CS degree vs programming bootcamp

Casually Hardcore

So I have a goal to get into software development. I'm currently using free resources such as freecodecamp. I want to spend time and resources to continue my education beyond self teaching, so I'm looking at getting CS degree at a state college ( Denver metropolitan state University, if you're curious). I already have a BS, so I can transfer a lot of credits to get the lower level classes out of the way.

But, my friends and co-workers are telling me that a faster way to learn to code is to go to one of these bootcamps that will crash you through programming with a goal of you gaining the skills and having a portfolio that'll get you hired within the year. That sounds really scammy to me, but I've read a lot of testimonies that says it's legitimate thing.

Does anyone have any advice, opinions, it experience in this?

bowen

Get the degree.

Bootcamps are accelerated and often times difficult if you struggle with any single concept they are teaching. Also they're not worth as much as a degree long term.

CelestialBadger

I've heard that *some* bootcamps can be legit things that actually get you a job. But you sound interested enough in CS that a degree is the best way to go.

Jasconius

ive never seen a bootcamp that was focused on anything but web development

if you want to get into web, then I think a bootcamp is probably fine, well researched

otherwise, get a degree

Tofystedeth

I'd advise a real degree, just be aware that computer science and software development overlap but are not the same thing.

CS will give you a good mathematical foundation for being a programmer, but you'll almost definitely need to do some outside studying to stay abreast of current tech and design patterns and stuff.

Tofystedeth

Jasconius wrote: »

ive never seen a bootcamp that was focused on anything but web development

if you want to get into web, then I think a bootcamp is probably fine, well researched

otherwise, get a degree

Unfortunately so much development these days is web. I've been looking around for a new job and its pretty hard to find something that isn't web/mobile.

Malgaras

Boot camps aren't all what I would call scams (although some are), but I would generally consider them to be options for people who don't have the time and/or money to get a full degree. Since it sounds like you have both, I would do that. It will make things easier for you in the long term.

Tofystedeth wrote: »

Jasconius wrote: »

ive never seen a bootcamp that was focused on anything but web development

if you want to get into web, then I think a bootcamp is probably fine, well researched

otherwise, get a degree

Unfortunately so much development these days is web. I've been looking around for a new job and its pretty hard to find something that isn't web/mobile.

There's a lot of web, but it's certainly not all development by a long shot. Hell, I've not been in the game super long (professional dev for about 7 years now) but I've done almost all backend work. What kinds of companies are you looking at?

Tofystedeth

Generally whatever's listed on SO jobs for Dallas/remote C# .NET stuff. They either want full stack web/mobile, or it's like insurance, marketing, or slot machine companies which I would like even less than what i do now.
Edit: but this is not my thread. My biases against web programming are because I'm crotchety, old before my time, and just dislike it for no rational reason. It should not be taken as advice to the OP.
Web is huge these days and being well versed in JavaScript and some of the bigger frameworks will help get your foot in the door.

Technicality

Its not quite as important if you already have a degree, but I think the CS degree is probably still the better option. You do want to be working on a portfolio of some sort whilst doing the degree though (published stuff you made or contributed to and some sort of web presence). In fact I'd start right now.

I once googled a guy I was going to be working with, and a really cool thing he'd done was set up a programming blog. It was only the very occasional post about projects he was working on, tricks he'd discovered, problems he'd run into, events he'd attended etc. but it impressed the hell out of me. I knew right away he was going to be a good communicator, which is probably the most important skill you can have.

Mayabird

My understanding was that programming bootcamps are basically recruiting tools by the giant software companies to look for 'diamonds in the rough' who might not be flagged as good hires by traditional means (can't afford a degree, hasn't built up a portfolio, etc.) They're not really about teaching in the end, just finding the ones who are already good at it. Unless you're already super-great and can show it off, a degree is probably the better option.

Kragun

To give my own personal experience, I went to a bootcamp. I enjoyed it and did well and got a job soon after finishing it. I do recognize my experience was not the norm, though, which is why I can't really recommend it. I had an engineering degree from earlier where I used Fortran occasionally for calculations. I also picked up python on a lark a few years after that. I was really burned out on my field and wanted something different and the bootcamp fit my time line way better than other options. It's really accelerated (I did a 3 month bootcamp), as others have said, so a number of people in my group quickly got left behind. I enjoyed the pace though.

With a CS degree, you'll get a much more rounded education. You'll still have to pick up languages and frameworks that you want to work with on your own time as well as build your own projects. You will also have to take classes that you might not care for, but by learning the fundamentals, you'll set a better foundation for later things. Also if you continue doing freecodecamp, I believe you get to some site ideas later that stretch your chops more.

Meanwhile with a bootcamp, I gained hyper specific knowledge in one area of web development. As a result, I'm playing catch up with others by learning these fundamentals now. But I had a decent portfolio leaving it.

There's a wide range of factors to consider on these things. What time line are you looking to be done with things? (I couldn't rededicate multiple years to this so CS degree was out at the time) How can your finances handle this? Is the bootcamp even a good one? (Do note that while a lot of them like to say they have a 95% hire rate or some such, that doesn't necessarily mean the person got a job in development. A number of my classmates instead went back into their old field because they didn't have much luck.) More importantly, is the teacher good? In college one bad teacher is an annoyance but the structure allows you to still succeed. A bad bootcamp teacher will be a complete waste of your money and time.

Casually Hardcore

The appeal of putting together a marketable profile within a few months is the biggest appeal of the bootcamps for me right now. Unfortunately, I can't justify getting further into debt to do something that doesn't 100% garuntee a payoff. Since I can continue learning things on my own, take classes in CS, and work full time, I think pursuing the CS degree is the better choice, especially if I take the time to work towards the goal of getting an entry level coding job while I'm still working towards the degree.

Thank you

Smrtnik

Do you plan to continue working on your current company, just different position/department? If so, you may be able to get them to pay for your degree part time.

Casually Hardcore

Sadly my job is a geotechnical engineering consulting firm and while I like the job, it's brain numbing dull. I'm hoping software development allows me to solve problems and be creative instead of doing the same 10 things over and over to a strict standard. They do offer a college assistance, so I'll be sure to look into that.

schuss

Bootcamps can help you get a job, but don't provide a lot of the theoretical basis. That said, they're fine if you already have the aptitude for the thought process/math, as you most likely won't be using the full extent of CS skills in most dev positions. The good ones are incredibly intense though - think 12+ hour days and weekend work.
You can bootcamp for basically anything, though many focus on web as even internal apps are often web apps these days (embedded development is a whole different ball of wax, but you'll DEFINITELY want a CS degree for that).

Before you go - check to see the companies the bootcamp is affiliated with, as most of the good ones have deep contacts into large corps to aid your hiring.

lunchbox12682

Casually Hardcore wrote: »

Sadly my job is a geotechnical engineering consulting firm and while I like the job, it's brain numbing dull. I'm hoping software development allows me to solve problems and be creative instead of doing the same 10 things over and over to a strict standard. They do offer a college assistance, so I'll be sure to look into that.

Honestly, once you get high enough in many organizations this happens. I'm an embedded software engineer mostly dealing with safety critical systems over my 11+ years and for the last few years, my job is more paperwork and project lead stuff than directly tech work. And for me it isn't a bad thing.
For note, my education is BS Computer Engineering (which I also recommend to people interesting in software engineering), a MS in Computer Science, and a pending MBA.

From your OP and responses, I think you need to also spend some additional time looking into what you really want to do. An amazing and exciting career? A steady career with room for growth? A paycheck? Just having anything different than what you do today? Not a simple question, but I recommend more research and reflection before making any large commitments.

Good luck.