Coding or Software BOOT CAMPS?

[acamp]

Good evening all,
I have ZERO experience in coding or software engineering. I know that many of you do exactly that for your job so I just had a few questions if you could answer:

1) for someone like me with NO experience, do you recommend a certain reputable boot camp that I can complete part time while still working? I have a family to support only on my teaching salary so I wouldn’t be able to complete it full time. Ideally after the boot camp I could get employed.

2) I am more of a concrete-sequential type of a thinker, 2+2=4 type of a guy. If I tend to be very black and white in how my brain operates, is coding and software engineering not for me?

3) is a starting salary of $100,000 or more unrealistic or doable when getting your first full-time job?

Side note - I am within commuting distance to NYC. Not that I would what to commute 5-days a week to the city, but I am within an hour to a 1.5 hour commute each way.

I had more questions but they slipped my mind at the moment hahah (long teaching day to say the least). Thanks in advance everyone.




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[Pats20]

Good evening all,
I have ZERO experience in coding or software engineering. I know that many of you do exactly that for your job so I just had a few questions if you could answer:

1) for someone like me with NO experience, do you recommend a certain reputable boot camp that I can complete part time while still working?   I have a family to support only on my teaching salary so I wouldn’t be able to complete it full time.  Ideally after the boot camp I could get employed.

2) I am more of a concrete-sequential type of a thinker, 2+2=4 type of a guy.  If I tend to be very black and white in how my brain operates, is coding and software engineering not for me?

3) is a starting salary of $100,000 or more unrealistic or doable when getting your first full-time job?

Side note - I am within commuting distance to NYC. Not that I would what to commute 5-days a week to the city, but I am within an hour to a 1.5 hour commute each way.

I had more questions but they slipped my mind at the moment hahah (long teaching day to say the least).  Thanks in advance everyone.  




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1) not sure on boot camps. You can probably research and find good ones that fit your schedule and budget 

2) I wouldn’t necessarily say that. If you’re willing to learn , I’d say you could do it. 

3) no it’s not realistic

[acamp]

Good evening all,
I have ZERO experience in coding or software engineering. I know that many of you do exactly that for your job so I just had a few questions if you could answer:

1) for someone like me with NO experience, do you recommend a certain reputable boot camp that I can complete part time while still working?   I have a family to support only on my teaching salary so I wouldn’t be able to complete it full time.  Ideally after the boot camp I could get employed.

2) I am more of a concrete-sequential type of a thinker, 2+2=4 type of a guy.  If I tend to be very black and white in how my brain operates, is coding and software engineering not for me?

3) is a starting salary of $100,000 or more unrealistic or doable when getting your first full-time job?

Side note - I am within commuting distance to NYC. Not that I would what to commute 5-days a week to the city, but I am within an hour to a 1.5 hour commute each way.

I had more questions but they slipped my mind at the moment hahah (long teaching day to say the least).  Thanks in advance everyone.  




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1) not sure on boot camps. You can probably research and find good ones that fit your schedule and budget 

2) I wouldn’t necessarily say that. If you’re willing to learn , I’d say you could do it. 

3) no it’s not realistic

Thank you. I looked online for some boot camps but I thought maybe someone on here knew of a reliable and effective one.

What would be a realistic starting salary ?


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[utility]

Without a bootcamp you can learn coding, become a proficient coder and land a 6 figure job. Now that it sounds easy, it's not. A strong portfolio of projects will be the ultimate resume, problem is being good enough and having enough time to have a strong portfolio.

[Pats20]

I would think $60-70 middle America $80-90 west coast or nyc. Would be a pretty decent guess.

[acamp]

Without a bootcamp you can learn coding, become a proficient coder and land a 6 figure job. Now that it sounds easy, it's not. A strong portfolio of projects will be the ultimate resume, problem is being good enough and having enough time to have a strong portfolio.

Thank you. Any suggestions how to learn it without a boot camp with no experience ?


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[bjcheung77]

My recommendation and take would be to get the basics under your belt, what I mean is the beginner's programming languages of choice - I would choose C, C++, Java, Python as these four are the ones most used at the current time. Here are some FREE resources you may be interested in as they are a small part of what I am reading.  You want the "basics" before you jump forward, I highly recommend reviewing what's available online (when there are FREE courses being offered for Intro to Programming, etc) See below: The first link shows the same 4 programming languages I recommended, but instead of just C, it recommends C#. C# is for .NET framework, C can be more useful.

W3schools Web Developer Tools: https://www.w3schools.com/
Free Code Camp: https://www.freecodecamp.org/
SoloLearn Code: https://www.sololearn.com/
Code Academy: https://www.codecademy.com/
C++ Resources: Learn C++ - http://www.learncpp.com/

While we're on W3schools, they have certificates such as the PHP for $95.  This is worth college credit at Purdue University Global if you want to ladder up to a BSIT degree later. I would suggest reviewing this link here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...ertificate  |  Moreover, here's the Coursera options for FREE using TADA.  I suggest all of them since it's provided by TADA and has ACE college credit recommendations, I would take the others not ACE as well if you have the time. Link: https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Coursera

Another moderator started the following thread about TADA and the offerings available, have a read here: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Experience
You need the full package, I always recommend the following three: Certs, Degree, Experience.  Maybe start with the free 6 month TADA first (take the easiest and work your way to hardest), then work on the freebie code camps, and take the IBM Full Stack Developer Cert and W3schools PHP certification last.  Maybe mix this up a bit for maximum overlapping of learning...

[rachel83az]

I would absolutely NOT do a bootcamp, especially if you have 0 knowledge. They may advertise that they're for people with 0 knowledge, but realistically you need to have at least some minor experience in order to get anything out of it. It'd be a very, very expensive gamble for relatively little reward. Employers these days are wary about hiring people who come from bootcamps because they lack a lot of foundational knowledge that will allow them to grow in the industry.

Bootcamp graduates are the technology equivalent of EMTs. An EMT is very good with the specialized knowledge of keeping you alive until you get to the hospital, but they can't diagnose or treat anything serious. For the most part, they wouldn't even know how to begin keeping up with the latest medical knowledge that a doctor needs to treat their patients. They don't need to know how to do that, either, because that's not what they were hired to do. But, without additional learning, an EMT is also stuck being an EMT because of that lack of knowledge.

Instead of bootcamps, there are many better, and often free, resources to learn how to code. bjcheung77 has already linked to several. FreeCodeCamp is good but, if you don't want to learn HTML & CSS to get to Python, check out https://www.py4e.com/ to jump to Python directly.

I don't know what kind of degree you have already, but I would strongly recommend trying to work your way toward a Comp Sci degree from TESU. Even if you already have too many degrees to get another TESU degree, the AOS courses for the TESU degree will give you the kind of foundational knowledge that will make you invaluable to future employees. If nothing else, I would suggest you (eventually) get a Comp Sci certificate from TESU. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...er_Science

[acamp]

I would absolutely NOT do a bootcamp, especially if you have 0 knowledge. They may advertise that they're for people with 0 knowledge, but realistically you need to have at least some minor experience in order to get anything out of it. It'd be a very, very expensive gamble for relatively little reward. Employers these days are wary about hiring people who come from bootcamps because they lack a lot of foundational knowledge that will allow them to grow in the industry.

Bootcamp graduates are the technology equivalent of EMTs. An EMT is very good with the specialized knowledge of keeping you alive until you get to the hospital, but they can't diagnose or treat anything serious. For the most part, they wouldn't even know how to begin keeping up with the latest medical knowledge that a doctor needs to treat their patients. They don't need to know how to do that, either, because that's not what they were hired to do. But, without additional learning, an EMT is also stuck being an EMT because of that lack of knowledge.

Instead of bootcamps, there are many better, and often free, resources to learn how to code. bjcheung77 has already linked to several. FreeCodeCamp is good but, if you don't want to learn HTML & CSS to get to Python, check out https://www.py4e.com/ to jump to Python directly.

I don't know what kind of degree you have already, but I would strongly recommend trying to work your way toward a Comp Sci degree from TESU. Even if you already have too many degrees to get another TESU degree, the AOS courses for the TESU degree will give you the kind of foundational knowledge that will make you invaluable to future employees. If nothing else, I would suggest you (eventually) get a Comp Sci certificate from TESU. https://degreeforum.miraheze.org/wiki/Sa...er_Science

Thank you! So I have been teaching elementary and school for the past 16 years. That is all I have as experience and training/skill set. I am trying to make a career change just to be able to financially provide for my family and even relocate if that opportunity opens. Best case scenario, I finish my teaching year in June and then can career change but that gives me about 10 months. I am guessing that is too short of a time to make that happen?

Besides boot camp, are there any schools that specialize in training students the skills needed to land those jobs with having no experience? Or will it all be self-taught material?

Thanks again for any help you can share.



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[dfrecore]

Thank you!  So I have been teaching elementary and school for the past 16 years.  That is all I have as experience and training/skill set.   I am trying to make a career change just to be able to financially provide for my family and even relocate if that opportunity opens.  Best case scenario, I finish my teaching year in June and then can career change but that gives me about 10 months.  I am guessing that is too short of a time to make that happen?

I think your best bet is to spend the 2.5-3 months of summer doing everything possible from Coursera that you can - it will give you a lot of info that you can then decide what area you want to work in.  Then, you can figure out where you want to go from there.

I think there's no possible way to get $100k or even close just starting out.  That's just not at all realistic.  It will take you time to get to that point, and the best way to get closer is with a degree, or better yet, some experience.  How you get that experience while working a FT job is going to take you some time to figure out, but I think it's possible.