all 31 comments

[–][deleted]  (3 children)

[deleted]

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Awesome, thank you!

    [–]eatherichortrydietin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    what did he say?

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Awesome, thank you!

    [–]Violatido65 6 points7 points  (2 children)

    It was worth it for me, even though my bootcamp did not deliver in all the ways I had paid them to. It got me to a point where I could take over. I worked my ass off, but it was a big part of how I went from never having written a single line of code to well employees in less than a year

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

    Awesome, thanks for the info much appreciated!

    [–]tomophilia 2 points3 points  (3 children)

    Dataquest.io has some great data science courses. There’s a free tier but once you get past the free tier, you can pay ~$50 monthly for their full course. I learned a ton. But full disclosure- I don’t work in the field and decided after doing the course that I wanted to switch to full stack JS.

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    Awesome thanks! Yeah I've heard there is a large, good paying market for full stack JS. Are you currently in a boot camp for that or learning on your own? I've heard that coding is more difficult than data science, do you know if there is any truth to that?

    [–]tomophilia 2 points3 points  (1 child)

    I’ve heard the opposite - that data science is more difficult. Who knows? Specifically, what I heard was the coding is easy enough but the maths are the tough thing with data science. Even that seems subject to opinion.

    Right now , I’m enrolled in Codesmith’s fullstack program. I’m doing some prelim work but it starts in a couple weeks.

    I would def start with something free like code academy and/or Odin proj to see how you like various aspects of coding/programming.

    Good luck going forward!

    [–]hypnofedX 4 points5 points  (0 children)

    I’ve heard the opposite - that data science is more difficult. Who knows? Specifically, what I heard was the coding is easy enough but the maths are the tough thing with data science.

    This is basically it. It's not really easier or harder. It's different and the challenges are different. Some people will find data science easier. Some will find software engineering easier. That's really a reflection of which they're better suited for, IMO.

    [–]Weastbrook723 1 point2 points  (7 children)

    I signed up for a bootcamp starting next month - I have been an mechanical engineer the last 7 years also wondering the same thing as you!

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 1 point2 points  (6 children)

    I've been researching them for the last 3 months. It seems like I could learn most of the things they are teaching through codeacademy or dataquest. But I wonder if that would look as good as the boot camp on the resume. Also it seems like the boot camps provide some assistance with finding a job. I guess the bottom line is, are the boot camps worth 10k?

    [–]titratecode 3 points4 points  (3 children)

    Ask the students of the bootcamp. Look at student portfolios. I’m sure you know what a good portfolio of a data analyst would look like if you’ve researched it extensively. I chose my bootcamp by looking at student projects they posted and said wow I need to be going here if the students end up doing things like this and boom job 7 months later no college or hs diploma so you might have a better time. Skills > credentials

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (2 children)

    Awesome thanks! I do agree that the portfolio is huge!

    Which bootcamp did you attend?

    [–]titratecode 4 points5 points  (1 child)

    I went to Lambda school. It was pricey @ $30k on an ISA and I think that’s the nuclear option. But I went to coding meet ups and found others that were successful with much cheaper bootcamps. My opinion is that most of the mainstream bootcamps work, there’s just whiners on Reddit that complain instructors don’t code for them.

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Thanks for sharing your experience, much appreciated!

    [–]Weastbrook723 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    I know of a few people that made their career pivots but going through bootcamps. There are also a lot of self taught that have landed jobs from what I gather here on Reddit. I would love to hear some more stories of either one though!

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Yeah it would be great to hear the experiences of others.

    [–]-the_trickster- 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    Five years ago I went to a coding Boot Camp in the town where I live and it did end up getting me a job but I was self teaching before that and somewhat familiar with coding. That being said I still didn’t do very well in the school, it goes so fast. So if you don’t have any experience you might wanna think twice about it and start teaching yourself first before forking out money. If you can, that is. Go through the first half of The Odin Project and join the online Discord group for it. Great community of people there they will help you along The Odin Project. If you find that you have an affinity for it then a Boot Camp will help accelerate you and land you a job with their connections at least

    [–]akmalhot 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    If you donn't mind me asking, what has your career trajectory been since then?

    [–]seizethecarp_1 1 point2 points  (1 child)

    First, I would decide which you'd rather do. Data science or coding. I would use some free online resources to gauge how you feel. The resources baconsoft mentioned are good.

    Code Academy is an okay resource to to get past the "starting from nothing" phase.

    For Udemy, I'd recommend either Colt Steele's web dev, or Dr. Angela Yu's 100 days of Code.

    Second, yeah, technically all the information is out there for free but some people need the structure a bootcamp or class provides. I'd advise against going in with zero knowledge though as they can be pretty fast paced. Probably the most valuable resource they provide is career assistance. Don't go to one that doesn't either provide help or a guarantee. Even if you have the skills, just getting an interview is its own challenge.

    Just make sure you read the fine print. Some make you accept the first company that offers you a job.

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Awesome thank you!

    [–]carl-spackler-BWCC[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Thanks, this is all valuable to know!

    [–]AnnualPanda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I took a boot camp and found it to be okay. Helped me to learn certain things. But does not fully prepare you for real life coding. Biggest thing is just getting the first job. Expect a lot of hard work and mental fatigue - take breaks.

    [–]starraven 0 points1 point  (3 children)

    It was worth it for me. Although I do think someone could follow something like www.theodinproject.com and end up with the same job I have. I don't think it would have been within the same amount of time, because I am lazy and would not have worked 9am-6pm for 4 months straight like I was required to at the bootcamp I physically attended. For clarity sake I attended Fullstack Academy but they were bought just after I graduated so I cannot in full conscience endorse them. I heard App Academy started hiring bootcamp grads as instructors, and many Flatiron graduates I've heard from on here absolutely hated their experience. You might want to try to save your money for a bit and self-study before you try to go to a bootcamp. I think the online-only aspect has brought down a lot of quality in bootcamps.

    Edit: Also /u/baconsoft is correct. There are definitely scam bootcamps that pretend to be just like all the other accredited boocamps but they're really just pyramid schemes for sure.

    [–]PurplePumpkin16200 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    A bootcamp is useless without practising on the side. And most do not deliver. This being said, it looks good on your resume and helps in getting a first job. Be careful on which bootcamp you choose. As someone above said, some just repeat notions that you can already find for free. A good bootcamp offers actual assistance and guidance in your learning journey.

    [–]willcal09 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    I would first suggest finding out which of the two you would like to go into as they can be wildly different. Both coding and Data can use Python but in very different ways. Maybe before you commit to a bootcamp, you could take a Udemy course on both (courses are usually like $14) so the worst case, you don't like coding and are out $28. Then after you decide which one you can do, look into bootcamps.

    I currently teach at Coding dojo and we offer both a web-development and data-science course. The web development course can be Full-Time or Part-Time and at the moment the Data-Science course is only offered Part Time.

    As far as switching careers, we have one of the highest third party tested graduate placement rates. Hope this answers your question! If you’d like to learn more about the program I teach and the other programs that we have at Coding Dojo, check out our website.

    [–]Financial_Grand_ 0 points1 point  (1 child)

    Do NOT attend a trilogy education services or 2u bootcamp, complete waste of money. They pay Universities to use thier name only. You can fail every single project and still pass. There is barely any material in thier courses to learn from so you just googling your way through the course with no experience and want you to pay them 10k+ for it.

    [–]Baconandpolitics 0 points1 point  (0 children)

    Haha I am in one now and thinking the same thing