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2019-09-26 | On bootcamps and Elixir: Short analysis of bootcamps

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2023 Update - Awesome news! DockYard Academy!

https://academy.dockyard.com/ was launched and has open sourced their curriculum! -> https://github.com/DockYard-Academy/curriculum

What are bootcamps?

Paid programs that attempt to teach day-to-day programming skills. They mostly focus on teaching "how to learn" and "how to teach yourself". They help place students at companies, since at the very least, students are eager to try hard.

Cost:

They cost around $12-14k depending where you are located. Some bootcamps also do "pay me later" strategies, where you start paying after you get a job. Those usually select the best ones in the class and weed others out: https://go.lambdaschool.com/

Are there Elixir bootcamps?

No. Update(2023): Yes, see DockYard Academy.

Why do bootcamps choose certain languages?

Short answer: Jobs and opportunity. Usually JS, Python or Ruby. JS is always used though. I volunteer at CodePlatoon (as a mentor and TA) and am good friends with the founder/CEO. I tried starting an Elixir track once and said I could help anyone interested. I found out that students just want to get started working and I don't blame them. Gotta get paid. Here is a blog post about why Python was chosen at CodePlatoon: https://www.codeplatoon.org/code-platoon-now-training-students-in-python/

Do bootcamps have relationships with companies?

Yes. A lot of bootcamps serve as HR pipelines for companies.

on CodePlatoon and companies:

They have a different arrangement than other bootcamps: they find companies that serve as "sponsors". The deal is that along with a fee (company pays CodePlatoon) the company is required to guarantee internship slots to grads for a certain period. Then, the company can make a decision about hiring. This system is interesting because it is both a good PR move on the company's side (donating to a non-profit dealing with veterans) as well as an opportunity to hire a good entry level person that is willing to be trained.

Attendance:

I saw a comment on Elixir Slack the other day, I think on #random, that someone's back-of-the-envelope calculation showed that 150-200 new devs come out of bootcamps in the Denver area. CodePlatoon has a cohort every 3 months, 5-6 people in each cohort.

Other:

There is also a concept of Nanodegree, funded by a few big players , including Google: - https://www.udacity.com/what-is-a-nanodegree - https://www.udacity.com/school-of-programming

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Thanks for reading, PDG

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