You already know that investing in specialized training and advanced education for your job leads to improved skills and career advancement. As a developer, you have many professional development resources at your disposal, including a variety of coding bootcamps, but how do you know which one is worth your time, effort, and money?
We asked our Twitter followers in a recent Intuit Developer Twitter poll, and more than 2,340 respondents were pretty evenly split between the four bootcamps we’ll look at today.
The 4 recommended coding bootcamps for developers
Though the four recommended coding bootcamps garnered a similar number of votes, Ironhack was able to eke out a win with 29%, closely followed by General Assembly with 27%, App Academy with 22.8%, and Springboard with 21.2%.
Here’s a brief overview of each bootcamp so you can decide which one may be a good fit for your professional development efforts.
Ironhack. Founded in 2013, this technology school has provided more than 5,000 graduates with “customer-centric and outcomes-driven” training. Their self-described fast-paced, intensive, and hands-on programs are designed to give their students web development, data analytics, and UX/UI design knowledge, equipping them to either enter the digital workforce or move upward in their current positions. Ironhack has nine campus locations (Miami, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Mexico City, Berlin, San Paulo, Lisbon, and Paris) and provides a fully remote learning environment for the COVID-19 crisis.
“Joining Ironhack was one of the best decisions of my life. I coded over 12 hours a day and loved every second of it. I learned more during two months than in 5 years of college.” – Elina Neonen, Web Development Bootcamp
General Assembly. Offering courses in web development, data science and analysis, user experience design, digital marketing, product management, and more, General Assembly promises to set their graduates up for “success on the job and in life.” They have more than 30 campuses in six countries, over 70,000 graduates, and 19,000+ hiring partners. General Assembly provides coursework that is updated twice a year and taught by a “world-class instructional team.” Students can choose from full- or part-time programs, classes, workshops, and events with mentorship and community support throughout the process.
“My time at GA bred the confidence that is essential to facing challenges in my day-to-day work.” – Byron Allen, General Assembly Sydney’s part-time Data Analytics and full-time Data Science Immersive course
App Academy. According to App Academy, they are the #1 ranked coding bootcamp in the United States. They offer their students three plans: Free, Mentorship, and Software Engineering Track: Online. App Academy’s Free Plan (App Academy Open) offers more than 1,500 hours of reading, video, and project materials, along within an “interactive coding environment and community features like chat to keep you connected with thousands of prospective developers across the globe.” Learning to code online is just a few clicks away.
“I learned more real-world skills in 12 weeks than my Stanford degree taught me.” – Julie Kang, software engineer
Springboard. With job-focused programs in Data, Design, and Coding, Springboard guarantees that you’ll get your dream job “faster, cheaper, better.” Their online, project-based curriculum has you building real-world projects, paying them a flat fee once you get a job (they also offer free resources), and working with a full team (student advisor, personal mentor, career coach, and the Springboard community) committed to your success. More than 3,000 graduates in more than 100 countries can attest to their commitment. “Springboard offers an inspiring community of peers and mentors with a passion for continuous learning.” – Barath Ezhilan, data science grad and sr. applied scientist at Amazon.
Professional development has never been easier
Obviously, you’re neither lacking for bootcamp options, nor is it hard to get started. The hardest part will be deciding which bootcamp is right for you. If you research each bootcamp (as well as these free online learning resources) thoroughly, you’ll find one that can help you improve your skills and grow your career.