u/Cali-babygirl wrote (the comment Michael replied to):
I took one but learned nothing from it because it was all group work and one person in our group did all the work. I dont know anything about coding but im interested in it for the salary and that you can work remotely. No I have not should I try to get one? It's sacramento state
u/michaelnovati replied · ★ FEATURED
Thanks that helps!
There are a few routes:
1. Try to get a data analyst-type internship this summer AND/or aim for data analyst jobs that will give you the chance to do scripting and coding on the job. And THEN try to transition to being a SWE - ideally at the same company by converting jobs there.
2. Do a post-bacc or extend a year and cram in as many CS courses as you can, and then go for new grad CS jobs. Big opportunity to cost to not working for a year, and a job is far from guaranteed, but his will give you the best computer science education.
3. Do a bootcamp. This is fast, so you don't lose as much opportunity cost from time. BUT bootcamps outcomes rely on a lot of luck right now and it's far from guaranteed. The cost is also probably higher than another year at Sac State (but arguably wouldn't matter because of the opportunity cost). If it doesn't work out, you don't really get a good education or portfolio and it could feel more like a waste. If it DOES work out, then it will be the best decision in retrospect.
In some sense, this is why bootcamps are so polarizing right now - if it works for you it was a massive accelerator and if it doesn't it feels like a scam.... i.e. it's a bigger risk.
But ultimately it's up to you and what kind of risk you want, and a personal choice.
I don't currently recommend any specific bootcamps because the market is too volatile and they are changing too fast to constantly stay up on which ones to recommend. Generally speaking, Rithm., Launch School, and Codesmith have survived the market downturn with the least impact on operations, although Codesmith laid off a ton of people and shrunk down to 1 full time cohort at a time from 4 at a time, so I paused recommending them until they stabilize.
Ultimately if you want to do a bootcamp, go to public sessions and find one that feels like a good fit for you and try to find alumni with the same background as you going in, not just anyone - and look at their LinkedIn on how they present themselves, not just what they tell you their background was.