Author: Artur Meyster, Founder of Career Karma
Co-author: Tanya Gray, Co-founder of Access Education LLC, the creator of USAcollegeX.com
College isn’t the only path that leads to a career. Yes, you can obtain a degree in computer science if it’s something you’d like to do. But when we think about our future, we must consider time, money investment, and career development.
Based on all of these considerations, we’ve come up with a list of what you should take into account when you consider which path is best for you. Which is better – a coding bootcamp or a degree in computer science? The following is our analysis.
Relevant Subjects
Although college provides you with plenty of technical tools and knowledge, most of the curricula in universities aren’t up-to-date. This makes it harder for students to face challenges at work because they won’t feel prepared to deal with the newer aspects of their industry.
In this case, coding bootcamps are better than going for a computer science degree because most of the best coding bootcamps are always ahead with industry knowledge. This is how many of them built their curricula. Many schools, like Thinkful, consult with big companies and corporations to identify challenges students would face in their careers as software developers, for example.
Prestige
College education has always been prestigious for many reasons. Most professors are qualified and passionate about their job, so it is undoubtedly something you can leverage to build a career. And there’s also the belief that having a bachelor’s degree will help you land your dream job. The fact is, having a bachelor’s degree in computer science is prestigious, and many employers are still hiring people with computer science related degrees.
However, this has changed in recent years if you are looking for a job in the high-tech sector. Companies like Google or Apple have ditched their bachelor’s degree requirements. They are now more flexible when it comes to education qualification (as long as you prove you’re a killer developer).
Prices
Coding Bootcamps have a significantly lower admission fee than most colleges because they don’t have a high administrative workforce. Bootcamps focus on what matters most; teaching up-to-date information and skills and shorter study. That’s why the cost of attendance for a coding bootcamp can be much more economical in terms of money and time you invest for landing a coding job.
Increased Employability
This is another reason why coding bootcamp schools are committed to helping students land a tech job. College usually does not ensure you’ll be getting a job after graduation even though most colleges have career information offices.
Salaries
Once, President Obama pointed to coding bootcamps –saying “It turns out it doesn’t matter where you learned code, it just matters how good you are at writing code.” The old-fashioned credential-based economy has gradually replaced by skill-based economy in the coding development job market.
Stack Overflow (Quora for Developers) released their 2016 industry wide survey of over 56,000 developers and around that 57% of developers don’t have a CS degree. Let’s compare the salaries for people with coding skills from coding bootcamps and from computer science (CS) degrees.
Conclusion
You should consider pursuing a computer science degree if you have the time and money to invest in a traditional college education. A bachelor’s degree is still something that gives prestige and opens career opportunities.
However, there is a reason why bootcamps have become so popular: they’re cost-efficient and have a higher employment possibility. Bootcamp schools put a lot of effort into finding a job for their students. Besides, some of these schools allow you to pay for all of your courses once you find a job.