Are Employers Hiring Bootcamp Grads in 2024?

Table of Contents

• The 6 Most In-Demand Tech Roles of 2024

Welcome to Ask a Career Coach, an advice column where bootcamp career coaches answer a question from a Course Report reader. Today, Sharahn McClung from TripleTen is answering a question about whether employers are still hiring bootcamp graduates in 2024. TripleTen surveyed over 1,000 decision makers across the United States. They come from companies of all sizes as well as from a diverse range of industries. Armed with the findings from their Breaking into Tech: Employer Secrets for Success report, Sharahn shares insights on which industries are hiring bootcamp graduates and for which roles! 

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Our question comes from a potential bootcamper, who writes:

“I would like to make a career change into tech this year, but the tech job market looks like a roller coaster. Are employers hiring bootcamp graduates in 2024?”

A quick answer to this question is…

Yes! When I was getting into tech, learning tech skills had to be attached to a degree from an institution — this was a major form of gatekeeping. It’s exciting to see that it’s really changing! According to our survey of 1,000 employers, 86% of respondents said that they felt confident or very confident about hiring bootcamp grads!

Are employers still interested in hiring technologists from non-traditional backgrounds without a computer science degree?

Employers are definitely looking for non-traditional candidates to help them solve real-world problems for their target users. In fact, 79% of decision makers told us that they are already hiring candidates with non-traditional backgrounds for tech roles. Many bootcamp grads don’t have degrees at all, or if they do, they might have qualifications in a non-STEM subject. At TripleTen, 87% of our grads come from non-STEM backgrounds. But because they have gone to a bootcamp, they have the no-nonsense, in-demand skills that are crucial for a tech job.  

In what industries are non-traditional applicants getting hired?

Nearly 80% of decision makers told us that they are already hiring candidates with non-traditional backgrounds. And this overwhelming majority holds up regardless of industry. Hiring managers in the transportation and hospitality industries were even more amenable to bringing on new tech workers without traditional tech backgrounds — 9 out of 10 decision makers in these industries said they hire non-traditional applicants. 

On the flip side, the industries most resistant to hiring these candidates were design and healthcare. However, this meant that they were only less positive. For context, 7 out of 10 respondents in these industries said they hire non-traditional applicants for tech jobs.

What are employers looking for in today’s tech job-seekers?

The employers we surveyed are looking for both technical prowess and soft skills. Nearly 70% of people surveyed said that hard skills were the most important quality
for candidates to have. In second place: soft skills, with over 65%
of respondents saying these capabilities were crucial. Employers want to understand if a candidate’s tech skills match their tech stack. They’re also interested in candidates who have strong teamwork and communication skills. 

What makes a candidate stand out during the hiring process?

Open roles often get hundreds or even thousands of applicants, but that shouldn’t deter people  from applying. It can seem daunting to apply when you’re new to the industry, but here are some tips to stand out amongst the competition: 

• Craft your elevator pitch. According to the decision-makers, having a strong elevator pitch is the top way to get your foot in the door (57% agree). The elevator pitch is the verbal culmination of a portfolio and resume. It should articulate how you align with the role, provide evidence of your past effectiveness on the job, and state your career goals.
• Present a pristine portfolio. 55% of respondents agreed that a strong portfolio can help you get noticed. Whether it's GitHub, a personal website, or both, a pristine portfolio is clean and easy for potential employers to read and to process. Your portfolio is a form of communication; organizing your hard skills so that people can understand them is a soft skill. 
• Make your resume shine. Rounding out the three top ways a candidate can stand out, 54% of respondents said that you should showcase an impressive resume. With a well-crafted resume, employers can see how someone's strengths and skill set align with the target role as well as the mission, product, service, or values of the company. But what if this is your first tech role? TripleTen offers free services to help craft your resume to showcase your transferable skills and align your background (whatever it might be) to your desired tech role. 

Is AI affecting the chances of bootcamp graduates getting hired in 2024? 

According to employers, the answer is no! Just over a quarter of respondents expect below 10% of jobs to be made redundant by AI. 

If we look at the bigger picture, just over 13% of survey participants expect the majority of the roles at their organization to be made redundant by AI. That means for every respondent who thought AI would take over most roles, there were two who predicted AI to have the minimum possible effect allowed within the survey. 

We also broke these numbers down by industry, and found that transportation had the lowest percentage who thought that AI would take over the majority of roles in the industry at 2%. 

Decision-makers in IT and tech were more likely to respond that roles in their organizations were vulnerable to AI replacement, but 80% of those IT and tech respondents believe that only a minority of the roles are going to be made redundant by AI. They understand that they will still need to hire technologists to interface with the AI and construct what it does. 

Do employers expect incoming new tech hires to have a basic understanding of AI tools and/or skills?

In general, no. Respondents shared that they expect new hires to understand AI fundamentals only when it’s relevant to the position they are applying for, such as a role in data. But, it’s good to have some exposure. For example, we’ve been talking to students who say potential employers have brought up tools like ChatGPT and Github Copilot during the hiring process.

The 6 Most In-Demand Tech Roles of 2024

According to our survey, respondents are expecting to hire for these five tech roles:

1. Data Analysts (44%)
2. Web Developers (43%) 
3. Software Engineers (41%) 
4. Business Intelligence (BI) Analysts (36%) 
5. Quality Assurance Engineers (30%)
6. Data Scientists (21%)

Entry-Level vs Mid-Level Roles for Bootcamp Graduates

The TripleTen survey data showed that employers are hiring tech professionals for all levels, with an emphasis on mid-level roles:

• 30% are prioritizing hiring entry-level roles
• 51% are prioritizing hiring mid-level roles 
• 19% are prioritizing senior-level roles

52% of employers surveyed have confidence in hiring bootcamp graduates for entry-level roles. This is great news for our students because TripleTen students are prepared for these entry-level tech roles.

Industries Hiring Bootcamp Grads in 2024

According to the TripleTen survey, major industries interested in hiring tech professionals included transportation and healthcare. The IT and tech hiring manager respondents in our survey expressed 93% confidence in hiring bootcamp grads — with 49% of that group saying they were very confident! 

Diving further into the industries hiring bootcampers:

• 67% of design hiring managers are looking to hire web developers.
• 65% of IT/tech decision-makers are looking to hire software engineers.
• 53% of transportation employers are looking to hire data analysts.

Are employers hiring bootcamp graduates for remote tech roles in 2024? 

Overall, there were smaller numbers of respondents who said that they were considering hiring remote workers. 35% said they plan to hire more remote workers. Only 15% said they primarily hire remote roles. 

What’s your advice to anyone who is considering enrolling in a bootcamp like TripleTen to land a tech job in 2024?

Be curious and lead with your curiosity — this includes talking to people in the industry! The best way to figure out your career roadmap is to talk to other professionals and learn more about the field. It also helps you practice soft skills like active listening, which you’ll need on the job. 

Keep in mind that everything we offer at TripleTen (from the curriculum to the career services) supports students in finding a tech job. If not sure, take our quiz: Is a Bootcamp Right For You? We are here to support you! 

Find out more and read TripleTen reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with TripleTen.