Outcomes Review: Can You Get a Job in Tech After devCodeCamp?

The coding bootcamp market has experienced many changes over the past decade. Bootcamps are now considered a popular pathway to tech education. They provide relevant and practical coding skills training within a short timeframe and are cheaper than a four-year university degree. 

Yet, with all these perks offered, one question remains: Does graduating from a coding bootcamp help you get a job in tech? For devCodeCamp graduates, the answer is a resounding yes. 

How Can devCodeCamp Help You Land a Job in Tech?

devCodeCamp provides numerous pathways for its students to better understand how the job search process works and what the bootcamp’s career services offer. For one, devCodeCamp offers valuable tips on creating an appealing resume and organizing your job search. Career advisers will do mock interviews with you and give you constructive feedback on how to better articulate your skills and the value you can add to a company.

You’ll pair these interview skills with a project portfolio that you’ll complete during your training at devCodeCamp, which is the best way to showcase your skills to potential employers. 

Speaking of potential employers, devCodeCamp organizes demo days for students to help them build a professional network and get hired faster. The bootcamp invites hiring managers from their network of employers to their demo days. Students who impress the hiring panel with their showcase projects have the potential to be asked to meet with the companies interested in their skillset. 

devCodeCamp Outcomes: Success By Numbers

The success of any training program hinges on its ability to produce job-ready and employable graduates. Since its inception in 2015, devCodeCamp has trained and assisted over a thousand students achieve their career goals in the technology industry through its software engineering programs.

Currently, devCodeCamp offers the following programs: Software Development Bootcamp, Web Development Bootcamp, and Full Stack Development Flex Bootcamp (part-time). These courses are beginner-friendly, and every year devCodeCamp welcomes a diverse group of students from high school graduates with no previous coding experience to career changers and computer-science-degree holders.

devCodeCamp performed an internal evaluation regarding its outcomes between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2021. These were its survey’s findings: 

• 81 percent of students graduated from the devCodeCamp programs
• 80 percent of graduates found a job related to their tech skills
• 98 percent of students who participated in an end-of-course survey verified that the program was what they expected 

Alumni Review: Is devCodeCamp Worth It? 

Dan McManus was among the first devCodeCamp students back in 2015-2016. Before joining the online bootcamp, he worked as an insurance agent. “I literally found out about the program while driving to work. I saw a billboard that said learn to code, and I was particularly hating my job that day,” says Dan. So, he took a leap of faith and enrolled with devCodeCamp, hoping to finally start a career he might love.

Dan had a minimal background in tech ”I describe [the training process at devCodeCamp] as drinking water through a fire hose.” Dan immersed himself in his studies and kept practicing at home because he loved to code and wanted to learn more. Six years have passed since he graduated devCodeCamp, and he is still passionate about coding. 

devCodeCamp Teaches You How to Learn

devCodeCamp gave Dan the structure and resources he required to break into tech through his hard work and with the valuable help of his instructors. Dan notes that studying at devCodeCamp has changed his mindset as he was taught how to learn and solve problems on his own. 

Dan shared, “It really changed the way that my brain thought about problems. I would start to see problems differently, potential solutions that I wouldn’t have come up with, or wouldn’t have thought of prior to the course or before being exposed to some of the computer science […] I found myself thinking differently, which was cool.”

devCodeCamp Career Services

After graduating from devCodeCamp’s coding bootcamp, Dan took advantage of the career services offered by the school. He participated in one of the demo days organized by devCodeCamp. He presented his final project to the hiring managers from the school’s hiring network of employers local to the Milwaukee area. 

Dan had a lot of interviews before he entered the tech job market. He notes that devCodeCamp assisted him throughout his job hunt process. “I could go in and hang out or get a career, resume, and interview advice…[T]here was definitely ongoing support,” says Dan. After four months of actively searching for a job, Dan eventually received a paid internship.   

First Full-Time Full Stack Developer Job

Dan got a six-month internship along with two other bootcamp grads, which paid $25 per hour. The company had one full stack developer position available at the end of the six months. So he pushed himself to work harder, and that’s how he got offered his first full-time job as a full stack developer at Milwaukee Tool. 

By the time Dan landed the job, he was already familiar with the development process, knowing both backend and front end development. He worked on the backend and the web interface for Milwaukee Tool tacking. Within a couple of years after graduating from devCodeCamp, Dan could pay off all his student loans.  

Tips for Prospective devCodeCamp Students

We asked Dan to share some advice for those considering enrolling in devCodeCamp’s online bootcamp. Here are three main points to keep in mind, according to Dan.

1. Take care of yourself physically and mentally.
   
   Participating in an immersive full-time coding bootcamp is worth it, but it involves many hours of coding daily. “In that mode, you’re working 18 hours a day, or you’re letting other things that aren’t important in your life interfere with your work. Take care of yourself physically and mentally because you can get stuck in that mindset,” recommends Dan. 
   
2. Make sure you get enough sleep.
   
   Sleeping well is a vital part of self-care. “It’s really hard to be productive when you’re not sleeping. The trend is changing. It used to be like a badge of honor ‘I worked all night’ […], and now it’s like ‘How are you feeling today? How productive are you going to be today?’” says Dan. Having a good night’s [sleep] helps you refocus after working hard during the day.
   
3. Trust devCodeCamp’s process
   
   Dan confessed that he was very skeptical in the beginning and questioned the devCodeCamp process. Now, his advice is to trust devCodeCamp’s methods. “Trust what they [devCodeCamp] are telling you to do, and the things that they’re telling you to do.” 

Launch Your Tech Career with devCodeCamp

devCodeCamp has achieved many positive outcomes, having educated and placed over a thousand students during the last six years. It has done so by combining rigorous training with a variety of career services and access to a vast hiring network of employers. 

Are you looking forward to becoming a full stack developer like Dan McManus? Visit the devCodeCamp website and find the right program to launch your career in technology.