College vs. Bootcamp
The professional path we take in life is ultimately up to us but when we are 18, we may not even know what options we have. Before we sign our life away to a university and a bank, it would be good to consider all options and evaluate which one best suits our needs. Avoid the question “what do I want to do” because the likely answer is that you don’t know and that’s why you are in this situation. Instead, focus on “what interests me?” This question allows for a little more introspection and may result in a better answer than “I want to make money”; follow your interests and the money will come.
A common alternative to college that still lies within the realm of higher education is a bootcamp. A bootcamp is great as a college alternative… if you do it right. Chances are if you Google “how to code”, for example, you will get bombarded with geographically targeted ads that suggest that you take a coding bootcamp through your local college. Bootcamps strategically markup a learning pathway to a commonly desired skillset. Coding is a very common bootcamp curriculum because the demand is high, and so is the intellectual barrier to entry. Software development for example, has a 22% growth projection from 2020-2030 according to the BLS. The median pay for a software developer in 2020 was $110,140 per year.
Many job postings will say that a bachelor’s degree is required, but take this with a grain of salt. Think about it this way. Two people are interviewing for a software developer job. They both have the same proficiency in writing code and developing software. One spent $200,000 and 4 years to learn software development, and the other one spent $10,000 and 8 months to learn, and focus on the same subject. As an employer, does it really matter? The answer is no. Fewer people are going to college than in years past and choosing to learn a skill rather than put themselves in debt for years to come. A bootcamp makes this possible and they are offered from many different universities that cover a variety of subjects. With bootcamps there are 3 things to know before going in to it.
Who runs the bootcamp
Not all boot camps are created equal. Look in to the specifics of it and know where the education itself is coming from. For example, the University of Denver offers bootcamps for coding, digital marketing, UX/UI and other technical skills. DU is a reputable, private school that provides good education to it’s students. However, DU’s bootcamps are run by a company called 2U, an online learning platform. 2U only uses DU as the face of their organization. The instructors, curriculum and technical infrastructure belonged to 2U. They did not have the same well oiled machine style of management or engaging learning that a private college does. Do your homework on the particular class you are thinking about taking
2. What skill you will gain
The idea behind college is that you learn enough to land you a job and your knowledge makes you valuable. Today, it’s very easy to make it through all 4 years of college and effectively learn nothing. Using this as an alternative, you need to know what skill you will gain at the end of the course.
It is worth noting that in 2022, learning to code is a superpower. It can be done from anywhere, sometimes on your own timeline and pays very well. The reason coding bootcamps are so popular is because it allows for a well funded, balanced way of life that is popular among millennials and gen-z. If you take 18 weeks to learn how to code, you can reasonably expect to be making upwards of $80,000 after only 18 weeks of study. This is the most valuable skill to learn in today’s market. If you have the aptitude for it, this is your sign to learn how to code.
3. Where you want to end up
You powered through and finished the course and you have the skill you wanted, now what? If you haven’t started thinking about this at the beginning of your course, start the thought process a few weeks before the end of it. What skill do you have, what are professions that skill translates to and how much do those professions make? You made an investment in to your education, now you are more valuable. How much more exactly. Look at jobs that you hope to land after the course, what their market value is and how much you can expect to make. From here you can start your job search.
Bootcamps are a great alternative to college, or to get ahead in the professional world by learning high demand skills. While they may seem expensive, compare it to a 4 year degree that will make you take classes that have no relation to the skill you hope to gain. After all that’s what bootcamps are for and what college used to be for: gaining skills. Gain the skills to live the life you want to lead in a fraction of the time with a bootcamp.