Coding bootcamp vs university degree – Everything you need to know

Coding Bootcamp or University Degree?

A Computer Science degree was almost the only way to get into a software development career in the past. I did a Hons degree in Computer Science about 30 years ago. Upon completion, I had three job offers, showing the demand for software developers then already. By nature, I am practically inclined. I always wanted to practice what I read. Not all students had the same approach or time available for practising.

With the fast and dynamic changes in the software development industry today, there is a higher demand for software developers than ever, and the industry is more specialised than ever. It opened up the need for coding boot camps.

When interviewing IT managers, we found that university graduates often get in through the HR department for hiring due to company policy on academic requirements. When the IT department employs these graduates, it faces a lack of practical skills, resulting in having to institute extra training for them. Companies often have to hire expensive freelancers to fill the gap in practical skills.

Focus

A Coding Bootcamp focuses on the most relevant practical skills required by software employers. A degree covers a wide range of subjects, not necessarily very in-depth. Degrees focus more on the understanding of the subject as a whole than on its practical implementation. A Coding Bootcamp can change dynamically. If we find that a specific toolset is gaining popularity amongst employers, we include it in our curriculum a.s.a.p.

Cost

Coding boot camps cost much less than a Bachelor’s degree. At a conservative estimate using our prices for a 12-month Bootcamp, a university degree is at least three times more expensive at the cheaper universities. We also have study loans and Income Share Agreements for qualifying students to help them afford our Coding boot camps.

Duration

We have two coding boot camps: the Web Developer Bootcamp (duration is three to six months) and the Java Developer Bootcamp (duration is six to twelve months). The twelve-month duration is still a third of that of a university degree.

Career Support Services

We have an integrated (established for 30 years) IT recruitment consultancy, Compuways, in our group, liaising with employers and grooming students for their first coding job: from the day they enrol with Code College. Our goal is also the student's goal: to be job-ready and get employed. When one of our students fails an interview test, we re-assess with him and work out corrective steps, as part of our service. With a degree, often graduate support will be limited to a career day in the final year.

Return on Investment

Warren Buffet, the most successful investor of all time, said that the best investment in the world is where you invest in improving yourself. By acquiring in-demand skills, you are investing in yourself. If you take the salaries earned by software developers worldwide, it supports that argument fully. Here is the average salary of a software developer in the United States of America. Multiply it by the exchange rate (18 at the time of publishing) to get the value in South African Rands.

Why Code College?

We are deeply rooted in the IT industry in South Africa. Compuways IT Consulting and Recruitment started in 1990 as a Consulting firm that placed freelancers at companies in the IT industry. Freelancers then provided feedback about the most in-demand skills required by IT employers. To ensure we can find new projects, we designed training courses to cross-train our freelancers in the latest technologies. It became the feeding ground for Code College. We started designing Coding Bootcamps in 2014 to train newcomers in the IT industry. We have loyal clients employing our Bootcamp graduates, and we are still growing our customer base by continuously placing our graduates with new clients. With a placement rate of between 80% - 100%, we must be doing something right. Click here to see some testimonials.