Coding Bootcamp vs. Online Video Courses (or Both?)— Part 1

Right out of the gate, the first difference most people will see when deciding which route to take is the cost. Bootcamps compared to online video, “do at your own pace”, courses are worlds apart. You can usually purchase an online coding course for around $100-$150, but if you can wait for a sale (which seems to happen pretty often), you can snag a course for around $20–30. Coding bootcamps in comparison are $10K+ or around $2K for less intensive courses. Huge difference between them! So is it worth it? I asked myself the same when I decided to pursue becoming a Web Developer. So this will be a blog of my journey and thoughts/opinions while going down both paths.

So far, I have just completed week 1 of a 9 week web development bootcamp and I have also got about 40% of the way through a full-stack web development online course and 50% through a JavaScript online course. The bootcamp hours are full-time, Monday to Friday, and I will also have to dedicate a lot of time to course homework/study after class hours and on weekends. I will try and do both simultaneously but am not sure if I will be able to pull it off. That being said, completing 40-50% of both online courses has given me a pretty good indication of what the learning experience is like.

Going back to the cost again, for me personally, I can compare it the gym and a personal trainer. I’ve spent a lot of money over the years on a gym membership, and have only used it in spurts. Never really committing. Last year, I hired a personal trainer / life coach, and he was pretty expensive but he helped me a lot. He kept me accountable for my actions (or lack thereof), and that is something I needed, but more so, he really instilled in me the idea of investing in myself. The money may seem like a lot upfront, but I can see there being a return in the long run. There are reports that prove bootcamps help you land employment in your new career path, but for me, being able to move into something I truly enjoy is more important than the money I make. I wouldn’t have stepped away from the lucrative recruitment industry otherwise. I didn’t enjoy the stresses and “you’re only as good as your last deal” mentality. It took away from my enjoying time with the most important thing to me; my family. Once I started to look at it that way — investing in myself, my family and my health — I had to invest in what would help me get to where I wanted to be. Judging from my past experience with the gym and trainer, I knew deep down that learning on my own from online classes wouldn’t work out for me. There was no accountability. Maybe you are really good at holding yourself accountable. Maybe online courses would work for you. But I wouldn’t run out and only sign up for online courses just yet. I’ve already noticed just after a week, there are other benefits from being in a bootcamp I didn’t think I would have needed or wanted, or even thought about at all.