What Job Can I Get After a Coding Bootcamp?

Bootcamps have become a popular offering in the tech world as companies are doing their part to provide solutions for the skills gap that keeps job openings vacant. The truth is that the traditional academic path doesn't provide all of the skills that employers are looking for. The targeted skills that a Bootcamp can provide make it a worthwhile investment for recent grads to boost their job prospects. 

But just like college degree programs, the success rates for coding boot camps can vary widely. Many of the most popular programs still boast placements at 80% or above, making them a compelling option for anyone who doesn't have a job offer on diploma day. Of course, it can be difficult to tell which programs have real success and which ones use clever marketing. This is where the Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR) comes in to provide unbiased ratings. The good news is that CIRR reports that most Bootcamp graduates are successfully employed within 180 days of completing most programs. So, what can you do with the skills you gain from a Bootcamp program?

What is a Coding Bootcamp?

A coding boot camp is an intensive, hands-on training experience that can last anywhere from a month up to two years, depending on the program's intensity. Major players in the tech industry typically offer these programs and are a valuable way to gain a competitive advantage over other job applicants.

Coding boot camps are a great investment for recent college graduates who are missing key certifications on their resumes, as well as mid-career professionals looking to gain tech skills. Participation in a coding boot camp is also a great way to address gaps in employment or education, demonstrate skills, and build necessary technical knowledge.

Software Engineer

We'll start with the most obvious first. Many program participants are eyeing a position as software engineers. After all, it's the obvious choice requiring excellent coding skills and the diligence to thoroughly test and debug software. In short, it's a job for those who have an eye for detail. 

In addition to stellar tech skills, software engineers need to have well-developed interpersonal skills. Communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills are all important for success in an engineering role. Engineers spend a lot of time working with business teams and clients, so employers will be looking for a balanced skill set for these positions. 

After completing a Bootcamp, recent college graduates with the right interpersonal skills can land an entry-level job as an assistant software engineer. Tech employees in various roles that have picked up solid front and back-end skills can use a coding boot camp to build skills and advance their careers. And a variety of individuals from non-tech backgrounds have made a successful career change using a Bootcamp program to add coding skills to their repertoire.

Related: Sabio Success Stories

Developer Advocate

If you are looking for something a bit different and have a knack for helping others, a developer advocate role may be a suitable fit. Large companies like Google and WordPress attract third-party developers that work with the software and create a variety of integrations to help mutual clients use the software in the way they want to. 

Developer advocates aren't sales or marketing staff, and they are actually engineers that know the software inside and out. And they happen to have an inclination towards helping a community of developers by providing resources and offering support.

The developer advocate role goes by many different names. Some companies call this role a developer evangelist or a developer relations associate. Either way, the position requires strong technical skills and excellent social and communication skills. It's the same skillset as a software engineer, but we would say that an advocate has a lot more interaction.

Front-End Developer

Front-end developers are one type of web developer that focuses on the user-facing side of software or web design. The front-end developer role allows for a little artistic expression for techies with a little more creative gumption.

Front-end development touches everything that the user sees, and this includes the overall appearance, buttons, bars, and links. This position works closely with designers to make their visions and prototypes functional. A coding boot camp can solidify the technical skills required to land a front-end developer position.

Sabio is helping the tech world upskill and reskill the workforce of the future. We help recent college graduates, and those without formal schooling get the skills they need to land successful jobs in the tech world. Learn more about our coding boot camps today.

Back-End Developer

A back-end developer works exclusively with the server-side of software programs and web applications. This is a very code-intensive skill set because this position has to make sure that every piece of code is functional and efficient. Back-end developers work with different coding technologies like Python, SQL, Ruby, and .NET to build and maintain the frameworks that run our software programs.

DevOps Engineer

The IT world has many layers. It takes a lot of pieces and parts to build the software that makes our technology work. And it is the role of the DevOps Engineer to help the teams work together. While most DevOps roles won't code every day, they need the technical background to perform their job role effectively.

DevOps can be a generalized position, or it can be a highly specialized position like a site reliability engineer or a software build engineer. It depends on the company and its needs. The size of the company can also dictate whether DevOps is a single position or a team of engineers with different specialties. 

Related: Veteran Rapid Retraining Program

Full-Stack Developer

Full-stack developers are the jack-of-all-trades in the software development community. This position is good with front- and back-end development and they are fluent in all coding languages. In addition to the technical expertise, full-stack developers need well-developed project management skills and some experience in UX and graphic design.

Full-stack developers are involved in many parts of the development process. They test and debug software to keep it running optimally. They code. They design interactions create databases and backups. These developers ensure cross-platform compatibility and dabble in security, maintenance, scalability, and much more during the development process.

Web Designer

Web designers are the people behind what you see when you visit a website. They focus on client-facing design for websites, including page layout, visual appearance, and usability. Web designers can work for an agency, freelance, or in-house. And while you might think that the rise of DIY web builders like Wix.com or Squarespace.com is encroaching on the web designer niche, they have actually adapted quite nicely as designers and developers creating custom templates for those sites. Bootcamp programs that specialize in front-end coding are the most beneficial to web designers.

Niche Tech Roles

Many of the jobs on this list are generalized and widely available across many different niches in technology. But if you have your eye on something specific like developing blockchain technology or focusing strictly on machine learning (AI), a coding boot camp can get your foot in the door while these new tech niches are relatively young.

For example, a cloud architect is responsible for deploying, supporting, and managing cloud-based applications. These positions require some experience with cloud computing programs like Amazon Web Services (AWS), coding, and vendor management.

A mobile applications developer is another specialty tech niche. As smartphones continue to rise in popularity, this field will grow in demand. This type of developer role requires experience with Android, iOS, and Windows operating systems. You will need agile front- and back-end developer skills with a strong focus on creating user-friendly interfaces.

Technical Help Desk Specialist

Help desk employees are the most common entry-level IT positions hired. However, depending on the software or service that you are supporting, many require advanced technical skills. Participation in a coding boot camp can provide experience troubleshooting, fixing bugs, monitoring security systems, identifying hardware needs, updating software, and installing programs. 

Technical support specialists earn a national average salary of $44K per year, and it is a great entry point for anyone looking to get into an IT career. In order to be successful in a help desk career, you have to be a little extroverted. You will spend a significant amount of time talking to customers on the phone or via chat. And in most cases, your technical skills will far exceed theirs, so it can be a little tedious to walk them through fundamental troubleshooting steps.

Related: Women in Tech

Product Manager

If you are aiming for something a little higher, a product manager position leads a team of technical experts to create a digital product. The product manager is involved in every step of the process, from brainstorming ideas to coordinating sales and manufacturing. It's the perfect role for a business-minded techie.

Successful product managers have a wide skillset, and coding experience can help them boost their technical knowledge and better understand their project. But these positions also need good leadership and collaboration skills because they will be working closely with designers, engineers, and marketers to see the product through its evolution from an idea to a marketable endeavor.

Data Scientist

Here is a job title that is coming up more and more. As companies embrace artificial intelligence (AI) to better leverage their customer data and market position, they need help extracting that data from their technology. A data scientist takes the information from a computer program and organizes it so that the business can draw insights from it. 

Experience in a coding boot camp can help data scientists develop skills with statistics and critical analysis, making them valuable to their organizations. Many companies rely on data scientists to write reports and create solutions based on their AI data. There are plenty of opportunities available in business, government, and finance for this position. And it may be the perfect tech transplant opportunity for business professionals with accounting backgrounds.

Next Steps After Attending a Coding Bootcamp

The goal for most boot camp attendees is job placement. And these programs demonstrate good success rates, with more than 80% of applicants landing their dream jobs within 180 days of completing a quality coding boot camp program. But we would be wrong to assume that job placement is everyone's goal. Some attendees already have a job at a company that they like. Other opportunities to use your coding boot camp skills include:

• Admission to a competitive college degree program for undergraduate or advanced study.
• Freelance opportunities to build your portfolio while providing the flexibility to do other things.
• Teaching others at community colleges, boot camps, or through an online platform.
• Advancing your career in your current company by offering new skills.

The Takeaway on Coding Bootcamps

Coding boot camps are a great way to flesh out your technology skills. If you are from a non-technical background and you are looking to get a job with a SaaS company or a FinTech startup, knowing the basics of how to code will be essential to your success in the role. This holds true even if you plan to be a business-end product manager and not the tech geek behind the scenes. In fact, many technology companies won't even hire a candidate that doesn't have a cursory understanding of how to code. Coding boot camps can be your golden ticket to landing your dream job, upskilling in your current company, or making a career change. And best of all, they don't require going back to college.

Meet your upskilling and reskilling goals to position yourself as a competitive job candidate in today's workplace. Sabio offers a variety of educational programs ranging from free courses to boot camps and degree programs supported by a team of experts in the technology field. Contact us today to learn more.