9 Coding Bootcamps for Women

Table of Contents

• 1. Ada Developer Academy
• 2. Hackbright Academy
• 3. The Grace Hopper Track at Fullstack Academy
• 4. Kal Academy
• 5. AllWomen
• 6. SheCodes
• 7. Black CodHer
• 8. CodeOp
• 9. G{Code}
• Why are coding bootcamps a good option for women?
• Women in Coding Bootcamps vs Traditional Education
• Do women get jobs in tech after coding bootcamps? 

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: 

1. Ada Developers Academy
2. Hackbright Academy
3. Grace Hopper Track at Fullstack Academy
4. Kal Academy
5. AllWomen
6. SheCodes
7. Black CodHer
8. CodeOp
9. G{Code}

1. Ada Developer Academy

• Length: 11 Months, including 6 months of in-class learning and a 5-month internship
• Curriculum: Students learn Ruby on Rails and JavaScript.
• Cost: Free! 
• Locations: Seattle, Washington

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.

2. Hackbright Academy

• Length: 12 weeks full-time of 43 weeks part-time
• Curriculum: Students learn Python, JavaScript, HTML & CSS, Git, Flask, Django, pair programming, SQL/ORMS/NoSQL, and deployment.
• Cost: $12,900
• Locations: San Francisco

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.

3. The Grace Hopper Track at Fullstack Academy

• Length: 17 weeks, full-time
• Curriculum: Students learn fullstack JavaScript. 
• Cost: New York ($17,910), Chicago ($15,910)
• Locations: New York and Chicago

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.

4. Kal Academy

• Length: 16 weeks, part-time
• Curriculum: Students learn software development, full stack web development, or artificial intelligence.
• Cost: $2,500
• Locations: Seattle

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.

5. AllWomen

• Length: 10 weeks, full-time or 24 weeks part-time
• Curriculum: In the data science immersive, students learn python, data analysis, machine learning and NLP. 
• Cost: €2,950
• Locations: Barcelona

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.

6. SheCodes

• Length: 11 weeks, part-time
• Curriculum: In SheCodes Plus, students learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript (ES6), Git, GitHub, and advanced development tools taught online
• Cost: $1,390
• Locations: Online

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.

7. Black CodHer

• Length: 16 weeks, part-time
• Curriculum: Students learn Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. 
• Cost: n/a
• Locations: Online (though applicants should be based in the West Midlands area) 

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

8. CodeOp

• Length: 11 weeks full-time or 26 weeks part-time
• Curriculum: Students can learn Full Stack Web Development, Product Management, Data Science, or Python & Data Analytics.
• Cost: Remote campus costs €5300 + €600 deposit. Barcelona course costs €7200 + €600 deposit.
• Locations: Remote, Barcelona. In Malaysia, CodeOp partners with Tech Sprint Academy.

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

9. G{Code}

• Length: 12 weeks full-time 
• Curriculum: This is a Web Development bootcamp that includes CSS, HTML, JavaScript, and algorithms.
• Cost: Free!
• Locations: Boston, MA

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

Why are coding bootcamps a good option for women?

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.” 

Women in Coding Bootcamps vs Traditional Education

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.

Do women get jobs in tech after coding bootcamps? 

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. 

 Here's a list of 10 tips from women who have graduated from coding bootcamps.