Certs and IT Brehs, I need advice :lupe:

[notwhoiusedtobe]

Alright, so not too long ago I mentioned I had an interview with a coding school. Long story short, I got a scholarship of almost 12k.

Around the same time I got called in to contract with this tech startup. Didn't even need to give them a resume or referencesso I signed on for a few weeks at 20hr. I figured I was going to leave and go to the bootcamp so I wasn't worried about them making me an offer. When I actually got one, I told them it was too low, especially without benefits and I already had a prior commitment to this bootcamp.

He got back to me with an offer 4k higher - in the low 50s - and told me he felt like I would learn more on the job than in the bootcamp and they would try to help me along. Same time I heard some really scathing things about the bootcamp from a girl who did it. She said she learned nothing that she didn't already know and has her 75k job through no help from them because their job assistance is . Told my recruiter and he was all -How could u


I was told by the founder that I would be up to re-evaluate my salary and goals in 3 months and that I have unlimited vacation days and can work remotely wherever and whenever I need to. A few folks there already work out of state and that's a plus. I'm working from home today, actually


So what would you guys do in this situation? Go for the bootcamp for 3mths? Or try to learn on the job with no benefits or security?


Also, here's my background:
I'm in the arts and I want to write for TV. My degree is I'm working customer support because I gotta pay bills/support my family and I'm good at it.
I don't necessarily want to be in IT, but the money and options it affords. Certs brehs, help a sister out

 

[Kitsch]

Take the job, boot camps aren't going anywhere and the job should be good experience.

 

[kevm3]

On the job experience is better, but it depends if that job is really moving you towards where you want to go. Is it giving you experience in a field you want to be in? How hard would it be for you to get a similar job?

I'm skeptical about those coding schools, unless you already have solid experience coding, because there's no way you can learn enough in 3 months to be a great coder and I have a feeling they exaggerate about all of those super high paying jobs that you're 99% guaranteed to get as soon as you leave.

With that said, if you got a free scholarship, and you don't really care for your current job, it could be a thing to consider.

 

[Regular_P]

Take the money. You'll learn on the job and you can always apply for another bootcamp. You might not even need one in the long run if this job works out for you.

 

[Data-Hawk]

Take the job. Bootcamp schools are a waste of money and yes I went to one.

 

[Spatial Paradox]

Assuming you're going to be doing programming at the job, I'd definitely take that over the bootcamp. Even if the job doesn't end up being all that great, it's real world experience you can parlay into even better opportunities. Especially in this field where getting your foot in the door is the hardest part, but a lot easier to find new opportunities once you do.

Plus, I've heard all sorts of mixed reviews about coding bootcamps/schools. If you really want to go back to school with getting into software development as the end goal, that money's better spent going back to school to get a CS degree.

TL;DR: Take the job

 

[notwhoiusedtobe]

On the job experience is better, but it depends if that job is really moving you towards where you want to go. Is it giving you experience in a field you want to be in? How hard would it be for you to get a similar job?

I'm skeptical about those coding schools, unless you already have solid experience coding, because there's no way you can learn enough in 3 months to be a great coder and I have a feeling they exaggerate about all of those super high paying jobs that you're 99% guaranteed to get as soon as you leave.

With that said, if you got a free scholarship, and you don't really care for your current job, it could be a thing to consider.

Yeah, I have particular reservations about this one because while they're one of the biggest and most global, they don't seem to be as competitive as others.They also have much higher enrollment rates. There were at least 4 cohorts going when I visited their campus. The basically seem like the University I went to, all flash and notoriety but churning out a bunch of people with useless degrees.

A guy where I'm at basically said he wants me to start sitting in on Dev meetings and working on their themes editor in Liquid (which I know nothing about) so that sounds fun. The job market is horrible. It took two years of odd (literally) jobs and freelancing to even come by this. I'd honestly feel foolish turning down a job knowing what it's like out there. Especially for black people. These I don't see race white millennials are not trying to hire black people, I'm telling you. Luckily, the dudes responsible for bringing me in are brown. I'm the only black woman in the whole building comprised of dozens of companies.

Take the job. Bootcamp schools are a waste of money and yes I went to one.

How long did you attend and did you have a background in coding before you went?

Take the money. You'll learn on the job and you can always apply for another bootcamp. You might not even need one in the long run if this job works out for you.

True, the ones we spoke about sounded much more legit anyway. But I'm hoping I'll learn more here. I told the founder I'd be willing to officially start Monday and he was legit after trashing the bootcamp to get me to stay. But my recruiter was like I just needed some unbiased advice .


You guys put me over the top. Reps for all I truly appreciate and respect the input. If I don't get ya'll today, I'll get you tomorrow.

 

[kevm3]

What you do is keep the job, but in your free time, you make several projects and learn what you need to know. Invest in your own education. There are countless resources online.

 

[Takerstani]

I'm late. Sounds like you made a great choice already. What type of programming do you do? @Brehsbian

 

[notwhoiusedtobe]

I'm late. Sounds like you made a great choice already. What type of programming do you do? @Brehsbian

Nothing in particular, actually, I'm brand new to this. I want to start focusing on learning Ruby, though, since I've been working with that the most to do day to day support tasks. They have most of the commands in Github, but I want to make sure I understand why I'm using them fully.My first official day was yesterday, did my onboarding and all that, sat in on my first dev meeting and it was actually really interesting
Thank you again, gentlemen, for steering me in the right directionThe goal is to learn as much as I can for as long as I can.



Also, fam looking to get work in a tech startup, check out Angelist. By far the best resource I've found job hunting. I can post more on it, if you all want.