What’s After Graduation? 4 Ways a Coding Boot Camp Is Worth It

Since coding academies have become an increasingly visible part of the tech landscape over the last half-decade, more schools have cropped up with more coders graduating every year.

While job placement statistics for bootcamp graduates have been fantastic since the schools came into existence, there’s still a growing sense among some that enrolling may not be worth it. With so much new popularity, it’s fair to ask if a coding boot camp is worth it. In fact, we’re going to ask it (and explore it) even more directly:

Has the market for coders reached saturation?

So to answer this question, we’re going to explore what life is really like after graduating from a coding boot camp.

As a coding bootcamp ourselves, this information is extremely important to us, so we make sure our sources on the tech industry and employment statistics are as thorough and current as possible. So let’s see why coding bootcamp might be right it for you.

Coding Graduates Make Excellent Money

Coding bootcamps are an investment. There’s a lot of earning potential afterwards, but there’s also the cost of tuition to consider.

Of course, getting a bachelor’s in computer science from a university is a four-year process, and it doesn’t come cheap. The estimated average for a four-year computer science degree is $167,968. Associate programs take two years, and the average cost is $41,568. By comparison, a coding academy is a fraction of the cost, and the courses span weeks or months instead of years.

But even though coding classes are cheaper and faster, the earning potential is the same. A study by Course Report found that the average bootcamp graduate makes a starting salary of $70,698 annually. Plus, as the tech industry continues to grow, that earning potential will keep growing with it. The median pay for software engineers is already $101,790, and the top 25% of earners make an average of $128,960. So if you’re in it for the money, going to a coding bootcamp is definitely worth it.

Bootcamp Graduates Get Hired

Obviously, starting salaries don’t apply to graduates who don’t get hired, but coding bootcamp graduates have around a 90% job placement average. A huge portion of these jobs exists because of the healthy growth in the programming industry. In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor predicts that the availability of software developer jobs is growing at 24%, which is way higher than jobs in other industries. Because the tech industry and the coding industry are growing together, they both get perks from finding job opportunities with new graduates.

Those hiring statistics only improve when the coding bootcamp has industry connections (like us). At Austin Coding Academy, we stay plugged into the local tech industry to keep expanding our network across the nation. Our curriculum is even built for and with hiring companies, meaning that you learn exactly what you need to get hired after graduating.

A Coding Bootcamp Sets You Up for Many Different Tech Jobs

Some people worry that certain coding classes will only set you up for certain jobs, but the truth is that a lot of tech jobs require solid coding know-how.

Careers can change depending on the company and industry, but our graduates have found career fits as:

• Software engineers
• Full stack developers
• Web developers
• Product architects
• Project managers
• UX developers
• Coding Instructors

There’s a lot of versatility in coding, which attracts students from all walks of life. Whether you’re supplementing existing skills, wanting a total career change, or just want to strike out on your own, we help our bootcamp students find opportunities they’ve never thought of before.

Important Companies Hire from Coding Academies

Big names in the tech industry recognize the value of bootcamp graduates. Our former students have found work with Dell, IBM, Dosh, Plural Sight, Oracle, Adobe, and more. Or, if you want to go in the opposite direction, start-ups are always looking for fresh talent, to the point where they often hire right out of bootcamps.

In fact, 72% of employers find that coding boot camp graduates are just as competent as university graduates. Some hiring managers even prefer boot camp graduates to university computer science majors.

In order to find a job worth having in the technology industry, you need to learn how to code before you can do much else. Our Full Stack Web Development Program is designed to teach you the skills you need to ultimately get the job you want. In other words, our job isn’t done until you have your job.