Bootcamps are short, intensive code schools designed to help people break into a career in tech. These programs can either be part-time, or full-time. Over the last few years, bootcamps have expanded into fields such as user interface design, full stack web development, and data science. There’s now a bootcamp for most top tech careers!

During a bootcamp, you’ll learn everything you need to know to break into a career in tech and become a professional developer. You’ll build a portfolio of projects throughout the bootcamp. This will allow you to refine your skills and gives you something to show employers when you start looking for a job. Toward the end, you’ll receive the career support you need to transition from a bootcamp to employment.

Bootcamps have prepared tens of thousands of people for jobs in tech.

But how do you choose a coding bootcamp? What should you be looking for? How do I know that a bootcamp is right for me? These are the questions we’re going to answer in this guide.

We’ll break down everything you need to know about coding bootcamps so you can choose the right bootcamp for you, based on your unique needs and goals.

Coding Bootcamps vs. College

The first question you may be asking yourself is, “How do bootcamps compare to college?” or, “Can you learn everything you need to break into a career in tech in only a few months?” It’s true that bootcamps have become a viable alternative to college, and here’s how the two options compare:

• Curriculum. Coding bootcamps teach the practical skills you need to break into a career in tech. Computer science (CS) degrees are better if you want to go deep into computer systems and theory.
• Costs. Bootcamps cost an average of $11,000—that’s around the same cost as one semester at a top CS degree program.
• Time. CS degrees take four years to complete, which gives you time to explore many different topics. A bootcamp, on the other hand, takes less than one year. Bootcamps are shorter because they focus on teaching the practical skills you need, rather than theory.
• Career Outlook. CS degrees are almost always required if you want to become an executive in tech. But that’s not to say bootcamps aren’t a good option. If you want to build a startup or get a job in tech, a bootcamp education will usually be enough.

Now that you’ve thought about how bootcamps compare to college, it’s time to think about the skills you need to succeed in a bootcamp.

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