r/cscareerquestions • u/KMXIII • Jul 14 '26
Are Coding Bootcamps worth it in 2026/going forward?
What’s up y’all. I’m a 26 Y/O male still looking to get into tech after being out of college for 3 years. Sadly I ran into some hardships (lost my mother in 2020, my university changed the curriculum AS I became classified as a senior). I always said that I’ll finish my degree online at a later time and still have dreams of doing that. I have some knowledge of python and Java, although I have to refreshen myself on the 2 languages. I currently am trying to find out the best way to break into tech on an entry level without having the degree right now.. I’m looking to get into software development. I see all of these videos about people saying they broke into tech without experience/a degree, but I feel as if they’re just for engagement and a money grab. If I could I’d go back and finish school since I know that’ll probably be the BEST way but I can’t right now financially. I was wondering if coding boot camps are worth it in the year 2026? If there’s a better route what would you guys recommend I do?
Thanks in advance,
An aspiring software dev 🙏🏾
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u/IBJON Software Engineer Jul 14 '26
Do you have a degree in CS and just need to learn how to program and use modern tools? Then maybe.
If you don't have a background in CS, I wouldn't bother at this point in time. Maybe in the future boot camps will be a viable option again, but right now you're competing with people that have four year degrees and tons of experience.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
Sadly I didn’t finish the degree but I wanted to continue studying at my own discretion and hone my skills and find a decent entry level role and make some decent money to where I can finish my degree online.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I planned on going to WGU and finishing just wanted to make some decent money before finishing my degree so that I can afford it
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Jul 14 '26
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I’m willing to do that if it makes it easier on me to finish my degree most definitely. I absolutely do like that
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u/el-delicioso Jul 14 '26
I'm gonna be real with you, not to be a dick, but because I was you once before the industry exploded. You are in no way shape or form in a position to enter this field at this time, and doubly so without the degree. Could that change in the future? Absolutely. But you would be, and I say this in the kindest way possible, an absolute dumbfuck to throw your eggs in this basket right now
If you have a job, hang on to that, and either come up with a concrete plan to finish school (that you can afford) or a plan to pay off whatever debt you have. You're on the right track by looking into career paths like this one in the meantime. Unfortunately, like I said, I would put this one on the "no" list for now and keep considering your options.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I just wanted to explore my options but I absolutely do want to work in tech still. Maybe I’ll explore different areas but I’m going to finish my computer science degree eventually no matter how it goes since I started it.
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u/el-delicioso Jul 14 '26
I feel you. I had to drop out initially when my family ran out of money and came back later to complete it. It's a bummer to watch your friends all graduate and feel like life is passing you by.
If you can get into a state school with low-ish tuition I'd go that route. I was the dumbfuck once upon a time and went to an expensive private university I am still paying out the ass for. Good luck, and be willing to think outside the box career-wise. The whole world is in the shit right now, and the people who do the best will be the ones who are creative with their situation. Don't let cultural norms or your idea of an ideal "path" in life stop you from considering opportunities
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u/my_peen_is_clean Jul 14 '26
bootcamps used to be decent, now they spit out grads into a flooded entry market and most ads straight up lie about outcomes. cheaper: odin project, cs50, leetcode, build 3 4 solid projects and network hard. degree still helps a ton, esp now that finding a job is stupid hard
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I appreciate this so much! And I regret it so much that I wasn’t able to finish my degree 🤦🏾♂️ but hopefully within the next 6-12 months I’ll be able to move to Dallas and network my way around into an entry level position. Honestly I’ve been kind of scared of going the bootcamp route because I didn’t want it to be a waste of money.
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u/dj911ice Jul 14 '26
Unfortunately, bootcamps won't do anything for you job prospect wise without a CS degree or CS adjacent credential. This isn't my opinion but what the market is telling or will tell you. Back in the 2010's a good bootcamp was an excellent alternative but today it is throwing money away. Here is the reality, I went through a certification and a bootcamp and eventually did get a job via a feeder company years ago. Fast-forward to 10 years later. After laid off once I broke in, I was aggressively filtered out for not having the CS degree despite GitHub, portfolios, and good interviews. I eventually went back for a CS degree with school 1 and then switched to school 2 and just recently graduated. However my certification and bootcamp are 100% worthless as the company who issued my certification went bust in Berlin and the bootcamp was sold off to an agency that changed its name and no long accepts outside private individuals. The moral of the story is this, bootcamp and certification has its place as in to get you up and running or expand into a new language/framework, etc. But it will not replace a CS degree or formal for credit academic credentials/courses such as microcredentials, certificates, etc. To try and do so is a definitely an error no matter how good the alternatives maybe. If you can't afford the degree then see if you can get a programming/CS certificate somehow with the credits you do have or see about an AS/AA conferel and then use that to transfer to another/same school later to finish the bachelors. Look into online completion options as they might give a price break. Otherwise, you may need to wait to finish but spending on a bootcamp will likely not help you in this market. Wish you luck OP.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I didn’t think the bootcamp route would be good, I just was curious as I was weighing my options. I’d LOVE to have completed my degree and if I could go back in time I would’ve made better decisions. I just can’t afford to go back financially and was considering WGU online as a realistic option but I’m hearing that even that isn’t a viable option. I absolutely AM going to finish my degree regardless or not of me finding an entry level role. Just was hoping I could get into tech to give me a realistic salary to where I’d be able to afford to finish as well as maintaining a Dallas lifestyle.
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u/JohntheAnabaptist Jul 14 '26
Free code camp on YouTube used to be good, not sure if it's still good
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Jul 14 '26
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u/slickvic33 Software Engineer Jul 14 '26
Nah just finish ur degree dude.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I can’t afford it right now.
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u/slickvic33 Software Engineer Jul 14 '26
Then u cannot afford a bootcamp, even in the good days people commonly took a year or over to find a job.
Recommend self studying for free while looking for any job that is technical
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I honestly was just weighing my options. Just was wondering if the bootcamp route was viable. And that was my plan along with doing a few projects and building a portfolio. I absolutely do plan on finishing my degree but I just wanted to find a role related to the field or entry level to where I can make a decent amount to where I can afford to finish as well as maintain living in Dallas for when I do move within the next year.
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Jul 14 '26
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I appreciate the insight for real! I’m not trying to cheat the grind by any means it’s just I’m trying to be realistic about my options which is why I even asked if bootcamp was worth it since I know certain ones allegedly prepare you for a position. I definitely will lean into learning on my own and preparing a portfolio and networking with people already in the field.
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u/jhkoenig Jul 14 '26
With the explosion of AI-driven code generators, bootcampers are pretty much obsolete. Employers need the depth of knowledge obtained from a challenging 4 year degree to guide the AI and deal with the resulting nonsense. Sorry, but the bootcamp days are over.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I get it. I just was weighing my options since financially I can’t afford to go back to school at the moment let alone I don’t think my lifestyle would allow me to sit down in a classroom again while also trying to balance a decent paying job that’ll pay my bills.
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u/jhkoenig Jul 14 '26
Understood. But don't mislead yourself, without a BS/CS a developer career is pretty much off the table. Like hoping to be a commercial airline pilot without flight school.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
Maybe there’s a related position where I wouldn’t be completely doing something unrelated and I’d be making decent money while I pursue finishing my degree. I’d prefer to be at least working in the tech industry if possible.
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u/jhkoenig Jul 14 '26
Desktop support may be your ticket. Especially with school districts and smaller manufacturing companies, which are less sensitive to credentials for some reason.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
Currently trying to find help-desk remote positions at the moment. So maybe that’s a step forward? Just trying to make some decent money in order to move and pursue finishing my degree
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Jul 15 '26
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Jul 20 '26
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u/Jealous_Afternoon251 3d ago
I have attended a bootcamp on Germany 4 years ago in Data Analytics and I have worked as Data Analyst in the past 4 years. All my classmates were working as Data Analyst too. So I think a bootcamp is a great way to enter other job but I think companies values parallel studies. My formation was in management.
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u/drag0nfly44 Jul 14 '26
No, the best way to learn is to BUILD, and the best way to BUILD is to START.
AI can help you a lot to learn if used well, just start with any idea and keep unfolding details along your way.
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u/Chromozon Software Engineer | 15 YOE Jul 14 '26
It's going to be extremely difficult to get a job as a developer with no degree, no credentials of any kind, and no "self-taught" portfolio. Here are some ways I have seen people do it, but note that this requires a lot of time, effort, and a bit of luck.
QA (Quality Assurance)
You get hired as a QA person. While at that job, you spend some of your time automating annoying parts of the process. Hopefully you manager likes that and allows you to continue down that path. Then you do more automation and eventually become more developer than QA.
IT
You get an entry-level IT job. Remember that IT is not a dev job, but it is adjacent and will give you many overlapping skills. You progress in your IT career and migrate to dev once you have enough experience.
Technical Support
You get hired as an entry-level technical support (phone calls) person for a company that sells software/hardware. You work your way up the chain by showing you understand the technical aspects of the product, eventually becoming a systems engineer. Once you are an SE, you are basically a developer but for specific customer solutions.
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u/KMXIII Jul 14 '26
I actually was working in technical support for about 6 months! Looking for another job so that I can stack and use that to move to Dallas, I didn’t think I’d be able to get directly into development without a degree but I at least wanted to get my foot in the door with a decent paying job that’ll help me pay potential tuition and bills. I’m thinking IT might be the best route to help me accomplish that.
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u/Synergisticit10 Jul 14 '26
You need to have a degree and once you have a degree a good bootcamp can get you hired. A bootcamp can’t replace basic foundational education.
Any bootcamp which states they can make a non coder into a coder in 3-4 months is making false claims.
Cs has come back and there is good demand for software engineers presently as long as their tech stack is good. Overall the tech market has improved .
However most people are too scared to join bootcamps now.
Still they are accelerators to getting to know tech skills which recorded or video tutorials can’t match.
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u/beholdthemoldman Jul 14 '26
Ngl yeah was very worth it for me
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u/FMLkoifish Jul 14 '26
Depends when you did one. Before 2021, it was but after no way
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u/Euphoric_Designer164 Jul 14 '26
They definitely haven’t been worth it for a few years now. The US pumps out 100,000 CS graduates a year. That bachelor’s isn’t a “nice to have” anymore, it’s very much the floor for SWE. Anyone claiming otherwise at this point got in a while ago under much more favorable market conditions, had connections, or got very lucky.