5 Reasons why you should NOT go to a coding bootcamp

Matt Upham on August 07, 2019

I went to a coding bootcamp 2 years ago. From my experience and people I met, these are reasons why someone should NOT go to a coding bootcamp. Ch... [Read Full]
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Great post!

I'm just beginning to learn to code, and one of my struggles is finding the best source of information. Do you think a coding bootcamp is generally helpful or unnecessary? Do you have any posts talking about what your experience was like?


Hey, personally I think if you're just beginning, it is the fastest way to get your initial job. The ROI is pretty high if you can get a job within 6 months. I'm writing a post / making a video on my experience! Should be up on YouTube this weekend! I also have a few interviews with other bootcamps grads on their experiences coming up!


I went to a boot camp and truthfully I learned more from YouTube and Udemy and other online resources / books. Bootcamp is good for structure. I liked that about it and working with others in person. Other than that. You can get a dev job for free / cheaper using online resources.


There are a lot of bootcamps and they all differ in quality, but there are a lot of good ones. My experience is that bootcamps are very helpful. It gives you structure to follow and a great support group. Yes, all the information you could ever need to learn dev work is freely available, but good luck figuring out where to start and what to learn. The amount of stuff is really overwhelming. If you apply yourself and take the course seriously, there is no better option for a complete beginner. Some people can be focused and structured enough to figure it out on there own, but it still takes a lot longer. And if you aren't one of those people you'll just waste a lot of time getting lost in the plethora of information out there. Most people who know me personally would describe me as focused, driven and intentional (though I wouldn't describe myself like that...), and I can honestly say, if I tried to teach myself to become a developer, I don't think I would have made it.


Fantastic post.

Realistically, the vast majority of people don't need to go to a coding bootcamp - and it really is an arduous process if you're on one of the faster programmes.

We genuinely think 99% of people could probably get all the way on their own with the right guidance - bootcamps provide you day-to-day guidance and reassurance but you can get that on your own if you know what to look for.

Spot on about the quality of content you can find online too - there is an unbelievable amount of free tutorials and courses available, let alone the ridiculously cheap ones too.


Hey, thanks so much! Yeah, I think the trickiest part of the whole "learning-to-code" process is definitely staying on track. I remember when I was first learning, I kept jumping around between languages, frameworks, and areas of study. It was so overwhelming! I was thankful for the structure of my coding bootcamp, but I would have definitely done it on my own if I had guidance to stay on track


It's understanding that it would be the trickiest part for you and most people, because it feels completely unknown.

The benefit of a bootcamp is you know there's a lot of seasoned hiring managers around to give you the key and direction so you don't doubt what you're doing.

You can get exactly the same thing online though. A #help post on here will give you exactly that...

For sure. It's a lot more time-consuming to piece together all of the different information from the internet

For sure. I think you get for what you pay for. Unlike CS at university!


Money spent on bootcamps can be saved to buy online courses and to fund your own business.


That's one perspective. Since webdev is rapidly evolving, people who are starting out generally get sidetracked (from my experience), overwhelmed with options, and lack a structured curriculum / environment. This (in my opinion) is where bootcamps can help speed things up and cut out the noise


Word. I have started several different courses on different platforms and i always learn something new and important but yet it seems i am not really moving forward much as the informations arent concentrated and organised.

Looks like you're still trying to find out your niche in coding.
You lack of self-awareness. My advice to you is to disconnect for 5 minutes and think deeply in what you're passionate about.
Programming is a vast field. If you're not object-oriented you will quit and change your path once you hit the first obstacle.
I was just like you when I started.
I have created a list of all the programming fields (software, web, game dev....) and tried every single one. The language that looks complicated or hard to understand just remove it from the list and select another one quickly.
It took me almost 2 years to find out that game development is my niche.
Most important thing is to stay motivated no matter how many times you fail.

Focus is a huge determiner of success - in my opinion, the quicker you can find focus (get really good at one thing, initially), the quicker you'll find success with your goals. For example, I knew I wanted a Frontend role for my first job. I specifically focused on getting good at JavaScript, learned basic HTML/CSS, and then became proficient in React (along with supplementary subjects like asynchronous functions, API calls, parsing JSON, etc). Figure out exactly what you need to learn to achieve your goals, and then focus on only those topics!


"You lack of self-awareness"... "It took me almost 2 years to find out"

-hussein cheayto

It took me 3 months, at one of the more costly (but highly respected) boot camps that was available to me. I got a job offer the day after I graduated. I've since upgraded my job and work for an incredible company making good money. Going through the boot camp was one of the best decisions I ever made and has paid itself back many times over. But I guess I lack self awareness. 2 years versus 3 months... And I love my job plus the pay is great. If only I had some self awareness though...🤔

Hahahahaha. To be honest, my bootcamp experience was one of the best decisions I've ever made too. Maybe I lacked self-awareness too 😜, but I've never been happier after this transition!

Matt if bootcamp was the best thing that happened to you, then congrats, you've just contradicted yourself 👏👏👏

About chad's reply, it took me 3 years, I was still at Uni, and once I graduated I also got my first job as a game developer.
Not all bootcamps are the same. If you don't know what "self awareness" is and how much it's important, then may God be with you 🤭

Hey Hussein,

I'm just joking. Your comment did seem a bit harsh about the self-awareness part though.

The article was about "not going to a coding bootcamp for the wrong reasons." It wasn't about "not going at all."



Great article!

I agree with some of the points but Coding Bootcamp made a way for me to enter tech industry. All of my friends from the same Coding Bootcamp also working for many tech companies right now.

The cost of Coding Bootcamp in my country is around $2800 (USD). Not that affordable too for my country standard but there are many payment methods that make it easier.

The thing I love the most about coding bootcamp is the mentors that can help me progress better and I did not get it from online courses. That was my struggle when I was learning by my own.

Thanks for the article!


Hey, I also have another article on the top 5 reasons to go! I went to a coding bootcamp and really enjoyed my time there. It was definitely a straightforward way into the industry, and really fostered my interest in tech!

$2800 is really reasonable! What country are you from? I went to a bootcamp in San Francisco


Thats good to hear!
Wrote an article too almost a year ago on how I really feel when I enrolled in the bootcamp.

Yep, it is really reasonable for those who are based in the US.
I am from Indonesia and I can tell you that $2800 is a lot of money!
I browsed a lot of bootcamps outside my country and the prices are usually 5x or 10x here in Indonesia.

That totally makes sense - but it seems like the return on investment was worth it!


I learned on my own and used a lot of the resources you mentioned. It was not easy (several months of waking up daily at 4AM to code, staying up late to code etc) especially because I also had a full time job that demanded more than 40 hrs a week at the time. However, it was a great way for me to learn and worked for my needs. I also have colleagues who came out of bootcamps, and it worked for their needs and style of learning. Do what works for you, but definitely think long and hard about your decision before you commit to a bootcamp financially. Don't make a huge investment before you have at least a decent idea of if you like software development.


That's awesome! Congrats on the hard work, and dedication! I completely agree - do what works for you with learning, and financially!


I've only been coding for a few weeks now and the amount of things I've learnt by myself using free online resources is amazing. Sure there are concepts that are more difficult to understand alone and an inexpensive course would be better than a code camp . Especially for the cost.


I agree that coding is hard, I agree that you have to be all in and it is expensive, I believe though that job placement is easy, having gone through it myself. It's a numbers game, those who complete boot camp and never stop submitting, will eventually get a job. Before bootcamp I spent years trying to get into IT, after bootcamp at general assembly, I was hired over Christmas break of all times, a year later I started making 6 figures as a Sr. Front end dev. The demand is that high, I also spent 8 years working full-time and doing some night school computer science classes never making it into IT. Despite all the free resources available, or the individual college courses, or on the job basic web html/WordPress experience I had, nothing could tie all the concepts together for real web app development as good as bootcamp. What made me a success story is recognizing that bootcamp alone isnt the answer. Boot camp prepared you to be able to talk to the tech needed in today's industry to get the first job, it doesn't stop at bootcamp, the first job is your continued education and your first employer will understand that. The hardship is not giving up, submitting 40+ quality resume/apps a week, networking with meetups and embracing the dev lifestyle. If you do these things continuously you will become a web developer and enjoy a very decent income as a result.


That's amazing! And I completely agree with you that the bootcamp itself isn't the answer. Perseverance and determination never go wrong!


For me when it comes to learning, every form is still self-learning whether it's in a classroom, online or a bootcamp, there's so many resources out there so you really have to stay self motivated.


That's for sure! Self-motivation is key!

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