Career Bootcamps: What Are They and How Do They Work?

Tech Careers Team, StartSteps |09.09.2021

Technology has firmly embedded itself within all aspects of our lives. Today, we do most of our daily activities online – from banking, shopping, and even most of our communication online. Every year, we see new jobs and positions that didn’t even exist a decade ago, creating novel and diverse opportunities that attract many from both the younger & older generations.  

With so many new buzzwords and tech jargon entering into conversations monthly – the pathway to a new job in these tech fields – can seem daunting, scary and unapproachable.

In recent years Career Bootcamps have demonstrated themselves as one of the quickest and best way to get a job in the tech industry.

So what are career bootcamps?

Career bootcamp
Photo by Lagos Techie on Unsplash

What is a Career Bootcamp?

As increasingly more folks turn to the tech industry for employment opportunities, career bootcamps are popping up every month all over the world. Why? Because they provide a quick and easy route for career changers with no background in tech to upskill & reskill with a skill set that is in global high demand.

A career bootcamp provides intensive, accelerated training that mostly doesn’t require any previous qualification. During the course, people learn job-ready skills covering various branches of the tech sector. In some bootcamps, participants will receive the equipment (laptop, etc.) and materials necessary to master the skills. 

As for the payment, there’s a wide range of options suited to your specific situation. In addition to fully-funded programs (by government or employer), another favorable option is the Sharing Agreement (ISA), where you pay once you land the job. 

However, the journey does not end with you getting a certificate. You’ll have access to a community of trusted experts who’ll mentor you every step of the way until you land your dream job and start making money by doing something you love.

During the process, you’ll be working closely with the bootcamp’s hiring experts, whose primary responsibility is to assist you in landing the perfect job. The whole business model is based on the purpose of you starting from nothing to sitting at your office and earning a respectable salary. 

The hiring team will coach you for any phone/in-person interview, quite valuable due to their familiarity with the employer’s mindset. The team will moreover prepare you to perform well under pressure. Plus, in some cases, they’ll talk to the employer on your behalf and in an attempt to pave your way to success. 

Now, let’s get into the details. 

How Does a Career Bootcamp Work?

Before starting your journey, you need to consider where your interests and talents lie because a career bootcamp covers such a wide range of courses/topics that there’s probably something for everyone. 

For example, you may have always felt you were a natural in marketing, and you can find your future by getting a job in social media marketing. Someone else might feel more of a pull towards app & web development, which is why a full-on coding & data training course can help them on that road. 

Note: It’s completely alright if you haven’t figured out your angle yet because we’ll give you the solution right here in this article. But first, let’s suppose you have a glimpse of your future in tech. 

Some career bootcamps limit all their resources and training on one tech sector like coding. They’re called “coding” bootcamps instead of career bootcamps. 

How Can StartSteps Help You Choose the Right Bootcamp?

Some opt to utilize a self-teaching approach for learning a tech skill, but they overestimate their self-discipline in most instances. A class with a fixed schedule will push you harder than you could push yourself. Hence, a bootcamp is the superior and faster route. 

Furthermore, working alone, you won’t have a chance to develop your teamwork skills, but bootcamps require you to collectively design products and solve problems. You’ll be able to improve your communication, management, and conflict resolution skills, which are necessities in any industry.

In addition, you can’t easily sort through all the data to find the most suitable materials in a short period of time. A bootcamp already has a wealth of materials, tools, and expertise to help speed up your road to mastery. Mentors will offer you a level of experience and knowledge quite difficult to find or replicate outside of a bootcamp. 

However, it may be a bit overwhelming to analyze a vast spectrum of options such as coding, data, marketing, project management, or UI/UX and figure out which one is right up your alley. Plus, a simple online search on any of these topics will provide you an endless number of bootcamps, all with unique benefits and drawbacks. Hence, how do you make the final decision? StartSteps can help you with that. 

If you have no glimpse of your future, the one-month Compass Course will provide you with sufficient time, materials, and tools to experience working in each area hands-on. Next, after you narrow down your search to a final sector, you’ll pull the trigger on one of our +30 bootcamp partners to continue your journey on the road to finding meaningful employment.

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

Bottom Line

If you search for an “online course” on a particular subject, you’ll find tens, if not hundreds, of suggestions that claim to be the best. Of course, they’re not funded and won’t provide you with any free tools or materials. You may even participate and finish the training, but find out it’s not quite what you expected. What’s even worse, you may not even know what you want!

However, with a mentor like StartSteps, you’ll have a whole month on the Compass Course to get a taste of various skills like coding, marketing, UI/UX design before selecting your ideal path. We’ll take you from novice, give you all the requisite materials, equipment, and training you need with the help of +30 bootcamp partners. 

Many training centers won’t go any step further, but not us. Your private mentor will lead you all the way, and even after you graduate, you’ll have access to a trusted community of experts who’ll help you land the job of your dreams.

A good article – so close, yet still a few things to tighten. Similar feedback as the other articles** at the start I structured it a little so that we are speaking to people who have no idea what bootcamps are – again we need to pull them into this rabbit hole by telling a story in order – guessing each question a reader would have as they read and swiftly answeering it as the article progresses.