The ROI of a Coding Bootcamp vs Online Training
I was recently asked about the ROI of an online coding bootcamp vs an in-person bootcamp on Quora. I cover the job guarantee aspect last. Let’s start with someone else’s’ opinion that you might find more interesting.
After 5 months and $7000 down the drain that ignorant kid is emailing you and wanting to apologize . . . he wants that opportunity [joining Sabio] again. ~Applicant who chose to go to an online school instead of continuing with Sabio
TL;DR;
The Shadow Investment
In·vest·ment — noun: the action or process of investing money for profit or material result.
The point of an investment is to realize a material result. There is an expected, profitable outcome. Not every investment yields profit but the planning and intent behind it all, is to see a gain. The better you plan, the better your expected returns should be. The online coding programs do not represent this at all.
Gam·ble — noun: an act of gambling; an enterprise undertaken or attempted with a risk of loss and a chance of profit or success.
The online coding bootcamp is a gamble. It is a game of chance. If you want to take a chance go for it. You might win, but don’t plan on it. The [coding] house always wins.
Online Bootcamp is not Online Education
The online coding bootcamp should not be compared to standard online education efforts. The depth and breadth of the subject matter as it relates to Computer Science and poor student engagement puts this form of education into a completely different ball park. When you consider that the goals of a standard education is not a job outcome you will realize that the success you are looking for is not even in consideration.
There have been no significant studies applied to this specific use case. The use case being online, accelerated/immersive learning that is at the same time “at your own pace”. Accelerated and at your own pace. Huh?
If you were to borrow from standard online educational efforts you should determine if you fit into the demographics that are expected to see tangible results; i.e., online education benefits a particular type of person. Are you that type of person? Most are not.
Therefore, there is no ROI to speak of when it comes to online bootcamps. There is no return because there is no investment. It is all a gamble.
Now they’re asking for more money for more time.
~Applicant who chose to go to an online school instead of continuing with Sabio
If you feel like gambling let me help hedge your bet and give you the winning strategy that is being repackaged and ridiculously marked up for your purchase:
- Find the most detailed curriculum you can find online
- Get a subscription at Pluralsight or Lynda and follow said curriculum.
- Find a co-working space or Starbucks to study out of ever 2–3 nights per week
- Find 2–3 people to be your study buddies
- Go to Meetups to find a helpful person to ask questions to
- Bookmark Stack Overflow
This will run you about $125 — $200 per month if not less, if you find more people to split the costs.
The Risk in Gambling
…the complete lack of Support and non responsive Communication derailed me from finishing. I really had a tough time convincing myself to try again. ~Student who chose to go to enroll in an online coding course
When people ask me “Can i learn to code for free?” I tell them Yes! And I follow up with “Don’t give up if that does not work.”
Unlike the gambling you do at Vegas, this kind of gambling repels you when you fail. It is demoralizing. It kicks you when you are down and sticks its boot in your neck.
If your gamble does not pay off, do not despair. Do not give up. Just execute on a better plan. Bad plans are bad mostly because they do not have a good chance of success.
Apprenticeships and Vocational Training
In contrast, Sabio practices an accelerated learning model very much like an apprenticeship where one is trained by master craftsmen. This environment demonstrates clear paths to not only valuable skills, but employable skills. It’s not something we invented and it’s not something new. The world of tech and investors are not that excited about, they don’t think is sexy because it does not scale to millions of people at an absurdly low cost. However, you are evaluating your options from a different perspective.
It’s old. It’s proven. It works. Done.
Networks
The strength of your network is very much correlated to your success in any career. No one is going to debate that. In-person experiences have a tremendous advantage over any online, disconnected, “at your own pace” type of program. Being in a room with a dozen peers and a master craftsman for 8 hours is very impactful and motivational.
Guaranteed Job Placement
First, let me tell you why Sabio does not offer a guarantee: our higher ed partners don’t want any part of it.
Other guarantee programs I know have one big problem in that they set the job outcome success level very low. One program I looked up considers an internship a job outcome. The other, only requires you to get a $40,000/year job.
You can get a job at this level without a bootcamp. You might not move too far, but you can get there without them. What you need training for is to get a permanent job with a skill set that will allow you to thrive and grow quickly and enter the job market closer to $60,000 if not higher and be able to work your way up to a six-figure salary.
When we had our program in place we had set our goal to a $60,000, full time job coding.
Disclaimer
FYI, I am not and cannot speak for other organizations that you would call coding bootcamps. I am not a fan of most. The way we operate is very unique, many times at the cost of profit but for the benefit of students.
If I were to recommend any, they would be on this short list: https://cirr.org/
