Five Reasons to Hire Boot Camp Graduates

We all want results, fast. That’s how our world moves today. Technology has changed everything in how we live our lives to how we work. We need to keep up the pace.  Enter accelerated programs such as Coding Boot Camps that equips students with relevant coding skills quickly.

The advantage of a Boot Camp graduate is knowing how to apply the necessary skills rather than only having a practical theory. According to Indeed.com, Boot Camp graduates are more prepared to write good code, solve problems uniquely, and be higher performers out of the gate—Making them as capable as their counterpart Computer Science graduates.  Boot Camp Grads are fierce!

To take it one step further, Google Senior Vice President of People of Operations, Laszlo Bock, stated in Business Insider, “14% of teams at Google are made up of people who have never attended college.” While college graduates are skilled individuals with a solid sense of commitment and foundational knowledge, and may be more employed with higher salaries, Boot Camp Graduates are now able to compete in the job force too. Bock states, “Those who can figure out problems without an obvious answer are usually those who are not traditional students.”

The bottom line is simple. Traditional thinking is not the only approach to modern day thinking. Coding Boot Camps are a great way to increase skills quickly, transition professionals into good developers, and increase the talent pool of candidates for employers. It’s a smart investment and one that can deliver results.

We’ve compiled a few of the reasons to consider a candidate from a Coding Boot Camp…

1.   MOTIVATION AND HARD WORK

The common trait of a Boot Camp graduate is will and the determination to achieve their personal goals. They are ready to put in the hard work to learn the necessary skills to advance their career. Plus, they have the tenacity to hang in there during an incredibly challenging and  fast-paced educational environment. What they don’t realize during this process is that it prepares them with soft skills and the ability to be flexible with an ever-changing platform.

2.   TRANSFERRABLE SKILLS

Many candidates from Coding Boot Camps are not first-time career workers. Many are career changers from a variety of backgrounds, providing a diverse skillset. That makes them unique. Even more so, this allows them to bring not only coding experience but a host of skills that may be beneficial to an employer or company. Skills are never lost. They always have a home. You only need to learn how to apply them to the position!

Coding Boot Camp candidates come from Engineering, Retail Sales, Real Estate, Banking, Medical, and more industries. All of them have a desire to learn or apply development to solve a problem or develop an application that will help make life easier. They have ideas and they have practical knowledge. They possess the soft skills and newly attained web development skills that would make them a great choice for any employer.

3.   LIFE-TIME LEARNERS

Many students began their web development journey through self-teaching prior to attending a Coding Boot Camp, gaining knowledge in languages like JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SQL, Python, and Java. They want to learn and desire to master their craft. They practice, they research, they talk to each other, and they are fearless of making mistakes. They understand that making a mistake leads to a better answer. They get it. That trait is a quality that makes a great developer and a great hire. This pool of candidates eventually gets tired of self-learning and realizes they need the hands-on experience to truly immerse themselves in the industry.

4.   DIVERSITY FOR HIRING TALENT

According to Indeed.com, women and minorities can thrive in Coding Boot Camps and technology in general. This group can offer a diverse pool of qualified candidates, bringing a whole new set of organized skills and dedication. Companies can engage with hiring qualified women into roles that are otherwise saturated with men and increase the diversity of their work culture. It is an open field for women, particularly in technology. According to Course Report’s 2015 Demographic Study, 36% of Boot Camp graduates are women in comparison to 14% from undergraduate Computer Science degrees. Women are on the rise in tech!

5.   TALENT – EXPERIENCE – FLEXIBILITY

Unlike many university computer science programs, which are more linear in approach and less able to fluctuate with the ever-changing industry, Boot Camps are able to quickly update their curriculum with modern, up to date coding skills and web frameworks. This aligns nicely with the job market, making grads excellent candidates for development roles.

All in all: Boot Camp grads offer practical experience with a variety of skills that are applicable from day one. They also demonstrate the flexibility needed for the constantly changing technology, and can adapt easily to different frameworks. This allows them to be competitive in today’s job market, regardless of their undergraduate degree—or lack thereof! Visit our curriculum page to learn about the rigorous curriculum that our Coding Boot Camp students go through on their journey to becoming web developers.