u/stoph311 wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. I am trying to figure out where I fall in that spectrum. I have a non-CS bachelors degree and am actually transitioning out of the fire service. I have a fair amount of experience to draw on for behavioral questions, but none of it is computer
u/michaelnovati replied ·
Yeah you could fall into either the last or the first bucket depending on how quickly and naturally you pick up the concepts while studying to prepare. I would aim for a top bootcamp yeah as the goal. Even if you are that last bucket, a top bootcamp will still help you get a job, and you still have a decent shot at success just by getting in! If you don't fall into bucket one, then it might just take you longer to ramp up and you might need to do more semi-structured courses before the bootcamp to get there. On the other hand if you fall into the autodidactic bucket, you arguably don't even need the bootcamp, and it serves more as a benchmark of your ability, rather than a useful tool.
I'm speaking more to the other way of looking at things, like in aggregate, why some bootcamps have stronger outcomes than others. Higher bar = stronger outcomes, so if you get it, you presumably meet the bar, and presumably would have a stronger outcome.