[ben_jones]

Does anyone trust the data coming directly from bootcamps? Even if the data they present is technically accurate it's so easy to cherry pick or game the numbers that I would never be able to recommend bootcamps to people looking to make such a drastic transition in their lives.

[altotrees]

I am self-taught. Spent at least 2 hours a day learning everyday in my mid 20's. I think it is critical to find an experienced dev or engineer to be a code mentor and to be disciplined and give yourself realistic challenges and goals.

Doing it the way I did saved me probably 10-15k and an expensive move. It may seem like an awesome idea to join a bootcamp, but just remember that you may be able to create an even better (and cheaper) environment for yourself with a little dedication and creativity.

An aside: it really scares me how camps tout Backbone and React like they are the only frameworks you will ever need to know to be employable. It is way more important to figure out how you learn, so you can keep pace with changes when they come, because they always do. Just my experiences, and I would certainly never look down on anyone who did attend a bootcamp. Different strokes, as they say.