Learning Journey in Tech : Decision Matrix for selecting a school.

Choosing the right boot camp for leveraging your career requires a lot of research. We will try to lessen your burden. We will also at the same time give you a trajectory for further research for we believe that at the end of the day YOU will have made the choice, and what decision is best for an individual than an informed one.

WHICH DISCIPLINE TO FOCUS ON

As there are different boot camp programs for different coding languages, make sure to orient the boot-camp program you choose with your career goals. Common specializations include web development, software engineering, cybersecurity, user experience/user interface (UX/UI) design, and data science.

“If you're interested in learning how to make intuitive apps or software, for example, you might consider UX/UI design. Alternatively, if you want to work with online infrastructure, you might be better suited for web development’’ advise the staff writers at Best Colleges.

WHICH LANGUAGE TO LEARN

This point is an extension of the previous point. However, we would like to reinforce the importance of choosing the most appropriate coding language for your career. If you have a specific goal for your career in mind, it’s important to explore the skills needed to reach that objective. For example, Objective C, Swift, and Python are for those looking to work in mobile app development. R and Python are for those seeking a career in data science. No matter what you want to do in your career, it’s important to learn the right skills to achieve that goal.

COST

There are many benefits to investing in an online bootcamp. For one, they are comparatively cheaper and more accessible than a master’s degree from a university. They are also flexible and often offer loans and financing options. However, the average bootcamp costs an average of around $12,000 for a full course. Even though many programs usually offer financing options such as deferred tuition and pay-as-you-go options and some even waive the tuition costs if you’re unable to secure a job offer upon graduation. It is advisable that you research well into the bootcamp course you are going to enroll into so that you get your money’s worth.

CURRICULUM

It’s your responsibility as the student to validate the curriculum of any online bootcamp by researching graduate experiences. Compare the curriculum with other curriculums that competitor boot camps offer. Ask friends or other network contacts in that field for help into the curriculum you're interested in. You need to know whether the curriculum offered is one that will develop your skills to suit your and an employer’s expectations.

Technology is moving so quickly that the precedent of learning about a certain tool and then using it for the rest of your career is obsolete. As tools, industry standards, and skill requirements evolve, curricula need to change to reflect these changes. You would like your program to reflect those changes.

WHETHER PROJECTS FORM AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE CURRICULUM

Bootcamp projects provide you with a good chance to demonstrate the skills you've learned, while reinforcing your confidence in them, which is why these projects are invaluable to getting hired after graduation. Your projects and class work will also be your first pieces of professional work your portfolio.

Projects are usually completed outside of class—though there are plenty of bootcamps that carve out time during class for you to work on your projects. So, it's important to make sure you have a good understanding of the project/course balance before choosing a bootcamp. Talk to the course representative before enrolling.

LEARNING FORMAT/ INFRASTRUCTURE

Make sure the course offered is in line with your personal learning style. You can also check whether the pace works for you. Look into whether the course is self paced or you must work at the pace of the batch who are enrolled in the course along with you. Springboard, a top online boot camp platform, also mentions the need to find out:

“how much access will you actually have to a mentor or instructor? How many students are you enrolled with? Is the course structure synchronous (students learning together simultaneously) or asynchronous (students learning independently on their own time)?”

EXTENT/DEGREE OF SUPPORT 

One of the most important things about an online boot camp is the availability of a human mentor for the student. A mentor can provide you with the outlines of where the subject matter is, how to navigate difficult discussions, and help you get your assignments right. The mentor should also give you feedback on your assignments, answer any questions you have about the course material, and help you refine your project work.

Ensure that the program you choose provides you with this human support by providing you with mentors at all hours of the day. Any program worth your time will also have weekly access to an industry expert who is available to help with homework. Like we say, make sure that the boot camp is worth every penny you pay.

PREREQUISITES OF THE COURSE

Before you apply to a boot camp, do check into the prerequisites of enrolling in a course. Some boot camps will require you to have some prior knowledge or formal qualifications in a related field. Others will not. If you're undecided about a program, you can try to track down some past graduates or speak with a representative from the boot camp. Before applying to any online boot camp, make sure your current skill set prepares you adequately for that particular program. If you are lacking in some of the prerequisites, prepare yourself before enrolling in the course.

CAREER AND PLACEMENT SERVICES

Bootcamps should provide you with job placement options or at the minimum they should be connected with some placement service providers. Please take a moment to confirm that your bootcamp offers these services.

RESEARCH INTO GRADUATE RESPONSES

Do keep it in your mind that bootcamps do not have an accreditation system that evaluates each program through a third party. So, you as a responsible student must do your research and look up factors like graduation rates, employment outcomes, and starting salaries from previous bootcamp graduates.

Many bootcamps publish this information on their websites. If a bootcamp provider doesn't publish student outcome information online, contact them directly.  Bootcamp Finder and Course Report, are two leading sites for bootcamp reviews and comparison. You can get some of the most honest reviews by reaching out to former bootcamp students.

Try reaching out to graduates through LinkedIn, Twitter,Facebook or by emailing them to get their opinion on the boot camp and see where they are in their career. You can even try looking for posts related to that particular boot camp on social media platforms using hashtags (you can also try scouring through Reddit, our personal favourite👀).

TRANSPARENT STATS AND OUTCOMES

One of the key things to know before you choose a bootcamp is how they collect, measure, and define their data. Understanding what all of the statistics mean and how they are collected will help you to choose which bootcamp is perfect for you. You also want to know if the law of the bootcamp has a credible, independent certification process. Once you know which data is important and how reliable the data is, you can start comparing bootcamps.

“You can also look to see which bootcamps belong to the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR). This organization promotes universal, transparent standards for reporting student outcome data, including having these outcomes verified by an independent third party. You can find CIRR members' student outcomes on its website’’ suggests Best Colleges

KNOW THE PEOPLE WHO WORK THERE

If you are about to commit your time and money to a coding bootcamp, you deserve to talk 1-on-1 with a student, teacher, or employee. Maybe this means attending local events or a workshop they are hosting. Perhaps it simply means a phone call. Do whatever it takes to feel like you actually know what to expect and the culture at their school counsels Tatiana Tylosky, a technologist at Thinkful. 

KEEP IN MIND THE RIGHT STACKS FOR YOUR PREFERRED WORK LOCALITY

Do your own research about what skills are in demand in your city. You want to learn the most in-demand skills in your area, to improve your chances of finding a job. This could start with a simple Indeed job search or organizing an informational interview with an engineer in your town.

“Learn a stack that is in demand and don’t get stuck learning a language that no one is hiring for (especially if it’s your first programming language)” says Tylosky of Thinkful . 

All right, you are now armed with 13 very crucial criterions to keep in mind while searching for the best boot camp for you. We hope you can use these pointers to find the perfect boot camp for your goals and expectations.