What’s all this noise about coding bootcamps?

Online coding bootcamps have seen a huge uptick in numbers lately. Course Report’s 2018 coding survey predicted a 20% growth in students in 2018, rising to an estimated 20,316 graduates in the USA alone. Of these students, 1,846 graduated from online coding bootcamps. This demonstrates a massive 173% growth rate in the number of students completing online coding courses between 2017 and 2018. If you’re thinking about starting a career in development, or changing jobs to work in the IT field, an online bootcamp could be the most efficient way to get the qualification you need.

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Why are coding bootcamps so popular?

One of the biggest benefits of online learning is the flexibility it provides. Learners are able to work at their own pace, and schedule their learning around their other obligations. This is ideal for those who are working full-time while studying.


Learners can schedule sessions with a personal mentor for evenings or even weekends if needed, which adds to the convenience of the bootcamp experience. Learners can also attend online courses from any location of their choosing, provided they have a laptop and an Internet connection.


The risk of earning while learning is much lower, as there is no gap in employment between qualifying and finding a new job.

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Coding bootcamps: online vs in person

Online courses are especially appealing to non-traditional students. While some thrive in a classroom environment, others prefer an online setup with more flexibility and fewer distractions.


According to a report from the American Council on Education, non-traditional students tend to be older than 25, working full-time, and financially independent. Some of them are likely to be parents. In other words, these are early- to mid-career adults seeking career growth or change. These are the types of students who value flexibility the most.

“Almost 90% of all developers say they have taught themselves a new language, framework or tool outside of their formal education”

What does a typical bootcamp look like?

The online coding experience mirrors the classroom experience to an extent. It is frequently structured around a set curricula with mentor-guided learning.

“Almost 90% of all developers say they have taught themselves a new language, framework or tool outside of their formal education,” states 2018’s Stack Overflow Developer Report.

However, this type of self-study is better suited to those who have prior coding experience. If you’re teaching yourself a new coding language or tool, you’ll need to set up your own curriculum without the help of a mentor. You’ll also have to make sure you stay motivated on your own. If you’re going the self-study route, it helps to have the solid grounding you would get from an online bootcamp as well.

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How do I prepare for a coding bootcamp?

Plan ahead

Organise your schedule before your course starts. Most online coding bootcamps require 5-30 hours per week. Decide how you’re going to fit these hours into your routine, and draw up the timetable.

Do your homework

Just as you wouldn’t turn up to run a marathon without training beforehand, it makes sense not to start your bootcamp without getting to grips with some technical terms and best practises. You can find many free resources online, to help you read up about the basics of the programming languages you’ll be studying.

Understand the learning curve

Getting to grips with programming can be tricky, so it’s important to be in the right headspace for it. Recognise that there might be challenges involved, and be prepared to rise to those challenges.

Make use of your resources

There are many developer resources available for programmers who are tackling difficult tasks. You will find an incredible community of support for developers, through resources and forums like Stack Overflow, Reddit, Github, Experts Exchange and Github.

Get involved in the community

Start interacting with other programmers online. On GitHub, you can host and review code, manage projects, and build software alongside millions of other developers.

HyperionDev online bootcamps offer personal mentorship to help you on your learning journey. You’ll also benefit from same-day code reviews, on-demand feedback and direct referrals to our handpicked hiring partners, to help you step into your coding career.