UPDATE: 2023 Predictions check-in and updates!

UPDATE: 2023 Predictions check-in and updates! Hi all, it's halfway through 2023 and I wanted to quickly revisit my predictions from this post to give some updates based on how the industry is doing: [https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/1226i27/bootcamp\_predictions\_for\_the\_rest\_of\_2023/](https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/1226i27/bootcamp_predictions_for_the_rest_of_2023/) # New: What's left for 2023? The main thing I want to add is that outcomes for H2 2022 are going to go off a cliff. At first when we saw H1 2022 CIRR results come out they were better than expected, however Codesmith restated their numbers after audit and they were notably lower than originally posted for placement rates and high end salaries ([https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/14341x7/codesmiths\_newly\_posted\_audited\_version\_of\_their/](https://www.reddit.com/r/codingbootcamp/comments/14341x7/codesmiths_newly_posted_audited_version_of_their/)). Anecdotally, H2 2022 is going to drop off a cliff. Hack Reactor anecdotal reports have very few people being placed (they have a high dropout rate so I don't want to misrepresent with a guess percentage by using the wrong denominator). Codesmith anecdotal reports have known placements of 20% to 40% after five to six months (which end up being a bit low estimates because people who disappeared that qualify as "placed" who don't tell anyone they got a job, as well as "fellows" who get their clock extended). Launch School has reported qualitatively that their placements were strong for the second half of 2022, so we'll see if this holds at smaller programs. We're already seeing signs of lower enrollment. Codesmith has been holding open application deadlines much longer and pushing back deadlines for applying. The NY Onsite had their application open until a week before the start date, whereas last year Codesmith was full months in advanced. # New: The Job Market ..... is improving for people with legit SWE work experience. I've seen numerous people go to top tier companies that previously had layoffs! I'm starting to see top candidates get multiple offers. But it's just as hard as ever for people with no experience and bootcamp grads are still having a hard time. I'm keeping a close eye on the new grad recruiting season kicking off in August and going through November. We're going to see a lot of complaining as last years new grads compete with next year's but I'm hoping to see slots open up. ​ **See the original post for details on each of these predictions.** # 1. Very small bootcamps will get by This seems to be holding true. Rithm School, Launch School, and Bradfield Computer Science seem to be getting by because they have very capped, limited enrollment. # 2. Career-changer enrollment will drop dramatically This also seems to be holding true. While bootcamp enrollment seems down across the board, a lot more people are asking themselves "why now" and deciding to wait. One thing I'm seeing anecdotally is more people are considering 1 to 3 year Computer Science degrees or certificates instead of a 12 week bootcamp, regardless of the reputation or outcomes. I'm seeing a lot of interest in bootcamps from Computer Science graduates who can't get jobs as well, as they spin their wheels trying to stay sharp while job hunting. # 3. Larger bootcamps will have a lot of changes, potentially layoffs/sales/mergers We're seeing this to some degree as well. App Academy had some layoffs of their TAs. TechElevator allegedly shut down some in person cohorts and combined them online. Juno College is pivoting and essentially shutting down their programming bootcamp. We haven't seen any catastrophic shut downs yet though. # 4. ISAs/Deferred Payments will be start to be replaced with upfront/traditional loans This is largely true as well. We've been hearing less about the leading ISA companies and seeing their names less in programs. We're seeing now ISA options rise though - which are structure more like loans to cover the "upfront amount" and are backed directly by a bank, like a loan. # 5. There will be a surge in complaints and negative sentiment Definitely true based on this subreddit! # 6. If it's free there's probably a catch, watch out for people taking advantage We're seeing this too! There's a free 365 day online bootcamps that cancelled a cohort 3 months in. I'm seeing a lot of senior engineers interested in mentoring, but they are getting paid to do so via a plethora of programs and mentorship communities that have arising in recent years. # 7. The best bootcamps will adapt I'm actually shocked on this one because I've seen very very very few changes at the top bootcamps in terms of curriculum and strategy. I guess at places like Codesmith - that only support upfront options - they have your money on day 1 and once you graduate they don't really have any financial incentive to invest money in placing you, other than tanking outcomes that make new people not want to join. But I haven't seen anyone change curriculum or advice or approach or creating new partnerships. EDIT: Launch School added Typescript to their curriculum because of the market! A notable change.

Sorry I don't :(. I work/have worked with hundreds of bootcamp grads later on in their careers and most come from Codesmith, Hack Reactor, Rithm, Fullstack Academy, General Assembly, Hackbright, and some other ones that are escaping my memory, but not Coding Temple. There are a surprisingly large number of Codesmith STAFF, students and alumni on here who have over time contacted me as a well which gives me a lot of insight into their program more than any other.

Should be mid to end of September for CIRR

Hi, so I can speak to changes we've made at Formation, which is not a bootcamp and was engineered to be dynamic and flexible, these are the things I remember in the past 6 months off the top of my head in the 3 mins I timeboxed to writing this: 1. Redid job hunt reference materials twice 2. Redid async resume review process so people can get reviews faster in general 3. Created 5 new group and mentor led session types around job hunting, networking, job hunt office hours, storytelling, and specially check-ins 4. Created dedicate peer referrals channel, which isn't working too well because of the market 5. Added dozens of industry recruiters for mock interviews and responses in chat 6. Created a book a recruiter call on demand flow self service on our platform for people in interviews 7. Added on platform referral request flows for people who are a good match for companies to request referrals 8. Work on company partnerships to create pathways, like our Netflix program and more to come 9. Created a resume book to share within our network of.top tier companies 10. Source hundreds of jobs a week and surface them to Fellows based on their personal preferences in a Tinder-like tool Meanwhile we have literally dozens of actual training improvements like learning paths, hundreds of new tasks and sessions, new long term maintenance topics for people lasting longer in the program. I can go into more detail on these but all of the stuff above was two or three employees and we have way more people working on the technical stuff!! But all of this said, it's still really challenging to get people placed who don't have experience or a network. There isn't a magic way to frame your bootcamp projects to get your resume seen. If we refer you somewhere and there are 100 other people with work experience there's only so much we can do. So we have way more to do and just getting started! This is why it boggles my mind that I've seen almost no changes from bootcamps. No changes to advice, no changes to curriculum. Just empty slack channels and people waiting 2 weeks to get a resume review consistently, and alumni being booked up for a month for mock interviews. I don't have the answers for other programs because I put this brain energy into Formation.

Yeah there are all kinds of bootcamps out there! One thing to keep in mind is that the 12 week intense style bootcamps don't actually teach you much practically. It's more about the mera training of forcing you to learn how to debug and problem solve under pressure and these skills apply to everything. But if your bootcamp is bad at teaching general skills then it won't be good for any job :(

"Mentorship communities" might sounds more supportive, but I was thinking things like Interviewing.io, Taro, Plato I work with a lot of bootcamp grads later on and many are "mentors" at their old bootcamps too, So I wasn't just talking about FAANG engineers but just bootcamp grads that want to give back are doing so - paid - as mentors in their old bootcamps or other bootcamps.

Good point, I just haven't worked with people who went there but they have lots of outcomes that I could use as data to add to my understanding of the market.

Plus 1 to market improving. Something subtle you said is also something I'm seeing myself which is that newer members are getting jobs sometimes faster than people who started in H2 2022. My theory is people who applied for jobs then basically had their resumes go into a black hole and ignored. And the people are so demoralized they aren't in a great place for chugging along. Whereas people applying fresh now have a better chance to get seen. For CIRR companies (i.e. Codesmith) I'm seeing some people get placed post 6 months so they will be excluded from CIRR even though they got jobs, which is another thing that can make CIRR not align with perception. BTW if you know why Codesmith's CIRR was restated, I'm dying to know, I thought they would publish an explanation because they are extremely proactive about defending Codesmith's stance on CIRR in their blogs.

Good point and I did know about that but forgot I'll edit to add that

Thanks for sharing. That’s definitely interesting, Bootcamp enrollment is indeed way down