5 Ways to Find the Best Coding Bootcamps of 2024

So you’re looking to find the best online coding bootcamp out there for your career goals — the program that fulfills every requirement, be it cost, time commitment, or prestige. No pressure!

But in all seriousness, it’s always a smart idea to do your research before signing up for any training. Tech bootcamps come in an overwhelming amount of options, and your choice can mean the difference between wasted money and finding a job you love.

We’re here to help remove some of that anxiety by walking you through the best ways to vet coding bootcamps. (Hint: It’s really not that hard or time consuming!)

How to find the best bootcamps

1. Consider what you want or need from a program (and your budget)

When asking, “What is the best coding bootcamp?” what you’re really wondering is, “What’s the best coding bootcamp for me?”

Because let’s face it: We’re all coming from different places when we sign up for a bootcamp, and we all want different things out of the experience. 

So the first thing to keep in mind with your search is this:

The best way to make sense of all of it is to outline your must-haves, nice-to-haves, and avoids. Consider questions_{Are Data Science Bootcamps Worth It?} such as:

• How much time per week or month can you commit?
• How much coding knowledge do you have? (i.e., how much of the jargon on a bootcamp’s homepage do you understand?)
• Do you prefer to learn on your own or in a group setting?
• What kind of job do you want post-graduation, and what requirements does that job have?

Then, evaluate your budget — not just how much money you have now on hand, but other costs you may incur after enrolling, such as leaving a steady paycheck to study full-time or hiring a babysitter. Give yourself a manageable price range rather than a hard number so there’s flexibility to choose a program that fulfills other needs (skills training, ideal learning environment) as opposed to pressure to choose a program purely because it’s cheap. 

Note, too, that paying a little more for a bootcamp that guarantees job placement or an increased salary may be worth it long term. (If money is a major issue, you may want to prioritize bootcamps that offer financing options or a payment plan. It’s a myth_{Top 5 Myths About Bootcamps} that all bootcamps are expensive!)

2. Google around

The internet is a great place to start because there’s a lot out there around the best online coding bootcamps.

On Reddit or Quora, you can view unfiltered discussions between bootcamp alumni, aspiring coders, and other tech experts about software engineering bootcamps. Major publications such as Forbes and U.S. News and World Report regularly rank popular programs that may not be on your radar based on factors such as job guarantee, reviews, and enrollment numbers. 

And articles, Q&As, and blogs (such as this one!) are perfect places to find answers to frequently asked questions, from what skills you should learn based on your experience level to whether you have to attend in person (even if it’s through a college or functions on a full-time schedule, you often have the opportunity to complete it remotely). 

Our suggestion? Read voraciously, and from different sources, to get a balanced and authentic take on the program you’re considering.

3. Check out reviews

Reviews can tell you a lot about software engineering bootcamps — not just whether they’re legit_{Scam or Not? How to Check If a Bootcamp Is Legit}, good, or bad, but what they’re actually like for a certain kind of student. In a testimonial, you’re often given the person’s background in addition to their perspective, which allows you to see yourself in their experience (or, alternatively, ignore it because it’s not relevant to your situation).

Of course, you’ll want to put your trust in review platforms_{Review Platforms And Rankings Worth Your Attention When Choosing a Bootcamp} that filter out unfair or inaccurate criticism, don’t censor users, and overall make it easy to sift through comments. We recommend checking out Career Karma, Course Report, SwitchUp, and ITCareerFinder, along with the bootcamp’s website, for reviews from students, alumni, and instructors. 

And take any review with a grain of salt: You’re only getting one person’s opinion, and it’s often an opinion they shared in a particularly happy or angry mood.

4. Digest alumni success stories — online or IRL

Graduate stories tell you two things: that these programming bootcamps can (or can’t) be completed, and what it looks like when you’re done with a program. You’re bound to come across both positive and negative takes from people who landed jobs or struggled to get a job afterwards, had a great time or hated their experience, made a ton of money and/or are still in debt. Like reviews, these should be digested with caution and from diverse sources.

If you don’t have a direct or indirect (think: friend of a friend or relative of a coworker) connection, browse LinkedIn for graduates who have the bootcamp listed on their profile and send them a personalized message. And if you’re worried about bothering someone, remember: People love to help others who are passionate about the same things as them — and who knows, maybe knowing you will help them out down the line!

5. Explore the curriculum, instructors, and career services

What software engineering bootcamps teach is important — after all, you can’t really become a full-stack web developer if you don’t know, say, HTML or CSS. And if you’re not coming from a computer science or data science background, you’ll want to ensure you’re covering all the basics.

But how developer bootcamps teach it is just as important, both for how you retain the information and then how you apply it to your career. The “how” encompasses anything from who teaches the courses (Are they professors or former engineers? Where have they worked?) to what format the courses take (Are they self-paced or live? Hands-on labs or lectures? Group projects or individual assignments?) If you’re not sure what matters here, go back to your list of wants/avoids from step one. 

A lot of this information can be found on the bootcamp’s website, and reviews and testimonials can help you figure out whether the program actually practices what it preaches.

Finally, you’ll want to take a gander at any career services options. Some bootcamps partner with companies in the tech industry, which can be beneficial for graduates who know exactly where they want to work and need an in. Others may also provide interview and resume prep, career coaching, and other resources to prepare students for navigating a new or stressful job search. How important this offering is to you depends on what you’re hoping to achieve from the bootcamp. Reviews and success stories can help you fact-check whether these tools have actually placed candidates in real, lucrative roles.

How TripleTen stacks up

With a 4.8 out of 5-star rating across more than 1,000 reviews on Career Karma, SwitchUp, and Course Report, TripleTen may just be the ideal bootcamp for you. Our software engineering bootcamp offers a flexible payment schedule for those tight on cash, and can be completed part time while working in another job or taking care of family.

Starting from the very beginning? Eighty-seven percent of TripleTen’s students came from a non-STEM background — teaching_{From Making Music to Making Commits: Jenny Doctor’s TripleTen Story}, medicine_{TripleTen Grad Rebecca Burch Talks Moving from Medicine to Software Engineering}, even outdoor therapy_{Taking Therapy from the Outdoors to Tech: Jake McCambley’s TripleTen Story} — and 87% landed a tech job within 180 days of graduating.

TripleTen’s unique externships_{Why Externships Are Great for Your Portfolio}, where students tackle real-world problems with coding and then present their work to a panel of experts, help candidates build a strong portfolio of work proving they can get the job done. And when those job seekers hit the market, TripleTen’s team is right there with them_{How TripleTen’s Career Center Helps You Land a Job} through technical interview training, LinkedIn preparation, and networking strategy.

Discover your next career

Don’t just take our written word for it: Those interested in a TripleTen bootcamp — but unsure if it’s right for them — can book a call with a career advisor to find out more. 

An extra reassurance? If it takes you more than six months to get the job you trained for, TripleTen will completely refund your tuition.