I came across the article “Want a Job in Silicon Valley? Keep Away From Coding Schools” on Bloomberg yesterday.It’s a must read if your like me and trying to learn code on your own. Fortunately for me I have no crazy illusions that I’m going to be able to teach myself enough coding skills that I’d be qualified for a $100K+ Silicon Valley type job in 3 months -or that some academy would do the same. This article supports the fact that those are crazy notions. I did a little research on coding schools and programs and I wasn’t able to find any that were part time – and it is not like it would matter anyways because I have absolutely no money to spend on such a program. Also, it would be hard for me to justify spending any money on such a program when there is so much free material online to study first.
What was eye-opening about the article is how many of these programs are viewed negatively by the industry. Maybe kind of like how Devry or some other for-profit schools are viewed to be inferior by many employers. It kind of makes sense, how can a 3 or 4 month coding program compete with a 4 year computer science degree? I don’t care how ‘intense’ it is, there is a huge, gigantic gap there.
I’m sure some coding programs are better than others, but it does seem like the Wild Wild West out there right now. There is no governing body to ensure that these programs meet some minimum basic requirements, to ensure students graduate with some basic level of skill like you have with normal colleges. I wouldn’t want to gamble and invest thousands of dollars and months of my life in this system that seems to built on quicksand taking advantage of people’s hopes and dreams.
This article is also eye-opening from my perspective too as a self-taught coder…is anyone going to hire me? A 40 year old guy who has no computer science degree? Maybe this blog will help make a case for my skills if I am able to accurately capture my coding growth and progression. Perhaps maybe if I’m able to build a few quality websites (like the one for my brother-in-law) that would be enough to demonstrate my abilities.
I’m a realist at heart though, even with all that I still know I may fall far short versus a 22 year old fresh out of school with a nicely minted computer science degree for a quality school. Maybe ultimately I should acquire these coding skills to try to build my own money earning online endeavor – a feat always easier said than done.
If you are on the path to learn how to code like I am I would recommend you read this Bloomberg article and more like it to see what you might be getting into.