Avoid Springboard Bootcamps - Insights from a Mentor

It's statistically less likely now than it was 2+ years ago. It's not impossible but I can elaborate on what that means yeah. "The Market Disappeared": 1. Almost all hiring paused in 2023 layoff period, people with 2+ YOE hiring came back (a little for 2-5 and a lot for 5+), junior hiring never came back. Almost all junior hiring at big tech is via internships -> full time and the internships go to top tier CS students in 4 years degrees. 2. The DEI slowdowns resulted in programs closing and shrinking for pathways like apprenticeship and 'pathways programs' at many big companies and these were a solid avenue for bootcamp/self taught. 3. AI is empowering ALL employees to do more and companies are nervous about the future, so workload per employee is increasing as companies wait to see if AI will enable them to smooth out the workdload OR if they need to hire more people as well - and what jobs they hire might depend on the AI future we end up in... so less hiring junior roles now. Finally a note: don't buy any bootcamp bullshit that says they make you a mid level or senior engineer off the bat - this is marketing that in my opinion tricks people who know about the market - see seniors being hired - and want to go to a bootcamp that prepares them for jobs that are actually hiring. If you don't have 2+ years of paid SWE work experience you are not a mid level or senior engineer even if you WILL be faster than the typical person. These bootcamps are the worst of the worst in my opinion (and they charge $22,500!) because in my opinion they are preying on people's emotional state instead of being real with them. Some of the grads will get jobs, but if you dig into their numbers you find all kinds of giant red flags and the trend direction is not good. \--------- Out of curiosity, why did you sign up for Springboard (even though you dropped out) and what made you choose it all things considered?