If you're thinking about attending a coding bootcamp, read this article first. We list free resources which are equivalent to just about any bootcamp curriculum out there.

Kirill So

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You (probably) Don’t Need a Bootcamp

I would say that bootcamps may not be for everyone, but for some people it helps to create the all encompassing importance of I just spent $15,000 and there’s no way back. A “burn the boats” kind of situation.
I struggled for years with learning to code, but never feeling like I got anywhere near being hire-able with everyone telling me that bootcamps were unnecessary and not worth it.
I’m glad I finally quit listening. After paying for one and attending an 8 month bootcamp. I landed a job immediately upon graduation, and I can tell you that in my case it was so very worth it! I was able to move on from Best Buy after 19 years with them and change fields to a software engineering role. This isn’t the case for everyone, but for me and my friend that I made while at bootcamp we have both successfully transitioned careers.
I’m also not calling them out so that it’s clear that this isn’t an advertisement, but for some of us, it is a huge help to get us a kickstart to where we want to go.

For those that are wanting to possibly do a bootcamp, don’t forget to look at local state trades schools to see if they offer a program, they are typically much less expensive and run for a longer time so it’s not quite as stressful as one that would run four months or so.

This is a great list of resources for inexpensively learning basic coding skills. In a similar vein to Chris though, I think a lot of the value of a bootcamp is that you must work consistently and intensively. Bootcamps/courses also teach to work collaboratively and do pair programming, which is a lot of the job as well. Not to say that can’t be learned through a well-structured self-learning program (joining local coding groups, hackathons, etc.) but is more difficult and should not be underestimated.
I think if someone already has a lot of self-discipline and can structure their time very concretely, they could get quite far without any sort of in-person/real-time course. I think most people are not like this though, and even if someone went through all these resources, a course (not necessarily a bootcamp) is beneficial.