In contrast, you’ll finish a bootcamp in a matter of weeks, but may need to spend some time doing self-study to get up to speed. There’s no shortcut to the number of hours and practice you’ll get as part of a CS degree program, and by the time you graduate, you’ll be well past amateur programming blunders.ĬS Degree programs require a longer time investment, which means deeper understanding and more practice hours. That said, with that time commitment comes practice. Ambitious graduates may be able to knock off a semester or two, but the reality is that CS degree programs aren’t for the faint of heart. In contrast, most computer science degree programs last 4 years. Thinkful also offers students "pause days," where students have the time to step back from the program while still having access to the curriculum. Bootcamps like General Assemblyand Thinkful offer flexible programs for students who need to balance work, family, and learning. Many bootcamp graduates take a month or two before the job search to develop their expertise. With some bootcamps as short as 8-10 weeks, you’ll learn the basics of a programming language. While you may learn all the skills you need in a bootcamp, you won’t have much time to practice. When it comes to ROI, coding bootcamps require less time, less money and offer nearly equal earnings when compared to a CS degree. For a fraction of the time investment, coding bootcamp graduates will earn nearly as much as computer science graduates. A CS degree graduate can expect an average salary of $50k-106K. But what about the financial investment? The average starting salary of a coding bootcamp graduate is $70,698. Timewise, ROI’s a no-brainer – most coding bootcamp graduates invest 3-6 months in a program, while college students invest 4 years. Since these accelerated learning programs thrive on their job placement rates, it’s equally important to schools that graduates are placed. While traditional college graduates are facing unparallelled unemployment rates throughout the nation with no end in sight, most coding graduates secure a job within 3 months of graduation. Whenever you make a purchase whether it’s a car, home or an educational program, it’s always wise to calculate your ROI. The longer you are studying, the longer you will have to make ends meet on a tight budget (see below for more on time commitment).įor less than the cost of one semester in a CS degree program, you can develop programming skills at a bootcamp and be on your way to earning $61-70K upon graduation. You also need to think about your living costs while you are studying and likely unable to have a full-time job. Although you can find cheaper college degrees under $20,000 per year if you study in-state at colleges like Brigham Young University, Alabama State University, or Georgia Southwestern University. Carnegie Mellon undergraduate tuition and tuition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is about $60,000-70,000 per year. While coding bootcamps cost an average of $13,584, the tuition at top CS programs can be triple or quadruple that in just one academic year.
If cost is a factor, then bootcamps certainly win. Coding bootcamps cost between $10,000-$20,000 all up front, whereas CS degrees can cost up to $20,000 per semester. CS degrees are around 4 years long, cover in-depth theoretical material, teach you established programming practices, and provide you with a degree to show for it, but you will still need to prove your skills in a technical interview. If you attend a coding bootcamp you will need to prove your skills through your portfolio.
Coding bootcamps are around 3 to 6 months long, intensive, teach you very practical, applicable, up-to-date skills, and give you career coaching, but are not usually accredited, so you do not get a qualification.
FREE DIY CODING BOOTCAMP ONLINE ALTERNATIVE CODE
There are many considerations to make when choosing whether to learn to code at a coding bootcamp, or by doing a computer science degree at university. college is right for you? We’ve got you covered! Start with a thorough self-assessment: consider what you can afford, the time you can dedicate to an educational program, the skills that you want to learn and your personal career goals. By Liz EgglestonLast Updated April 20, 2021