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So, I'm trying to do another coding camp. I've completed one, but it was very basic and I didn't really learn much.
I was thinking of epicodus, but before I start, I have to write a pro DEI affirmation, we will have weekly guided small group discussions on DEI concepts, several weekly large group discussions, and homework on DEI topics throughout the course. I can't just nod my head, I have to actively participate and affirm this stuff on an ongoing basis. At the end of each day, we even have to rate our pair programming partner on whether they made us feel "unsafe".
I understand that I will have to bite my tongue wherever I work, but this seems oppressive to me, and I don't know if I'm socially adept enough to make it in an environment like this.
Does anyone here know anything about Epicodus?
I live in PDX, and if anyone can suggest a rigorous boot camp, preferably with a focus on pair programming, that would be great. And if there isn't one in PDX, are there any I could take online? Are there strategies I could use to get through Epicodus or will I just be banging my head against the wall?
At this point I'm half considering the trades, but if I want to immigrate to another country, and I might, then working in tech will be an advantage in a way that plumbing might not.
I have been programming since my early teens (that's a long time). In my opinion, these camps are of very limited utility. The one you mention - avoid like a plague, I don't know what they are doing there and which game they are playing, but they aren't going to teach you much useful. "Working in tech" is kinda big goal, so hard to say what would help (and probably starting now is very different from what it was in late 80s) but the obvious places are online things like Coursera or Udemy.
I think you may be getting it wrong. I've met tradesmen who moved into America, and from what I heard from them is that they are getting much more work than they can handle, and they get tons of money, and they can choose what to work and not work on. I see constant lack of good tradesmen everywhere. Of course, if you're moving to a place where tradesmen aren't paid well or not respected it may be different, but I'd say in most countries people use plumbing, electricity, cars, etc. so there are always jobs like that. The pay is varied - it is true that some FAANG people make $500k+, but don't expect to make that out of a coding camp.
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I'll disagree with most of the replies.
My general observation is that for people of ordinary ability/motivation, boot camp attendees seem to be more likely to get jobs. I am not entirely sure why but I think it's because "boot camp -> entry level" is now a recognized entry pathway and therefore you don't pattern match as "weird". Plus many employers have a plan to allocate N interviews to particular boot camps (perhaps including yours), you may get one of those slots, there is no equivalent plan for weirdos who learned from the internet.
Also you should absolutely attempt to navigate the DEI stuff while hiding your power level. It's a compliance ritual of the modern workplace and it's often hard to avoid, so getting practice with it in a safer environment is useful. This is something I very much wish I had when I came to the US. Instead, I awkwardly tried to understand WTF people were talking about based on what I knew. "So it's like reservations, what is the quota?" Guess how well that went (and it's probably worse now).
I have no recommendations of particular boot camps beyond Bloom School (formerly Lambda) and I've only been to PDX once.
Damn, I think you're right. I've searched and searched and found nothing that has the kind of setup they do. I was having nightmares about it, because I'm a pretty socially anxious person, but I don't know that I have a choice. It's this or the trades, and starting a trade at 36 is rough.
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There are still many tech workplaces not occupied by DIE fanatics. Bigger companies may require you to click through a "anti-harassment training" or something like that but no more than that. Of course, in some places it's worse (and getting worse) but it's not yet all lost.
It's also a matter of getting through the interview. One current trend is to put the "diversity questions" (read: ideology test) as part of the interview process even if the job itself might not have anything to do with it. Once you get in you can often just do your job + click through ideology powerpoints (with a mandatory "you clicked too fast, please interact with the powerpoint for 14 minutes before we'll let you take the test").
And unfortunately, even at some companies not fully captured, it's still best to hide your power level. Recall that the OP will be a fresh non-college grad with minimal skills to start. 1 fanatic on a 5 person team + manager not paying close attention = good chance of a bad peer review.
I got unexpected amount of fun recently managing to hack JS on one of those to let me blaze through it at 50x speed. It wasn't really hard but turned out significantly more fun than listening through the PC drivel they were supposed to feed me. Now I look on these with a different eye.
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Coding bootcamps are of marginal utility to begin with. I'd seriously consider not applying.
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Agree with everyone else - bootcamp bad, same resources much more available online. The key thing is to (after you learn the basics) program a bunch of different kinda-useful or interesting things - make a game, learn how to have the player drive a ball around and hit other balls, even if it's janky, then try to make it an interesting game. figure out how to hide all comments on themotte from a specific user using javascript.
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To be honest, I don't think that code boot camps are worth the time or money. The beauty of programming is that it isn't just possible to learn from online resources, it's easy to do so. And there's really nobody who is going to value whatever credentials you get from graduating the program. Boot camps are held in very low regard in my experience, so it isn't like getting a degree where the credential can help you to get jobs.
So, I know it isn't what you asked, but my earnest advice is "don't waste your time or money on a boot camp". Those things are basically there to make money off gullible people who don't realize how little value they provide. Don't fall into the trap.
agree. bootcamps cost a lot and greatly inflate their success metric, also don't produce competent coders. Competence will take a lot of personal initiative.
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I'm not very familiar with coding camps, what I've heard is they're quite expensive. I'm not really sure what the selling point is over self guided stuff. If it comes with some kind of credential then sure, but if you actually just want to learn how to code you can spin up a react website in three or four copy and pasted commands and then try to find out what you want it to do.
What I'm asking is what is your goal at the level in between 'complete a coding boot camp' and 'successfully emigrate'. Surely you'll need to get some actual career coding done there so I'd look at what the local jobs actually want in an employee.
Yeah. they are. People complain about college being expensive, but at least with college you have way more options with financial aid and payment plans , and also a degree is a valid credential in the eyes of employers; a certificate is not.
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You should ping the people here who said that this wasn't happening and would never happen, but that they'd be against it if it was. Maybe they'll have some advice.
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