12 Weeks To A 6-Figure Job: But What’s the Best Path?

Student at coder boot camp in NYC.

In late 2014 NPR issued a story called 

“12 weeks to a 6-figure job” featuring the explosive growth of a brand new kind of trade school: The immersive web-development program, also know as “coder boot camp.”

The NY Times wrote a similar story back in October called "Web-era trade schools, feeding a need for code."

And Crain's NY Business just issued a story  "Coding Schools aren't just for kids" about how Gen-X career changers are flocking to digital boot camps. Some are transitioning from related tech fields to in order to build digital products, while others are embracing technology that may have put them out of a job.

The promise is simple: For several thousands of dollars and an investment of 10-12 weeks, people can become job-ready web developers. At least 50 of these programs have sprung up worldwide, with over a dozen in the metro NYC area. They are all capitalizing on the explosive growth in demand for web and mobile app developers, and related positions.

The top programs tout they are placing a vast majority of their graduates in great jobs with salaries approaching six-figures in a fast growing field, at a fraction of the time and cost of getting a college degree in computer science program from a top-tier school like MIT or Stanford, or dozens of other of well regarded schools offering engineering / computer science majors like Rutgers or the NJ Institute of Technology.

But there is a murky side to this tech-focused “yellow-brick-road” – not all coding schools nor even the classes themselves are created equal. Some classes offer full time immersion-style teaching, while other are offered part time during evening and weekend hours. And there is no standard certification for the schools or graduation credential, like a BA or BS from an accredited university. And few coding schools offer hard data on actual placement rates or the entry-level salaries of their graduates.

Apple's new coding language: Swift

So with “caveat emptor” in mind, I went “shopping” recently for a simple part-time iOS Swift app development course in NYC. "Swift is an innovative new programming language for iOS and OS X with concise yet expressive syntax that produces lightning-fast apps" according to Apple.

I quickly found two Swift coding class offerings right in the heart of “Silicon Alley” in the Flatiron District, near Madison Square Park. 

One course was offered at what is likely the best known schools in the sector, the other at a smaller school just two blocks away. Both promised be ability to program fluently in Swift in 8-12 weeks, with tuition costing from $ 3,000 - $ 4,750.       

But a closer examination of the offerings and instructors revealed some telling differences. The larger well-know school is known for hiring part-time free-lance instructors, and this was the case with the mobile development course I learned about at a recent information session. In fact I got the feeling that instructor knew precious little about the school at all.

I know enough about programming that various languages share a common process, but I found it strange that the instructor had worked at Google and was therefore likely to be a strong advocate of Android, which is a primary competitor to Apple's iOS languages. 

The instructor is also a principal at a NYC-based "stealth" start-up scheduled to launch its main product this spring. So I was skeptical when he said he’d "be available at any time to answer student questions outside of the classroom sessions." The estimated class size: 20-25, which meant limited one-on-one attention from the primary instructor.

A few blocks away I found the smaller school offering a class of 5-7 people (more personal attention) with two full-time / dedicated instructors with a long history of iOS mobile development. They also talked about offering career advice and encouraged potential students to share any apps they might already be working on.

And as a non-tech person by background, they made the whole process seem approachable and inviting to me. They also offer an online learning management system with videos, reading materials, quizzes and assignments.

Other area schools are working with New York City to offer fellowships and provide free training to underrepresented groups in the tech community. They also offer part-time courses, corporate training and programs for high school students.

There are several websites that can act as a third-party resource for prospective students. A good place to start is coursereport.com founded by Living Social alumni Adam Lovallo and Liz Eggleston.

The site features reviews, tips for applying to the schools, and interviews with founders, students, and instructors.  All this information can help equip prospective students with insights that may be helpful when trying to figure out which boot camp is right for them.

A simple search function based on “topics” (coding language / discipline) and location yields a menu of schools. Each school is further profiled based on a general “about” description, course offerings, reviews and “news” which includes items like student profiles.

So if you’re considering pursuing web / app development courses from NYC to Austin, from San Francisco to Toronto – you’ll have plenty of choices and great professional prospects. 

But it will really pay to do some up-front planning, comparative shopping and due diligence, including visiting prospective coding schools and meeting the instructors before making a final decision on your new school.