Women have historically been left out of tech careers and education – only 21% of undergraduate computer science degrees were awarded to women in 2019. But bootcamps are different – women make up 36% of coding bootcamp alumni, and while the industry hasn't quite achieved gender parity, the percentage of women improves year over year (41% in 2020!) and continues to outpace the percentage of women in traditional computer science degree programs. At these all-women bootcamps, 100% of bootcamp alumnae are women!
These coding bootcamps have created programs specifically for women and non-binary individuals in order to help close the gender gap in tech:
Named for the first female developer, Ada Lovelace, Ada Developers Academy is a non-profit, year-long, tuition-free intensive training program for women. The application is intensive – including a video response, a technical assessment, logic puzzle, resume submission, and an interview. But tuition is free learning thanks to funding from company partners, public funding, and donors. All women (cis and trans) and people with non-binary gender who feel a part of women's community are encouraged to apply.
Next Steps: Read Ada Developer Academy Reviews and start preparing for the Ada practice test with the free Ada Build curriculum.
Hackbright Academy is a software engineering school for women in San Francisco and online. Next Steps: Read Hackbright Academy Reviews and start learning Python fundamentals at the Hackbright Prep Course.
The Grace Hopper Program at Fullstack Academy is an immersive software engineering course for women+ students (this includes trans and nonbinary folx) with a mission is to empower women+ in technology through affordable education, quality instruction, and individualized mentorship. Next Steps: Read Fullstack Academy Reviews and start preparing for Grace Hopper with Bootcamp Prep.
Kal Academy is a non-profit bootcamp based in Seattle. Kal Academy is women-focused and diversity-driven, with the goal to help fill the skills gap while training coders from all backgrounds. Most Kal Academy bootcamps are offered on the weekends and meet live for 1-2 hours, so students can juggle work and parenting schedules. Next Steps: Read Kal Academy Reviews.
AllWomen offers full-time and part-time bootcamps in web development, data science, data analytics, UX/UI design, content design & UX writing, and product management at their Barcelona campus and online. AllWomen is exclusively for women and women-identified individuals. The program was created to help increase gender diversity in the tech industry. Next Steps: Read AllWomen Reviews.
SheCodes’ mission is to bridge the gender gap in the tech industry. Next Steps: Read SheCodes Reviews and prep for SheCodes with this free, 60-minute coding session for beginners.
Black Codher is open to black women over the age of 18 who are unemployed or make under €20K per year and are planning a career change. Applicants should be based in the West Midlands area and have a passion for technology. Classes are held two evenings per week from 6pm to 9pm. Students also have access to special ‘EmpowHerment Days’ which aim to inspire and empower. Next Steps: Read Black Codher Reviews
CodeOp is a tech school that offers courses for women, trans and non-binary people (women+). CodeOp gauges their social impact by ensuring that women+ are employed in quality tech jobs, moving into new positions with increased pay and/or responsibilities, and are taking on senior roles, managerial & executive responsibilities. Next Steps: Read CodeOp Reviews
G{School} is a place-based community in Boston, MA offering a free web development program to women and non-binary people of color between the ages of 18-25. In addition to technical skills, G{Code} students learn professional development, such as physical and mental well-being and financial literacy. Next Steps: Read G{Code} Reviews
Bootcamps recognize the inherent problem of the current state of the tech industry, and with part-time options, flexible scheduling, mentorship, and scholarships initiatives, they continue to help provide a solution. Achieving gender parity in the technology industry will not be an easy task, but by diversifying the education paths that feed the pipeline, we’ll start to see improvement.
With the creation of all-women learning environments, students can learn in a safe place and graduate as confident tech professionals. All women spaces are more supportive and conducive to taking on challenges that male peers may not relate to. Tori Tsu, Marketing Manager at all women school Hackbright Academy says, “Being the only woman in a classroom of men can worsen the effect of Imposter Syndrome, a condition to which many software engineers, regardless of gender, are especially vulnerable. While students will likely join teams of mostly men after graduation, Hackbright peers are available as a supportive network of women on similarly male-dominated teams.”
We compare our findings on gender enrollment to the 2019 Taulbee Survey, an annual survey of computer science programs at accredited universities. The Taulbee study estimated that 21% of 2016 Bachelor's degrees in Computer Science were awarded to females. Our study suggests that bootcamps (35.5% female) compare favorably to traditional computer science departments (as well as masters programs) on gender diversity.
In online bootcamps, women (49.5% of online graduates) and men (49% of online graduates) are almost equally represented. For women specifically, flexible learning models enable more access for mothers and caregivers to be able to learn at their own pace or without leaving their homes.
According to the latest bootcamp research, gender has very little impact on post-graduation salaries and employment. In fact, while men report slightly higher salaries, women are more likely to be employed in tech after graduating.
Gender | Pre-Bootcamp Salary | Post-Bootcamp Salary | % Employed |
Male | $44,760 | $69,648 | 86% |
Female | $45,236 | $69,096 | 88% |
Source: Course Report 2020 Coding Bootcamp Outcomes + Demographics Report |
Here's a list of 10 tips from women who have graduated from coding bootcamps.
Liz is the cofounder of Course Report, the most complete resource for students researching coding bootcamps. Her research has been cited in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and more. She loves breakfast tacos and spending time getting to know bootcamp alumni and founders all over the world. Check out Liz & Course Report on Twitter, Quora, and YouTube!
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