How to choose a bootcamp
I recently did some research on the best UX design bootcamps available, trying to determine the best possible approach to getting an affordable, high-ROI education in this space.
It's a difficult problem: given a vast abundance of options, all with varying prices and features, how do you pick just one? And the truth is you don't. Or rather, you initially choose many, based on a variety of factors: affordability, mentorship, curriculum, duration, etc., and then you filter them down until you’re left with the one that most closely aligns with what you hope to get from the experience. So here we have it. A spreadsheet of my own creation, detailing just that:
As you can see, while they’re all relatively expensive, some are way more costly than others. In-person courses have to pay for in-person teachers and rent and snacks, so they generally cost a lot more. Purely online courses don’t have any of those expenses, so they’re generally cheaper. Of course, if your kind the person who benefits from working alongside a cohort of others who are on the same path you are (or if you simply likely being around people), the upside of these courses outweigh the costs. Of purely online courses, Springboard, CareerFoundry and DesignLab offer a more robust system of mentorship, a more in-depth curriculum and a job guarantee. This, combined with the fact that they’re also longer in duration, means that you’re going to pay more for their services, but it’ll pay for itself once you land a job. In other words, if your committed to the career path, are hard working, and don't care much for in-person mentorship, this tier of programs is likely you’re best bet. On the other hand, if you’re just dabbling, or if you’re not wholly sure you want to spend over $5K on a career-change, Udacity and General Assembly might be the best way to go. They don’t offer the same level of mentorship or camaraderie as the others, but they’re good programs that can help you get a solid grasp of the material, and help you discover what you need to know to progress moving forward. They’re also significantly cheaper*, so if you’re merely trying to get your foot in the door and develop some familiarity with the concepts and tools, these are likely your best option. *FYI: 1-3 months of Udacity is a mere fraction of what you’d pay for the same duration for many of the other courses. Which means that if you’re entirely new to the curriculum, you can take it for a month, develop a solid breadth of knowledge, and—if you decide you’re 100% invested—then commit to a more comprehensive program. This can help in two ways—one, since you already completed one program, it’ll make it easier for you motivationally to stick to another, even if it’s a little more difficult. Two, since you’ll already be familiar with the material, you’ll have a leg-up on the curriculum (and possibly your classmates)—making it easier for you to commit to it, while further cementing what you’re learning. In summary:
If you value being apart of a cohort, pay for the cohort. If you value expert hand-holding, pay for expert handholding. If you want to have a network of connections after, pay for it upfront. (The programs are likely worth the cost).
If the curriculum isn't entirely new to you, and you’re committed, and you don’t care as much for those other things…choose a program that provides mentorship and a comprehensive curriculum at a fair price. Even better if it provides a network, accountability, and a job guarantee.
If you’re just starting out, go as cheap as you can. Develop of solid breadth of knowledge, first, and then if you decide you want to go deep, commit to a ‘second round’ of learning via a more comprehensive program.
--- *I originally wrote this up only for myself, but realizing that it might help someone, I decided to post it anyways. It’s not a perfect system, but I think it’s a good-enough framework for determining what to think about when assessing the value of any type of educational program. Your mileage, of course, may vary. Correction: After further research, I noticed that Designlab is online (I don't know why I thought it wasn't when I made the spreadsheet) and lasts for 7 months (not 6). They also offer a $400 credit towards their full program if you take and complete their $400 foundation course. The bootcamp with the discount is $6,350.