The idea of an online bootcamp has officially caught the attention of hopeful adults wanting to pursue a higher education in order to jumpstart their careers. In the last decade, online bootcamps teaching programming languages, data analytics, marketing, and more have become a more relevant topic of discussion when deciding to take that next big step in life.
When done right, bootcamps properly take each student and guides them through an intense course lasting as short as a handful of weeks long. Once they reach the graduation finish line, students are then able to walk away confidentially with the skillsets they need in order to launch a career in tech. But because of the fast timeline of lesson plans, not every student is able to successfully complete bootcamps and are forced to make the decision to change directions for themselves. When looking at the difficulty that’s ahead, it makes sense that there will be plenty of unexpected hurdles to cross over along the way. But unfortunately, some students lose their hopeful spirits and fall behind before deciding to throw in the towel officially.
In this blog post, we are going to share our expert knowledge to guide you to better understanding if an online bootcamp is the best route for you to take.
Is an Online Coding and Data Bootcamp Right for You?
How to Know if an Online Bootcamp is Your Best Option
Facing such a massive life decision takes time and research. But luckily, there’s a few great starting points to help you take those big first steps. Let’s highlight two of the largest ones.
Do Your Research into Higher Education Options
If you’ve already made your mind up that you are ready to pursue a higher education option, then you’ve already made a massive decision for yourself and well on your way towards success. So, first and foremost – congratulations!
But that decision may come with a few more additional big choices you weren’t ready for. The truth is, there’s an abundance of options to choose from no matter which path you decide to go down. It’s up to you to truly compare each opportunity in detail.
Some higher education options likely available to you now:
- Traditional 4-year college at a university
- Online college
- Tech school
- Bootcamp
- Community college
- Certificate programs
- On-the-job training
And that’s just to name a few…
The things to consider when researching into each should include things such as cost, time, average salary of graduates with similar education, remote vs physical location classrooms, after graduation support, alumni success stories, and instructor support. But obviously, this list will change depending on the person and what is most important to you. Again, it’s up to you to proper dedicate the time to determine what is best for you and your situation. It can be overwhelming. But staying true to what matters the most to you and which option aligns the closest to your long-term goals should narrow the list down pretty quickly.
Understand the Learning Process of a Bootcamp
The uniqueness of how you learn in an online bootcamp is one of the driving factors behind many decisions to officially become a student in a course. The time and cost it takes to complete an online bootcamp, especially when comparing one with a traditional 4-year degree, is very attention grabbing for many. Why go to school for four years when you can get the same salary, skillsets, and knowledge in a fraction of the time?
The learning process that students go through is often times a difficult challenge. In a full-time or part-time setting, you will be taught the relevant skills that massive companies such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Twitter hire for constantly. Which is exciting! But you must also realize the work that goes into a single bootcamp course. Because of the short amount of time, each class is designed to give you as much information in a short amount of time and have you graduate an expert ready to start a brand-new career with your feet hitting the ground. This very fast process isn’t for everyone. But if you like the idea of a challenge, becoming an expert in a short amount of time, potentially launching a career and making the same salary as a 4-year degree graduate, and saving money in the long run…then an online bootcamp may be a realistic option for you to entertain
The Benefits of a Bootcamp
There are a few main benefits that may come to mind when looking into an online bootcamp. Some have even been mentioned in this blog post so far. But there’s a few more massive benefits that you may not think about right away. Here’s three key perks of an online coding and data analytics bootcamp.
New Updates
The world of tech moves insanely fast. Each week there’s exciting new monumental changes introduced to the industry that plays a direct part in many of our lives. As a professional developer, you have to be completely prepared for the guaranteed changes.
As a student of an online bootcamp, you are taught crucial skills such as learning how to learn. This allows you to have an extremely solid groundwork laid that you can depend on for the entirety of your career. Learning to learn gives you the ability to shift and maneuver every current and future unexpected change that will come your way.
In coding bootcamps like devCodeCamp, we are constantly staying close to every change happening in the industry and completely updating our course material to stay up-to-date with the most current and relevant information available to learn. Our dedicated team of content creators focuses full-time on achieving this task in order for you to achieve the most success possible starting on day one of your career in the industry. If you are learning outdated processes, technologies, and programming languages, then you are setting yourself up for failure before you even get a true chance to succeed.
Structured
Have a structured learning setting when tackling something as big as coding and data is crucial. At devCodeCamp, our courses are structured for you to start working towards success starting on day one as a student. The technologies and languages you learn will be fast paced, but will be taught in a clear and consistent way for you retain what is being taught to you. The starting weeks are building blocks for the following weeks. This structure is designed to build you up one step at a time in order to reach an epic conclusion of skills and talent by graduation.
Accountability
Accountability isn’t just a benefit when it comes to being an online bootcamp student, it’s a necessity. In devCodeCamp’s full-time and part-time courses, you are given a strong support system to help guide your journey to success. Part of that support system is in the form of accountability. Learning how to code from scratch and the expert methods behind data analyzing is no small feat. In order for you to reach the highest success possible, you need to have the proper accountability and support by your side to lift you up, keep you on track, and motivate you.
The Characteristics of a Successful Student
There are certain characteristics behind a successful person in any context. This is also true when it comes to being a successful bootcamp student. Often times, the students who have these qualities are the ones who reach exciting success long after graduation.
Follow the Process
As a bootcamp student, you are following a proven recipe of success. The devCodeCamp courses are built out in-house from the ground up to maintain the relevance and focal points you need to launch your career in tech. But there’s more to it.
What you learn in our courses is only a piece of what’s attached to being a student. You also learn a wide range of soft skills you’re able to implement in real-life scenarios. These are taught to you by putting you through those accurate scenarios that will help you be the best version of yourself you can be once you reach a professional working setting.
After graduation, depending on the course option you take, you get the opportunity to work alongside the Career Services team. This team is made up of full-time career guides to help you take your new skills and elevate them during the job search. This is done through resume building, LinkedIn workshops, interview preparation, and much more.
We see the most success in students on average whenever they let the experts do what they do best. We have years of experience and a wide range of graduates working in the technology industry today with companies such as Facebook, Amazon, HubSpot, IBM, Rocket Mortgage, and JPMorgan Chase. When you allow yourself to follow the process laid out for you, then the results are likely to follow.
Trust in Yourself
A reoccurring theme for bootcamp students and graduates is imposter syndrome. This term is best described as the inner feelings someone may feel when they reach success but are convinced they are not worthy of the outcome. Although often times unjustified, this feeling is easy to get and difficult to escape. Which is why it’s important to trust in yourself and what you are capable of. There have been plenty before you in the same situation that found success in the end. You’re worthy and capable of the same. Don’t lose sight of that.
Stay Motivated
Having feelings of being overwhelmed can derail just about anyone. Which is why staying motivated, even in the toughest times, is so important.
Take it one day at a time. Sometimes the larger picture can feel impossible. But with your focus put on each step you’re taking; you will suddenly reach the top of the mountain before you even noticed. If you trust the process and give it your all, it will all click for you and everything you’ve learned leading up to that point will begin to become second nature for you.
Eye on the prize. Don’t forget why you’re doing this!
Ask Questions
Another characteristic we see in successful students is the ability to freely ask questions when they need help. This may seem simple to do, but is often times neglected due to self-doubt or pride. If you have a support system in place that truly cares about you, then asking questions should always come easy. It’s crucial to step out of your comfort zone and ask when you need help. Only positives can come from it.
To learn more on how to become a successful coding and data analytics bootcamp student, make sure to check out our recent blog post, “The Ultimate Guide to Become a Successful Online Bootcamp Graduate.” Reach out today if you are ready to take the first step in a brighter career future with devCodeCamp.