Just under 50% of graduates with a traditional four-year
college degree in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) land jobs
in their field, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The data also noted
that 74% of people with a STEM degree aren’t actually working in the field.
However, a 2017 survey found that 73% of coding boot-camp grads secured STEM jobs and 80% said their jobs
directly related to or used skills acquired in the boot camp. The survey was
conducted by Course Report, a coding boot-camp directory.
Coding boot-camp grads also reported an average salary increase of about 51% and that their average starting salary
was more than $70,000 a year. Most boot-camp grads have six years of work
experience and a bachelor’s degree, but have never worked as a programmer
before, according to the report.
“The number of computer science jobs continues to grow,
and there’s a skills gap between the number of skilled workers and the number
of available jobs,” said Jay Patel, chief operating and financial officer of Coding
Dojo. “We need to tackle that need together. It’s not just companies like
Google, Microsoft, and Amazon that need this skill—it’s also companies that
didn’t start in technology, but that are now leveraging websites and technology
to improve their products.”
While the survey painted a rosy picture for coding boot-camp
grads, it also showed that patience is required in landing that STEM job. A
third of coding boot-camp grads found jobs within 30 days, but it took others
up to six months. There are also complaints about boot-camp scams and continued
unemployment.
“You
are constantly grinding and putting in hours,” said Brian Kang, a graduate of
the Coding Dojo boot camp. “That alone trains your mind and habits to the kind
of work ethic it takes to succeed in learning new, difficult skills. That’s a
large part of what employers seek out: your drive and work ethic.”
