.

Here's the advice I usually have for people that ask me if they should do one:

* what did you do in college? I found that people who did some sort of STEM major caught on much more quickly than those who did something like Art. Basically, if you've had a lot of experience with problem solving and critical thinking things should come easier to you

* go in with a project in mind. Learning with a purpose and intent (I want to build X, what do I need to learn to do that?) is much more effective

* don't believe the job placement numbers. Prepare to be on the hunt for 6 months after you finish

* try to talk to people who did the specific program you're interested in. This is a big one. LinkedIn is your friend.

* if you do go, don't mention it on your resume. Plenty of people just throw bootcamp resumes out. Just say you're self taught.

* you won't learn to code just by simply showing up to class. It takes a lot of effort outside the classroom

That's all I can think of for now. I had a tough time finding my first job, but if I had to do it all over again I'd do it in a heartbeat. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions.

[gailees]

I've consistently found this to be a game-changer: "* if you do go, don't mention it on your resume. Plenty of people just throw bootcamp resumes out. Just say you're self taught."

Yet so many of the bootcamps are telling their students to list the bootcamp on their resume.

The whole job placement numbers thing is a sham. I've helped dozens of bootcamp grads improve their online presence during their job hunt and many have to take shitty jobs to start after struggling during the job hunt for months.

That said, the bootcamp grads I worked with a few years ago who kept at it are doing really well right now.

[lcw]

Where I'm at we hired a person with only bootcamp development experience and so far they have worked out great. They also linked us to their bootcamp work on github. With that said we mostly hired said person because we thought they were extremely intelligent. They were pursuing a PHD and just found that they were not interested in their field after their first job so they made the jump to something they thought they would enjoy more. With that said I think bootcamp alone on a resume is not going to get you in the door at a good development shop. You have to bolster that experience with something else. Anyway I agree if you don't have something on your resume that would be attributed to someone with an above average intelligence definitely say you are self taught over placing the bootcamp you just went to on your resume. It stands out more for companies who weight intelligence highly.

[stickperson]

Sometimes accepting a shitty job just to get started is the only option. You do what you have to do though.

[turnsole]

"* if you do go, don't mention it on your resume. Plenty of people just throw bootcamp resumes out. Just say you're self taught."

Yep. I haven't discarded a resume just because a bootcamp was listed, but I do have less respect for them than "self taught", perhaps unfairly. "Self taught" speaks to a personal responsibility for one's own education, which seems to be the key for success at bootcamps as well as college as in life.

With colleges the multi-year commitment is a reasonably useful proxy for said responsibility, though outliers are of course legion.

[imauld]

I went to a boot camp after being self taught and it was a huge help. Going to a boot camp put a good amount of polish on what I already knew as well as introduced me to some of the soft skills associated with working as a dev (doing/getting code reviews, working in a team, working on a time line etc).

If you're thinking less of boot camps grads, you shouldn't. At least in the program I attended everyone had at least a BA in something (some even had CS degrees).

[stickperson]

I think it might be a bit unfair. Don't get me wrong, I have seen people who had the mentality of "I'll just go to a bootcamp and start making good money." There are definitely others who, as others have said, used bootcamps as a lunch pad and just something to get them started. Hard to tell just from a resume though.

[x0x0]

2 things:

@stickperson, your email isn't visible. You have to add it in your profile in the about box or only admins can see.

Second, I'm friends with one of the https://appacademy.io founders. I don't think my friend is lying about the placement rates. And because their model is a chunk of your first years salary, they don't get paid until you do. I'd check them out. Of course, do your due diligence as well.

[throwthisawayt]

I actually went to app academy. Their placement rates are definitely deceptive. For example they touted a 95% placement rate on their website when my cohort went thorough but we had huge job hunt issues with our cohort. But that number never changed on the website even though we were at 80% at best and I can't believe that we didn't bring the average down. It's a great program but they are deceptive with numbers.

[seattle_spring]

> if you do go, don't mention it on your resume. Plenty of people just throw bootcamp resumes out. Just say you're self taught.

I get resumes from candidates that do this all the time. Here's the thing though-- it's SO obvious. The formula is always the same: Someone with no real-world experience, and and 2 lines of content padded to a full page comprised completely of useless 1-week to 2-month projects.

[garysieling]

What was the first job experience like?

[stickperson]

A classmate and I did a bit of contract work for a company. We built out some widgets for a dashboard with d3.