An Alternative Coding Bootcamp Path
There will always be demand for solid developers, but the tech job market is tight. It is getting harder and harder to get a job as a web developer straight out of a coding Boot Camp, and it seems like that path is narrowing. However, there are some top-notch coding boot camps that are still able to place their students in jobs after graduation, in part because they have built up a great reputation overtime for producing solid developers, and in part because they are very selective about who they accept into the program. You already have to know basic HTML,CSS and JavaScript in order to pass their entrance screen, and if you fall behind during the coding Boot Camp they may ask you to leave. This means that those who to make it to the end of their program are the tippy top of coding bootcamp graduates. I'm not gonna name any names, but it's not hard to figure out which boot camps I’m talking about.
So here is my advice, as a web dev and educator who has been teaching at coding bootcamps for 5+ years. If you are looking to attend a coding bootcamp as a way into that lucrative job as a web developer, you will want to go to one of these top-notch programs. This means that you will want to prepare to get into one of these. There are plenty of free materials out there, adn you shoudl start with the free materials and suss out if you enjoy the work and want to commit the time and resources that it will take ot transform into a web developer.
Working with free materials is great, but at some point you are going to get stuck for too long a time without being able to understand or figure something out, and that that point you may consider a more efficient and quicker path to learning the basics. This is where I would recommend you hire tutor like myself. After vetting that you do indeed want to become a web developer, working 1-on-1 with a tutor is the most efficient way to get where you are going. After a short time you wil be able to start building small projects and maybe even begin freelancing, and that is when you can apply to a top-notch coding bootcamp program. Think of it more like a finishing school. And you will alraedy have a tutor you know to help you get through the coding bootcamp expereince, which is legitimately a hard thing to get through.
Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript syntax is not hard, and you can do it in a matter of months, but becoming a six-figure-remote-job-ready-web-developer takes a couple of years. If this is what you want, know that you are playing a long game and prepare accordingly.
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This said, if you are serious about learning to code I have a no-brainer offer I am calling Coding On Fire that includes:
- Weekly 1-on-1 personalized coaching sessions tailored specifically to your needs and goals.
- Two hours of Drop-In Office Hours each week, on Wednesday evenings and Saturday afternoons (Eastern Standard Time). Come ask questions, debug your code, get unstuck, or just chat about web development topics.
- Monthly Build-Along Sessions, where we’ll come together to create a small app or project from scratch. These longer, immersive sessions will provide you with hands-on experience you need to make the leap from learning to building. Apply your new skills in a practical setting while receiving real-time guidance and feedback. Scheduled for the first Saturdays of the month.
- Special sessions on how to use AI/Large Language Models like ChatGPT to enahnce (and not detract from) your leraning and job search.
- An committed learning community
A $700/month value, right now Coding On Fire is only $300/month — that is a discount of more than 57%! I am only accepting 10 students right now, so if you are interested, I’d hop on it quick like.
Let’s get coding!
