The Case Against AI, UX, And Coding Bootcamps

By the year 2028, the technology industry will predictably experience a 21% rise in demand for software engineering talent, compared to a 5% growth rate for all other occupations. Traditional universities, scrambling to keep pace, have readjusted their curricula and spun up new concentrations, degrees, and certificate programs to close the skills gap. However, the efforts of conventional education players won’t be enough to address the widening hole of talent. 

Opportunistically, around 2011, the industry responded. 

Instead of attending a 4-year university or 2-year graduate program to acquire relevant technical skills, a student could sign-up for an intensive bootcamp that promised a compressed path to learning (3-6 months), guaranteed job placement, and accelerated career ambitions.

In many ways, this model paid dividends for tech industry hopefuls. Scores of bootcamps boast placements rates in the high ~90% and possess a feverish dedication to student-focused growth and development. 

However, not all bootcamps are alike. Copycats, scam artists, and unethical actors have created bootcamps selling nothing more than debt, headache, and self-doubt. 

Before enrolling in a bootcamp, consider the following reasons not to:

1) Bootcamps are not recession tested 

Bootcamps primarily emerged into the public consciousness shortly after the 2008 recession. Since then, they experienced a reasonable period of growth before several shuttered their doors or consolidated. In the event of a market downturn, bootcamps — operating off of tuition cash flow — could experience mass shut-downs, whereas universities — cushioned by a public endowment — can use reserve funds to cover faculty, facilities, and operations. If a bootcamp shuts down, the certificate & brand value immediately vanish.

2) Curricula are not standardized or accredited 

Every bootcamp maintains its own curriculum, format, structure, and learning plan. Unlike colleges, bootcamps don’t have a governing body certifying that new programs meet the acceptable quality threshold. As a result, the efficacy of training varies wildly between program-to-program. Even worse, some programs don’t have a single representative from academia (e.g., professor, researcher, administrator) in their leadership ranks — only entrepreneurs, engineers, or industry luminaries. 

3) Bootcamps are for-profit enterprises

In late 2019, the University of Pheonix agreed to cancel $141 million in student debt to settle allegations that deceptive marketing tactics were used to recruit students to the institution. Eerily enough, bootcamps don’t shy away from deploying similar strategies. They plaster high placement rates and logos of FAANG companies all over their web pages and marketing materials. Online webinars, incessant e-mail blasts, and aggressive discounts serve to nudge on-the-fencers to apply or enroll. Being for-profit is not, by itself, a black mark, but given the highly competitive market of bootcamps all vying to be profitable, the priority of filling seats can overshadow the real goal of educating students. Be aware of programs that scale too aggressively, that hire instructors too quickly, or admit students too easily. 

4) Instructors lack pedagogical training

If the old adage of “those of can’t do, teach” is to be accepted, then the inverse may also be true: “those who do, can’t teach”. Captains of industry, many of whom have seen unparalleled professional success, assume instructor roles at bootcamps. The majority do a phenomenal job, but the bootcamps themselves don’t do any favors for the minority that are poorly equipped to teach properly. The process of breaking down complex principles into smaller subcomponents is a learned art, and not everyone can be cast into an instructor role without the proper training. People don’t become teachers overnight, and bootcamps have a responsibility to educate their instructors on the principles of learning, fundamentals of teaching, and the best practices of being an effective educator. 

Next Steps

So what now? Is this long-winded manifesto motivated by a deep desire to move all students away from bootcamps and into university classrooms? 

Not at all. 

The goal is to encourage folks to ask questions, assess options, and make informed decisions. Before applying to a bootcamp, you should:

• Ask the bootcamp to send you an anonymized list of previous graduates with their current salaries and job titles. 
• Ask the bootcamp how many graduates are placed in jobs within the field of study and not outside of it. 
• Perform a LinkedIn search of previous students and inquire about their experience in the program. 
• Price-compare bootcamps and explore available scholarships for underrepresented communities. 
• Understand the bootcamp learning plan (e.g., projects-only, formal curriculum, apprenticeship).
• Ensure that bootcamps that use ISAs (income share agreements) have a capped maximum so overpayment risk is avoided. 
• Investigate the qualifications of the instructors in the bootcamp. 
• Investigate the financial health of the bootcamp to prevent unexpected closures or resource cuts. 
• Talk to HR managers at target companies and ask for their candid opinions about bootcamp hires. 

The bootcamp industry is still nascent, and finding the right program can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack. Exercise patience, a healthy dose of skepticism, and an open mind when finding the option that suits you.