When should you not attempt Hack Reactor(Galvanize)?

The enforced time commitment for both HR 12 week and Codesmith is one of the reasons both are not super diverse. You have to have both the life circumstances to work on this without any source of income for 3 or more months AND you have to have the life circumstances to commit 11 hours a day to a program. Not everyone has the savings or the ability to do this and it tends to bias to non parents with enough savings to live off of for months. These programs though are optimizing for the outcomes of such people though and they don't pretending to be trying to help make the industry more diverse and inclusive. Nothing wrong with this, but it's counter intuitive that the most intense bootcamps with the best outcomes are the least diverse at the same time. Lack of diversity in the industry is the biggest problem with big tech right now in my opinion and I'm committed to working on this problem for as long as it takes, but kind of off topic.

I work about 80 to 90 hours a week out of choice and have been since 2009, other than a semi-retirement in 2017/2018. I didn't do a bootcamp but I did a very competitive and selective college degree where 1/3 of students are mandatorilly cut after 1st year and worked non stop except for 1 hour a week on Saturday to go out for dinner. The work ethic that I developed then carried forward to the real world and I was very successful. That said, I have a lot of other weaknesses as a result and would not recommend this lightly. But my point is that the super intense intense work ethic carrying forward even a tiny bit might help you hit the ground running on the job!

When I did this I had never even drank alcohol before and was clean. I had a very rigorous workout schedule so I could do work while working out but do the exact same routine every day. I had no friends whatsoever at the time. But the way it happens is a result of what I mentioned below in another comment about diversity. The programs aren't just selecting for people who have the raw skills, but who have the life circumstances to do this. Perhaps enough savings in the bank from past work. Perhaps a full time nanny for the kids. Perhaps a nurse for the elderly parents. And a family and friends that are expecting to not interact much for a few months. You'll find a lot of the people who do this were relatively successful at their previous career for example, and either don't have a family or have tremendous support from a spouse who is sacrificing their own career and lifestyle to make it work.