THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WORKING: With coding bootcamps grabbing headlines and the attention of the federal government (which is experimenting with giving them access to federal funds), many wonder: How do graduates actually fare in the job market? Do they really earn as much as some bootcamp providers tout?
This year, 73 percent of graduates reported landing a full-time job requiring skills learned at their bootcamp. That’s according to Course Report, a coding bootcamp review site, which published its third annual Coding Bootcamp Alumni Outcomes and Demographics Study. The survey covered 52 schools and received 1,143 responses, up from 665 in 2015.
The report also shows that graduates saw an average salary increase of 64 percent, up from 38 percent in 2015. Liz Eggleston, co-founder of Course Report, attributes much of the boost this year to lower average pre-bootcamp salaries, which she suggests may be due to bootcamps attracting more lower-income students thanks to greater availability of lending partners and growing awareness of the industry.
Other findings include:
- The typical attendee is 30 years old, has 6.8 years of work experience, has at least a Bachelor’s degree, and has never worked as a programmer
- 43% of bootcamp attendees are female (compared to 15.1% in computer science bachelor’s degree programs)
- Use of external lending partners such as Skills Fund and Climb Credit has increased from 8% in 2014 to 17% in 2016.
