February 2018 Coding Bootcamp News Roundup + Podcast
Inside This Article
By Imogen Crispe
Last Updated February 28, 2018
A lot happened in the world of technology education in February 2018! In case you missed it, we put together a roundup of all the coding bootcamp news we found interesting at Course Report. We read about government support for bootcamps and vocational education, we heard about companies training their employees at bootcamps, we saw coverage on the debate between colleges and bootcamps, and there was an in-depth article about the pros and cons of income sharing agreements. We also enjoyed hearing about the achievement of bootcamp grads, and what sort of initiatives are helping underrepresented groups get into tech! Plus, check out our updates about new bootcamps and campuses.
Companies Using Bootcamps to Upskill the Workforce
An article in Harvard Business Review looks at how the demand for coding skills is outstripping supply, how tech companies themselves can help upskill the US workforce, and why they should broaden their screening criteria to accept applicants who have taken coding bootcamps, rather than just 4-year-degree grads.
The Software Development Times covered HackerRank’s Developer Skills Report which found 81 percent of recruiters primarily use resumes to assess developers, but predicts that will start to change in 2018, and that developers are turning to coding boot camps to extend their skill sets.
Inside Higher Ed looks at whether bootcamps could start competing with graduate schools, and how traditional higher education is increasingly absorbing aspects of the short-term training model like Northeastern University starting a data analytics bootcamp.
EdSurge and FastCompany reported that online bootcamp Lambda School raised $4 million in February to expand their income sharing options for students.
Bootcamp Success Stories
A General Assembly Web Development bootcamp grad launched a non-profit named JOURNi in Detroit, Michigan to teach youth from his community, who are generally underrepresented in tech, about technology, coding and life skills.
Reuters, FastCompany, and EdSurge report that General Assembly is exploring a potential sale, according to CEO Jake Schwartz. The company is currently valued at $425 million.
Imogen enjoyed editing a podcast on gender at coding bootcamps, which Liz hosted with two women from Fullstack Academy and The Grace Hopper Program! The podcast looks at whether women learn better in an all-women’s coding bootcamp environment, and why, growing up, women have often perceived coding to be a man’s job. Both women had some very inspiring things to say.
Liz Eggleston
Liz loved interviewing Scot Sustad, who runs Digital Hot Sauce in Vancouver and hires digital marketers from RED Academy. She also got to talk with Hack Reactor consultant Brian Sweeney about the bootcamp’s new Blockchain curriculum, who actually explains blockchain in a really reasonable way – not just in the context of cryptocurrency.
Lauren Stewart
Lauren enjoyed putting together an ultimate guide to digital marketing bootcamps! Check it out to learn about what’s going on in the digital marketing landscape and see what bootcamps are your best bet to learning digital marketing.
Imogen is a writer and content producer who loves writing about technology and education. Her background is in journalism, writing for newspapers and news websites. She grew up in England, Dubai and New Zealand, and now lives in Brooklyn, NY.
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