The phenomenal rise in bootcamp popularity over the past few years is giving us a glimpse into the future of education. Projections of the state of the bootcamp market in 2020 show there is no slowing down innovation in education, and with good reason.
One significant advantage bootcamps have over traditional tech degrees is they lower the barriers to entry for many students who would otherwise struggle to attain higher education. These barriers include financial obstacles as well as fulfilling prerequisite education requirements. In order to be accepted to many universities, students will have had to consistently maintain higher GPAs in K-12 grades.
To circumvent the high expectations of universities, it is not uncommon to hear of wealthy parents creating scandals by paying to secure a spot for their children. The fact that this could be happening more than we know about is strong evidence of the barriers that many face to obtain a college degree. The growing sentiment is that traditional education avenues are broken and in need of serious overhaul.
Coding Bootcamps Signal the Start of Adaptive Education
Instead of pursuing a traditional two-year or four-year degree in the technology field, coding bootcamps concentrate on specific areas of education to accelerate skills. With traditional degrees, a significant portion of a student’s curriculum involves studying general education subjects that are not necessarily useful to the technology field.
On top of these skills not being required for the field, a student is forced to pay for studying these subjects. Despite the fact that many general education credits can be transferred, many feel that this is both a waste of time and money. And, this is the sentiment that has helped fuel the rise of coding bootcamps and other adaptive learning programs.
As artificial intelligence becomes more prominent, adaptive education will change to meet the needs of the individual in ways we could never before. Whether this takes place in traditional computer science degree programs or in coding bootcamps, both areas are about to experience major breakthroughs. The difference is that traditional education is going to begin to more closely resemble bootcamps. And, since bootcamps are already striving to be as adaptive as possible, artificial intelligence will likely streamline the process for students.
Pay Differences Between Bootcamp vs College Grads
There are many factors that go into salary differences such as region, job description, career path, previous education, company, etc. It is estimated, though, that one may expect a boost of more than 50% over their pre-graduation income from either a college degree or bootcamp.
Additionally, while college graduates on average earn about $85k compared to $75k for bootcamp grads, this difference in pay comes with a significantly higher investment of time and money on the part of college students.
Is that slight difference worth the increased cost of college tuition, books, living expenses, and debt interest over the four-year span to obtain the degree? In contrast, coding bootcamps give almost identical skills with a fraction of the cost of time and money. It is important to look at how quickly one can gain a return on their investment.
Learn More About Bootcamps
If you’re not quite sure how a coding bootcamp will help you reach your goals over a traditional education, there are a lot of resources out there to help you decide. Before committing time and money to either one, try some free resources to learn to code that will help you find out where your interests are. There are also a lot of resources that can help when deciding how to pay for a coding bootcamp compared to a traditional degree.
