Unpopular take: those career change bootcamps are mostly a waste of money

I keep seeing people on here recommending coding bootcamps or data analytics programs like they're a guaranteed path to a better job. I did one in Austin about 2 years ago, cost me $14,000 and 3 months of weekends. The instructors were fine but the placement numbers they advertise are a joke. Out of my cohort of 30, maybe 5 got jobs in the field within 6 months. The rest of us ended up back in our old roles or scrambling for anything. I think people ignore that the market's way oversaturated for entry-level stuff. Has anyone else actually tracked the outcomes from these programs past the first year?

2 comments

2 Comments

max47220h ago

Man I feel this so hard. My buddy in Denver dropped $16k on a data bootcamp last year and out of 40 people in his class only 4 had jobs in the field after 6 months. The recruiters they bring in just tell you to apply for stuff you could have found on your own anyway. It's rough because these places sell you this dream but dont mention most entry level roles now want 2 years experience or a degree. The instructors mean well but they cant control that the market is flooded with people who did the exact same thing. I think we need to be way more honest with people looking to switch careers instead of just hyping up these programs.

kai81818h ago

I saw some article that said bootcamps are basically gambling with your savings now. One place was advertising a 90% job placement rate but when you look at the fine print they count people who got any job at all even if it's not in tech. It's shady as hell honestly. That 4 out of 40 number is rough but sadly it's pretty normal from what I've been hearing from people. Someone in another thread said their bootcamp had a "career services" person who basically just told them to put the bootcamp name on their resume and start applying which is basically what you can do for free. It's a real shame because I know some people legit want to learn but the whole system is set up to take money first and hope for the best later.