<p>Not sure if you guys have seen the new "coding workshops" popping up. These programs are generally 3-4 months in length, costs about 10,000 dollars, and teach people full stack web development (HTML/CSS, Ruby, Javascript, PHP, SQL). These programs claim to have employment rates of about 90 percent and starting salaries for grads around 80k as opposed to 60k for traditional CS majors. These programs claim to be more 'applied and useful' than traditional CS programs. IE, more coding/programming less 'theory'.</p>
<p>What do you guys think? Is this just a fad? Does it have value? Do you think that these programs can really give people the tools to start a whole career, or is it just good for one job?</p>
<p>Many employers are still tied to academics as far offering the most fair salary. Yes, one can get jobs with just vendor training and certifications BUT many employers can still dangle the “you do not have a degree” when it comes to promotions, etc.</p>
<p>Some senior software positions require a graduate degree, so that can also hurt when one wants to apply for “tech-lead” or “chief engineer” positions.</p>
<p>It took me 4 months to learn PHP on my own but I had a lot of experience on .NET, JS, and the like. Some of the stuff taught at such places may not be college material (someone dropped Ember and Handlebars JS code on my desk and they expect miracles. Meh) </p>
<p>Ultimately employers want to see real experience on real projects, and neither school nor Dev academies do much. </p>
<p>Such places may be worthwhile if they teach the really esoteric stuff that colleges don’t teach. Say, Informatica? Business Objects? Cognos? But as an add on to a degree.</p>
<p>From looking at the different programs, the bootcamps look more like fast-track certificates in website development or software subspecialties than alternatives to a CS degree. </p>
<p>Lots of businesses complain that traditional CS degrees are too theoretical and don’t teach practical skills. I tend to agree. But the bootcamp option is hardly a replacement. </p>
<p>If people have the time and money, doing something like the bootcamp right after you graduate and before you start a job search wouldn’t be a bad idea. It might give you some of the practical skills that many companies are looking for.</p>
<p>You can teach yourself web development, there is no need to spend 10k on a bootcamp. CS has too many sub-fields and you won’t really know what you dont know. CS is not just coding nor a trade</p>