Tips on How to Prepare for a Coding Bootcamp

Coding bootcamps are short-term immersive programs that are quickly replacing the standard traditional four-year computer science degree. It’s a great way to start a lucrative tech and coding career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, tech job opportunities will grow by 11 percent between 2019 and 2029, which is higher than average.

Our article will provide you in-depth tips on how to prepare for a coding bootcamp. We will include everything, including bootcamp requirements, tuition costs, competitive coding bootcamp prep courses, bootcamp interview preparation tips, and steps to take to succeed at a coding bootcamp. 

What Is a Coding Bootcamp?

A coding bootcamp is a short-term tech training program that teaches you everything from basic programming languages to advanced tech topics. They can have you ready for a career in tech in a matter of months. You can learn CSS, HTML, data analytics, cyber security, financial technology, and tons of other tech subjects at bootcamps. 

Depending on the bootcamp, you can attend both in-person and online programs that offer full-time, part-time, and a self-paced curriculum. A coding bootcamp isn’t limited to tech skills training but often includes intensive career support services. Most bootcamp programs offer career advice, resume critique, interview prep, and portfolio-building assistance. 

Whether it’s a career in development, software engineering, UX/UI design, digital marketing, or even the popular data science field, coding bootcamps pave the way for your career path. Today, bootcamp graduates work at top tech companies including Google, Amazon, Microsoft, PayPal, IBM, Facebook, Twitter, and plenty more. 

How to Choose the Right Coding Bootcamp

Choosing the right coding bootcamp for you will depend on your career goals, learning preferences, and budget. It also depends on your tech background. Different schools have different pros and cons, so make sure you do your research.

For instance, if you want to become a data scientist or a software engineer and are looking for a bootcamp that offers a job guarantee, then Flatiron School might be for you. Similarly, if you are new to tech and want to build a career in software development, then The Tech Academy would serve your needs.

Coding Bootcamp Requirements

Coding bootcamp requirements vary depending on the bootcamp program, acceptance rate, and level of tech training. A beginner bootcamp with a high acceptance rate will accept students with no background if they have a passion to build a career in code. The application process can include an interview or technical assessment.

An advanced coding bootcamp looks for prospective students with a strong foundation with programming experience, as well as an extensive technical background. To get accepted into the most advanced coding bootcamps, you need to have strong programming logic, algorithmic thinking, and computational skills. 

Coding Bootcamp Costs

The cost of a coding bootcamp will depend on the school and the programs it offers. The average cost is often between $5,000 and $20,000. However, know that the prices vary depending on the school. In addition, your bootcamp costs will depend on your choice of payment plan. 

For example, if you chose the loan financing option offered by Fullstack Academy for the full-time course, you would pay an additional interest rate along with the tuition cost of $17,190. Similarly, if you acquire a bootcamp scholarship offered by BrainStation, your tuition will get a significant discount. 

So, look into the many bootcamp payment options including income share agreements, scholarships, money-back guarantee plans, and loan financing to calculate your bootcamp cost. Several coding bootcamps even offer free courses, including Coding Dojo, Ironhack, Epicodus, The Tech Academy, and Le Wagon. 

The Best Coding Bootcamp Prep Programs

A coding bootcamp prep course is a great way to learn the basic foundations of programming skills. Many bootcamps offer prep programs to prepare their students for the upcoming curriculum. The tuition of prep programs varies depending on the school, but you will find that they are often free. 

If you are new to the tech field, then coding bootcamp prep lessons will prepare you to succeed. Prep courses are also highly beneficial for students looking to get a better understanding of how the bootcamp works before they apply. Take a look below at some of the best bootcamp prep courses of 2021.

Flatiron School Bootcamp Prep Courses 

Flatiron School offers plenty of free prep courses covering programming languages and the basics of how to code. These self-paced courses are offered online and prepare you for the main courses that include data science, cyber security, product design, and software engineering. 

Currently, Flatiron School offers four introductory courses: Intro to HTML and CSS, Intro to JavaScript, Intro to Ruby, and Intro to API integration. If you want to learn JavaScript fundamentals and prepare for a career as a developer, then you should try the JavaScript course. The HTML, CSS, Ruby, and API courses are also great for web development.

App Academy Bootcamp Prep Courses 

If you are nervous about your admissions chances for a coding bootcamp, then App Academy’s bootcamp prep course might be for you. The school offers its prep curriculum either in a four-week, full-time, live instruction format, or a self-paced curriculum that is estimated to take around 70 hours to complete. 

The bootcamp live prep course is currently offered remotely and costs $2,999. The prep course covers foundational to advanced JavaScript, web development fundamentals, and bootcamp practice problems. The course also provides one-on-one mock admissions interview preparation and bootcamp application assistance. 

Hackbright Prep Course

If you are interested in a career in software engineering, want to get into Hackbright’s software engineering program, or simply want to learn Python, this prep course is for you. Hackbright offers its five-week prep course online in the evenings and on weekends, currently at a discounted price of $249. 

The course will teach you to code and cover foundational Python. You will learn Python syntax, iteration, logic, control flow, data structures, functions, and debugging. The prep course consists of live instruction, lab work, code workshops, projects, and technical assignments. 

To succeed, Hackbright recommends gaining a basic understanding of data types, lists or arrays, and variables before starting the course. In addition, the prep course makes you eligible for up to a $1,500 discount from your Hackbright software engineering program. Keep in mind that Hackbright is for gender-diverse people and women.

Fullstack Academy Prep Course 

For those wanting to get into Fullstack Academy’s programs, or any other coding bootcamp, this intro to coding prep course is a great option. Fullstack Academy offers its prep course in three schedules: live online full-time, live online part-time, or self-paced. The live courses cost $199 and the self-paced option is free.

All three course formats follow the same curriculum and cover basic CSS, JavaScript, HTML, data types, objects, nested loops, recursion, control flow, invoking functions, and multidimensional arrays. The school recommends taking its practice test to gauge whether you are ready for the prep course or not. 

Hack Reactor Prep Course 

Hack Reactor offers prep courses that teach software engineering basics and enhance your JavaScript knowledge. The school offers an online basic prep course that is self-paced and free, as well as an online premium prep course for $250 that includes one-on-one coaching and assistance. 

You are eligible for a $250 tuition discount if you pass the school’s technical assessment while applying for its program. This prep course includes sample JavaScript problems, functions, data structures, conditionals, and iterations. 

Codesmith Prep Course 

Codesmith offers a two-week live online prep course that covers JavaScript and foundational software engineering concepts. The course costs $875, but the tuition will roll over to your full-time CodeSmith program tuition if you get accepted. The school also offers scholarships for its prep course. 

To get into the school’s prep course, you must fill in an online application and complete a phone interview. You will learn computer science basics, intermediate JavaScript, engineering soft skills, data types, functions, and function execution while polishing your analytical skills. The course also includes two engineering projects. 

First Step Coding Prep Course

First Step coding offers an 8-week part-time online bootcamp prep course to teach you basic coding, and prepare you for top bootcamp programs. Graduates of First Step Coding’s prep course are eligible for up to $1,500 at its partner bootcamps. They include Actualize, Rithm School, RedWood Code Academy, Level, Hack Reactor, and App Academy. 

The prep course costs $500 and covers front end web development, HTML, CSS, Javascript, debugging techniques, JSON APIs, and other software engineering fundamentals. The prep course also includes a capstone project, one-on-one advising, mock interview sessions, and office hours.  

LearningFuze Prep Course

LearningFuze currently offers two-week prep courses online that teach foundational web development and train you to build dynamic applications. The prep course costs $95 and will count towards your full-immersion tuition if you get accepted into the school. 

You will learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript along with HTML syntax, JavaScript variables, CSS selectors, JavaScript loops, JavaScript conditionals, JavaScript functions, and plenty more. You will also learn GitHub workflow, JavaScript plugins and modules, debugging, prototyping, and tracing.

The course consists of eight live instruction classes, coding exercises, industry-relevant projects, and live chat support. The prep course is free to students who have attended the school’s info sessions and are accepted into the school’s part-time and full-time immersion programs. 

BrainStation Prep Course

If you are looking for a self-paced and free online video prep course on web development foundations, BrainStation’s prep course is worth looking into. The course consists of 12 videos covering HTML, JavaScript, CSS. You will learn how to code real and interactive websites. 

You will learn backend development, full stack development, web technology stacks, and current industry trends in web development. You will also learn the anatomy of the web and the history of the Internet. This course is perfect for all aspiring web developers with zero programming and tech background. 

Metis Prep Courses 

If you want to get into Metis’s data science and data analysis bootcamp, then the school’s admissions prep course is for you. The course is free, self-paced, and designed by the school’s admissions department. You will learn the basics of data science, including Python fundamentals, linear algebra, statistics, and probability. 

Metis also offers two beginner prep courses for $750. The Python and math introductory course is 36 hours and covers linear algebra, statistics, probability, calculus, Python basics, NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib. The intro to data science course covers all the aforementioned topics with the addition of supervised and unsupervised learning.  

How to Prepare for a Coding Bootcamp Interview

The preparation process for a coding bootcamp interview is dependent on the prerequisites of the program and the bootcamp’s application requirements. If you are applying for an advanced program that includes a technical interview, prepare by learning the basics of programming. 

If you are applying for a beginner program, then most bootcamps interview to gauge your passion for tech, interest in their school, and career goals. Be sure to go through your academic, professional, and technical achievements. Below are some of the most common beginner coding bootcamp interview questions to practice before your interview. 

• What are your career goals, and how do you believe our program will help you achieve them? 
• Why did you choose this bootcamp?
• Do you have any programming background? If so, which languages do you know?
• Please tell us about any technical and academic achievements.

How to Succeed at a Coding Bootcamp

There are several steps you can take to succeed at a coding bootcamp and land your dream tech job. Be sure to research the bootcamp thoroughly. Look into the course curriculum, prerequisites, costs and payment plans, and the school’s admissions process. If all these factors suit your preferences, then go forward with your application. 

Once you get accepted into the bootcamp, be sure to invest in the bootcamp’s prep course so you enter the program with foundational tech knowledge and are ready to hit the ground running. During the bootcamp, be sure to use the school’s resources, such as career services, and one-on-one mentorship. 
Most importantly, commit your time and energy to learn the tech subject 100 percent. You can access some of the highest salaries out there if you get a good education. For example, according to PayScale, a senior software engineer earns $119,557 per year. You can earn even higher than this if you prepare well for your coding bootcamp.