Perception
Perception about what being a software engineer means is probably one of the biggest challenges to overcome before joining a coding bootcamp. For decades, software engineers were perceived as scientists that require extensive education and dedication to the field. They would work on huge mainframes, programmed using punch cards and had to read whole programming language manuals before writing their first lines of code.
The world has changed since then. We have faster and cheaper computers and better developer tools, including high-level and very expressive languages like JavaScript/Node.js. For people thinking about coding bootcamp, these are all things to consider.
Career Path
Some students coming from other industries, e.g., finance, find it overwhelming how many options open up to them during and (most importantly) after the program.
There are giants like Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Twitter and Yahoo! which offer security and perks. There are TechCrunch-featured and VC-backed startups that offer flexibility and a free atmosphere, and tiny bootstrapped ventures with upside potential and the ability to make an impact on a product.
Then we have job specializations: front-end engineer, back-end engineer, dev ops, UI/UX, big data and growth hacks. That adds to the variety of tech stacks: Angular, Backbone, Ember, Node.js, Scala, Rails. If that’s not enough, due to the high competition among companies, recruiters and founders zealously create company culture with free Jawbone Up gadgets, Kindle books and off-site retreats.
Workload
Most people are skeptical that it’s possible to take two to three months off from their other job. My advice is to just find the time, because in the long term doing something you don’t enjoy for years is magnitudes worse than spending a few months switching careers.
You can join a coding bootcamp where I teach, and after short twelve weeks be on your way to a high paying engineering job in no time!
The Traditional Computer Science Education Experience
There are posts after posts about how traditional computer science education is ineffective, however sometimes it inflicts even more damage by introducing theoretical and purely academic topics that are not related to the actual majority of modern day programming.
As a result some people drop out and never go back to coding discouraged by the lack of creativity. For the people who were bummed out by their college’s computer science education experience, joining a coding bootcamp would most likely revive an old passion.
Before joining to bootcamp you should try to complete some courses like codeacademy. Those are just for newbie and can help you to prepare for more serious work.
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I agree with you when you mention that time commitment and workload are some of the biggest issues! Some people are scared that they have to quit their current full-time jobs in order to have the needed hours to work on their programming skills (most coding bootcamps require 60+ hours per week). And this is without the assurance of a job upon completion of the program! But, it really comes down to what it is worth for you; do you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a 4 year educational program where you only might learn practical skills, or would you rather spend a a few thousand of dollars on 2 months of hands-on educational programs where you have access to one-on-one mentorships and job assistance? These are some of the most important things to consider. If the idea is still too scary, there are also workshop series that allow you to learn the material during nights and weekends. Check out our program at http://codinghouse.co.
I agree with you completely! the best way out: remote studies at a University and a part-time work for a mobile app development company.