BestCodingBootcamps.com helps take the guesswork out of finding a coding bootcamp to launch the next phase of your career. We compiled qualitative and quantitative research of over 200+ bootcamps and designed a meta score to assess (which we will continually refresh) the various student reviews published on several websites analyzing those bootcamps that specialize in front end development, back end development, full stack development, UX/UI, and data science.
We believe that bootcamp data should be scrutinized and reported with transparency. Arming a prospective coding student with the accurate data, admissions considerations, and self-assessments prior to being matched with a coding school will lead to better graduation outcomes.
We’re in an unprecedented time for growth in the tech sector and believe that a software engineer fluent in the right coding language(s) is at a distinct advantage over the next decade.
The Increasing Demand for a Software Developer
Let’s start with the billion dollar question: What’s driving this seemingly insatiable demand for a software developer? A record-breaking flood of venture capital money for starters. Despite a global pandemic that shuttered thousands of brick-and-mortar stores, technology startups fared quite well. Axios (via Crunchbase) reported that global venture funding hit an all-time high of $288 billion invested in the first of 2021 alone. In order to meet product growth targets at those companies, internal recruiters need to bring on the type of software engineer who understands more than one programming language and whose coding skill is well-developed. This makes sense: If the market competition is fierce and budgets are limited, why not recruit a full stack coding bootcamp grad who’s spent the last 4-6 months fully immersed in software development?
Then there’s the global adoption of cloud technologies. With the entire world adjusting to a fully remote or hybrid setup in 2020, it’s no wonder that demand for tech skills is through the roof. In LinkedIn’s list of the Top 15 Job Opportunities in the highest demand, many of the careers listed are in roles that facilitate day-to-day business communications. Those scaled up during the pandemic and are a potential target of the aspiring coding bootcamp graduate. The top job titles for these specialized engineers are almost identical to the skills being taught in these 16-20 week immersive courses: full stack engineer, front end developer, and web developer.
As more money is invested in the cloud, it may also be driving demand for data science professionals as well. The same LinkedIn report showed nearly a 50% increase in data science roles in a year spanning from 2019-2020. The highest growing roles as a data scientist, data science specialist, and data management analyst are averaging six-figure salaries. That’s the strength of the demand for programmers who can deliver business insights quickly.
Characteristics of the Best Coding Bootcamps
So the demand for a software developer with premiere coding skills is there. But what makes the best experience for a student? In our qualitative research with software engineers, web developers, and data science professionals (of varying abilities) pursuing a programming bootcamp, we’ve researched what made them choose the best coding bootcamp.
Structured learning environments with other students. Holding yourself accountable is difficult for many learners in a distracting world. Not only are you carving out your own programming curriculum, but you also don’t have other programming students motivat