What is a Coding Bootcamp? Beyond the Basics

Sometimes, you don’t need a long-winded academic introduction to something you love.

Other times, you just need to dive in head first.

Coding bootcamps are the latter. In short, coding bootcamps allow you to learn the skills necessary for coding. At Per Scholas, we believe deeply in unlocking your potential. We also believe everyone should have the chance to succeed in coding and access world-class educational resources that will allow them to change the face of tech. Let’s start by addressing a key question: What is a coding bootcamp?

What is a Coding Bootcamp?

Coding bootcamps can quickly teach the skills you need to begin a coding career. A few characteristics set coding bootcamps apart from similar educational opportunities:

• Immersive environments: Once you start, you’ll launch into the content, immersing yourself in multimedia learning materials to ensure you can quickly and efficiently learn the code necessary to succeed.
• Intensive learning: A coding bootcamp aims to give you the skills you need quickly. That means you’ll learn an intensive amount of code over a very short period.
• Short duration: Changing the face of tech may take time, but that doesn’t mean that learning should. Our bootcamps are short, often enabling completion in as little as fifteen weeks.
• Skill acquisition: Coding bootcamps are focused on enabling you to acquire the necessary skills. This can include codingÏ language acquisition, system support, and more.

Course content in these bootcamps can vary but usually includes knowledge of programming languages, software development, software design, and more.

Expectations vs. Reality in Coding Bootcamps

Myth: I need experience before doing a coding bootcamp.

Fact: Coding bootcamps are intensive courses that are specifically designed with beginners in mind.

Myth: Bootcamps are fine if I’m unsure about my career.

Fact: You certainly don’t need to be “certain” about what you want to do. However, bootcamps are serious commitments. You should enter a bootcamp to get into coding and software development.

Myth: A coding bootcamp will guarantee me a job!

Fact: There is no question that a coding bootcamp can help advance your career prospects. However, just like anything else, you only get out of your coding bootcamp what you put into it. Your ability to get a job depends on your performance and dedication.

How Much Do Coding Bootcamps Cost?

Tuition at coding bootcamps averages around $13,000. This cost just captures tuition and doesn’t include additional costs, such as supplies, transportation, registration fees, and more.

Per Scholas offers tuition-free programs by investing 80% of our revenue and donations into our programming. This allows us to concentrate on developing world-class educational resources that will enable you to succeed.

Investment vs. Return in Coding Education

One of the many benefits of investing in a coding education is that it opens the doors to many career options. A coding bootcamp can give you the experience you need to get started in the coding industry. Starting salaries depend on various factors but are as high as $58,000, higher than the median salary in the United States.

A coding bootcamp gives you the chance to grow in your career. Potential career opportunities include working as a web developer, software developer, database administrator, networking administrator, and more. These jobs are in high demand: Millions of coding jobs are going unfulfilled, meaning that entering this career trajectory may give you a chance to enter a high-demand field.

The potential for salary growth is massive. The best-paid coders in the United States earn more than $167,000 a year, a salary allowing you to live comfortably anywhere in the country.

Per Scholas: A Unique Approach to Tech Training

You have many options for a coding education, including learning more about just what a tech bootcamp is and how it can help you. At Per Scholas, our approach to these bootcamps is different.

First, we offer a deeply comprehensive curriculum, giving you access to an array of courses that ensure access to a range of coding fields. We also pride ourselves on teaching longer bootcamps: While many bootcamps are just a few weeks, ours usually last multiple months, ensuring you are prepared to enter the job market and succeed.

At Per Scholas, we are committed to the community and believe deeply in accessibility and inclusivity. We work with businesses to build a diverse-by-design talent pipeline embedded in our communities. As a result, our members are learners who are far more diverse than the average bootcamp. Furthermore, our learners have immediate access to workforce opportunities because we work with businesses to build pipelines directly.

The Per Scholas Advantage

Per Scholas is about more than just educating you and sending you into a career: We help you bridge the gap between education and the real world.

First, we provide extensive career support. In addition to our tuition-free programs, we also provide professional skills development, upskill existing talents, and provide ongoing support for alumni for up to two years after you graduate.

Next, we provide you with industry connections. Our program partners with some of the biggest names in tech, government, and the nonprofit world. This gives you access to future jobs and careers.

At Per Scholas, we emphasize sustainable careers by helping alumni get jobs in fields that are growing and thriving. As a result, our alumni are not just getting a job but building a long-term career.

Career Outcomes of Coding Bootcamp Alumni

Job Market Prospects Post-Bootcamp

85% of our learners graduate, and 80% of them have full-time employment within a year of graduating.

This means that our alumni can start a long-term career in coding. Coders can start as junior developers, learning the skills necessary to continue to succeed. In the long run, success in this field opens the door to more jobs, including senior development, lead architect, management, and more.

Per Scholas’ Track Record in Career Success

If you understand what a coding bootcamp is, you may also want more information on our success? If that’s the case, meet our alumni.

Our alumni have plenty of stories of success as a result of our employer partnerships with businesses like Google, BlackRock, Amazon, and more.

For example, Andres Yates learned coding in college but found a gap between what he needed to know and what college taught him. Per Scholas closed that gap and enabled him to get the job he needed. Jarred Gaines was planning on opening a gym until COVID hit. Following the advice of a friend, Jarred found Per Scholas, participated in virtual training, and pivoted his entire career into a successful IT position that gives him job security, financial support, and the flexibility he needs to raise his 9-year old son/

Choosing the Right Path in Tech Education

The only way that a career in technical education will work for you is if it meets your personal goals. You can determine that by taking career aptitude tests, engaging in visualization about what a successful career looks like, and spending time evaluating what worked for you during your educational career.

Furthermore, you need to make sure that any educational commitment matches your learning style in terms of what you need during your education and expect afterward. Do you have the time commitment to complete a boot camp program? Does the learning environment, including teaching and online support, match your needs? Does your educational program help introduce you to employers and find the post-graduate support you need?

Success Stories: From Training to Tech Careers

As noted on our alumni page, Per Scholas has helped thousands achieve post-graduate success. By learning just what a coding bootcamp is, these alumni began successful careers.

Hajji Peace started as a security guard and a barber before realizing he wanted more. Thanks to Per Scholas, Hajji doubled his salary after losing his job during the pandemic and is now well on his way to a successful career.

Christopher Rivera worked in a call center but wanted more, and Per Scholas’ 2021 Boston bootcamp helped him get there. Christopher is now working a stable job in the tech field and looking forward to developing a satisfying career.

Shante Austin is a single Mom who didn’t have the time to go to college. Per Scholas’ bootcamp gave her the tools she needed to get a full-time job in coding for the automobile industry, giving her the skills and opportunities she needed to provide for herself and her daughter.

All of our alumni asked ourselves some important questions: How can I succeed? What is a tech bootcamp? and how can I use it to advance my life? Per Scholas had the answers, and we helped these alumni – and more – achieve a better life.

Conclusion: Your Journey in Tech Education

Now that you understand what a coding bootcamp is, you get that they come with a slew of advantages: They allow alumni to increase their skills quickly, they can often lead to the start of a successful career, they can allow alumni to find employment immediately, and they can help future software developers build a robust network of fellow coders.

We go one step further. Our tuition-free approach means no one goes into debt while starting their career. We develop a diverse talent pipeline that will change tech and are committed to the long-term success of our learners and dedicated to their futures, and we back up that commitment by ensuring that our learners have access to the coaching and mentoring resources they need.

Is Per Scholas right for you? It just might be. You need to consider your career aspirations and educational needs.

At Per Scholas, we’re here to help. We strive to build a sustainable and diverse tech pipeline designed to advance the dynamic needs of advancing technology and the people who fulfill those needs. That’s why we’re about much more than just a teacher: We are also committed to providing our course participants with ongoing learner and alumni support, helping anyone who takes our courses succeed as they advance their career.

Ready to learn more? Sign up for Per Scholas Courses and start down a path that will unlock your full potential.