Going to coding bootcamps can significantly improve your chances of getting a tech job
Going to a coding bootcamp can increase your chances of landing a software engineering job.
That’s according to the latest survey published this week from jobs site Hired, which reports that of the 13% of respondents who said they had attended a coding bootcamp, 76% said the experience helped them score a software engineering job. Meanwhile, 57% of employers surveyed said they would consider hiring a bootcamp graduate for an open role, while just 7% said of employers said they would not.
“It’s no secret that there is a shortage of software engineers in the workforce today,” explains Hired CEO Mehul Patel. “Because of this, companies are becoming more flexible in terms of a potential employee’s credentials. As companies become more open to non-traditional forms of education, coding bootcamps are earning their stripes as a legitimate alternative to a college degree.”
Hired’s report was compiled based upon 170,000 interview requests and job offers during the last 12 months through its online marketplace from more than 10,000 participating companies and 98,000 job seekers. The company also collected survey responses from over 700 software engineers to factor in developers’ working preferences.
Silicon Valley bootcamps, vocational schools for the coding-inclined‚ have become increasingly popular in more recent years. Such nine- to 18-week accelerated programs, including Hackbright Academy and Hack Reactor, arm students with the skills needed to compete as engineers, with no previous coding experience required. That, coupled with pent-up demand for software engineers — one of the top tech jobs in America, according to Glassdoor — is why program applicants come from different backgrounds.
Getting into a coding bootcamp, however, can be a challenge. For instance, the average acceptance rate averages below 20% and can go as low as 5%, as is usually the case for Hackbright Academy, which charges $1,895 for tuition.
But the hard work frequently pays off: Hackbright and Hack Reactor graduates have received job offers from tech companies including Apple (AAPL), Facebook (FB), Eventbrite, Google (GOOG, GOOGL), PayPal (PYPL) and Pinterest. And Hackbright alumna report the median annual salary for their first jobs out of the program hovers around $88,000, while San Francisco-based graduates of Hack Reactor report a median annual salary of $105,000.
An unconventional path for an unconventional industry? That sounds fitting.
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