Went to Maker's Academy London, lots of flavour of the week development languages,corporate cult vibes, and too expensive for what it was.
Bootcamps should be more transparent
61–67 of 67 posts
Re: Bootcamps should be more transparent
#62As someone trying to hire web developers, it looks to me like Bootcamps are more like finishing school than trade school. Candidates that come out of a bootcamp have learned how to signal membership in the Silicon Valley in-group. Their resumes have all the right keywords, and refer to "projects" they've worked on, built with all the frameworks and tools currently in fashion. They've practiced their interview techniq…
Yeah, we desperately need more developers in the tech world Well, management needs more cheap workers early in their careers who can be easily exploited with the prospect of 0.01% share options, but that's not the same thing. If there genuinely was a shortage of workers, there would be no ageism, but it's rampant. Zuck stands up and says "young people are smarter" and no-one bats an eyelid...
See the sentence right after that one. In the best cases the Bay Area tech community is cliquey, in the worst case it's illegally discriminatory. The recent fashion for founder-friendly term sheets hasn't really extended to employee-friendly employment agreements. Sure, I get that.
And yet, it's also true that there aren't enough developers. I've dealt with hundreds of candidates over the past year. There are a few who rejected an offer, presumably because they had a better one some where else. Most, though, are not qualified, and most of those that are, accept an offer somewhere else before completing their interview.
As an experienced engineer, I'm happy that it's a seller's market for tech labour. Someday I'll be on the other side of the table. But damn, there are so many things we could accomplish if there were more of us.
Re: Bootcamps should be more transparent
#63In California, the Bureau of Private PostSecondary education is coming to implement transparency standards in a big way. In the next year or two, you will see several bootcamps forced to be more transparent via approval to operate, or be forced to shut.
Re: Bootcamps should be more transparent
#64I went to a bootcamp, I have a pretty varied but useful skillset in growth hacking, front & back end dev, the tech industry & tech trends, software & frameworks ect. I'm unemployed, however I attribute this moreso to moving from LA to a tiny east coast town, ect. I am just being transparent about my bg to give context. Also, I have had freelance & worked at a startup, ect. I finished General assembly ~2 years ago. I…
> the issue is that it is both very difficult to measure, track and maintain data and it varies wildly. Also went to a bootcamp and I agree with this. I think the variance in ability between students is greater than the variance between bootcamps. People come in with different levels of experience and backgrounds. People are looking for work in different places. I think reviews from former students are a better solut…
Reviews and speaking with someone who attended is huge, and I agree. My cousin went to a different campus than I did General Assembly NYC and had a much different experience. Ryan Dahl, used to hang around at NYC and even did a talk on using Node.
It really is exactly what you said. Speak with teachers, former & current students and read reviews.
How was your exp. btw?
Re: Bootcamps should be more transparent
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah, we desperately need more developers in the tech world Well, management needs more cheap workers early in their careers who can be easily exploited with the prospect of 0.01% share options, but that's not the same thing. If there genuinely was a shortage of workers, there would be no ageism, but it's rampant. Zuck stands up and says "young people are smarter" and no-one bats an eyelid...
See the sentence right after that one. In the best cases the Bay Area tech community is cliquey, in the worst case it's illegally discriminatory. The recent fashion for founder-friendly term sheets hasn't really extended to employee-friendly employment agreements. Sure, I get that. And yet, it's also true that there aren't enough developers. I've dealt with hundreds of candidates over the past year. There are a few w…
I was intrigued by your comment:
"The recent fashion for founder-friendly term sheets hasn't really extended to employee-friendly employment agreements."
What do mean by "founder-friendly term sheets" and "employee-friendly employment agreements"? Besides the "what" of those two thing how do those things relate? Or how should they?
Thanks.
Re: Bootcamps should be more transparent
#66As someone trying to hire web developers, it looks to me like Bootcamps are more like finishing school than trade school. Candidates that come out of a bootcamp have learned how to signal membership in the Silicon Valley in-group. Their resumes have all the right keywords, and refer to "projects" they've worked on, built with all the frameworks and tools currently in fashion. They've practiced their interview techniq…
> Experience has taught me that interviewing them is usually a waste of time. So we have a situation where hopeful individuals spend a ton of money on questionable bootcamps for the promise of a shot at a job... and the employers think interviewing said individuals is a waste of time. That's a lovely thought. :/
What's wrong with that thought? That seems to be the interviewers genuine experience.
Re: Bootcamps should be more transparent
#67Isn't the problem along with these somewhat dubious "Hacker Schools" or "Bootcamps" the demand side for a "shortcut" to an instant developer title or less likely an instant $100K/year job?
The reality is that there are no shortcuts. What ever happened to the good old fashioned "take an entry-level support position and work your way up"? That gets you both a foot in the door and get real rubber on the road experience? Is it sexy? No. Does it work? Yes.