Written By Liz Eggleston
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Overview
Course Report is excited to present the results of our latest and most comprehensive survey of graduates in the coding bootcamp space. We surveyed graduates from 41 qualifying coding schools and received 828 qualified graduate responses.
The majority of graduates of coding bootcamps are finding full-time employment, and 79.3% of graduates surveyed say they've been employed in a job requiring the technical skills learned at bootcamp, with a median salary increase of 49% or $21,000. The average starting salary of a bootcamp grad is $64,528. This year's Outcomes & Demographics Study dives into graduates' success, analyzing not only demographics and outcomes, but also how previous experience, income, location, and other factors impact a student's average salary and ability to get a job. In 2018, we also added new questions about demographics, including veteran status and use of the GI Bill.
Thanks so much to the schools who participated in this study and helped distribute it to their alumni networks!
Key Findings
In our fifth annual graduate survey, and the most complete cross-school study of its kind in the coding bootcamp industry, we find strong evidence of salary growth, with respondents reporting a $21,000 increase in median salary in their first job after attending a coding bootcamp.
| Change in Salary | Before | After | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Salary* | $48,189 | $64,528 | 34% |
| Median Salary* | $43,000 | $64,000 | 49% |
*Figures concentrate on full-time positions only (i.e. including Freelance, Employed, and Self-employed Entrepreneur."
In addition, bootcamp attendees are more likely to be working full-time after graduation.
| Change in Employment | Pre-bootcamp | Post-bootcamp |
|---|---|---|
| Employed Full-Time | 57% | 76% |
| Employed Part-Time | 11% | 4% |
| Employed Freelance | 4% | 3% |
| Self-Employed | 4% | 3% |
| Homemaker/Stay-at-home parent | 1% | 1% |
| Student | 6% | 2% |
| Unemployed | 16% | 12% |
Most graduates take 1-6 months to find their first job. As students continue their job search after graduation, job placement trends upwards.
| 13% | 36% | 64% | 78% | 85% | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| placed | placed | placed | placed | placed | |||
| PRE-GRADUATION | 30 DAYS | 90 DAYS | 120 DAYS | 120+ DAYS |
| All Respondents | 2018 Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Average | Average |
| Years | 30 | 29 |
| Gender | % | % |
| Female | 33% | 37% |
| Male | 64% | 62% |
| Non-Binary | 3% | 1% |
| Race/Ethnicity | % | % |
| White/Caucasian | 66% | 64% |
| Black/African American | 8% | 14% |
| Asian | 16% | 16% |
| Native American/Pacific Islander etc. | 2% | 1% |
| Hispanic | 12% | 10% |
| Other | 9% | 6% |
This outcomes report also finds:
- The average student paid $12,643 in tuition.
- The typical attendee has 6 years of work experience, has at least a Bachelor's degree, and has never worked as a programmer.
- Graduates report an average satisfaction rating of 8.3/10.
- Use of external lending partners has increased drastically over time (from 15% before 2016 to 23% in 2018). For 2018 bootcamp graduates, SkillsFund is the most popular lending partner.
- In addition to loans, Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) and Deferred Tuition are two trends on the rise in the bootcamp industry. 43% of bootcamps offer an Income Sharing Agreement or Deferred Tuition; 22% of graduates used one of these options. Additionally, 5% of bootcamp graduatess are veterans and 2% use the GI Bill to cover tuition.
The "Survey Results" tab shows interesting Insights like:
- Graduates working in California earn the highest average salaries ($101,649). However, graduates in Utah are most likely to be employed (92% are employed).
- 79% of respondents report that they've worked in a job requiring the technical skills they learned in the bootcamp. Graduates who learned Ruby on Rails report the highest salaries ($76,150).
- Women make up 34% of the coding bootcamp industry; women saw more drastic salary growth after graduating from a bootcamp and report a higher average salary than men!
- The average bootcamper reported a $21,000 lift in salary after graduating from a bootcamp – while low-income students see a lower average post-bootcamp salary than middle and high-income students, they see a high lift in salary after graduation (128% growth).
Results
Demographics
| Age, Gender, Ethnicity, Military Service | Work Experience | |
| Educational Background | Pre-Bootcamp Industry | |
| Bootcamp Locations | Applying for Bootcamp | |
| Programming Background | Reasons for Attending | |
Student Demographic Profile
Respondents self-reported demographic information such as age, gender, and race. The student profile is summarized below in Tables 1a-1e.
The average and median age of a coding bootcamp graduate is 30 years-old. The youngest respondent was 15 years old; the oldest respondent was 60 years old.
| Age | All Respondents | 2018 Grads |
|---|---|---|
| Average | 30 years | 29 years |
| Median | 30 years | 30 years |
In online bootcamps, women and men are almost equally represented. While women are slightly underrepresented in in-person bootcamps, the percentage of women improves year over year. We compare our findings on gender enrollment to the 2017 Taulbee Survey, an annual survey of computer science programs at accredited universities. The Taulbee study estimated that 19% of 2016 Bachelor's degrees in Computer Science were awarded to females. Our study suggests that bootcamps (34% female) compare favorably to traditional computer science departments (as well as masters programs) on gender diversity.
| Gender | Total | 2012-16 Grads | 2017 Grads | 2018 Grads | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 64% | 64% | 66% | 62% | |
| Female | 34% | 33% | 29% | 37% | |
| Non-binary | 3% | 3% | 5% | 1% |
Bootcamp graduates have a very strong over-representation of Asian graduates (16% of 2018 graduates vs. 5% of US population) and a nearly representative representation of Black/African American people (14% of graduates in 2018 vs. 13% of the US population). We compare ethnicity in respondents to the 2010 US Census.
| Ethnicity | US Census | All Respondents | 2018 Grads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 16% | 12% | 10% |
| White/Caucasian | 72% | 66% | 64% |
| Black/African American | 13% | 8% | 14% |
| Asian | 5% | 16% | 16% |
| Native American, Pacific Islander etc. | 1% | 2% | 1% |
| Other | 9% | 9% | 6% |
21% of bootcamp graduates of 2018 are not US citizens.
| Citizenship | All Respondents | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| US Citizen, Born in the US | 72% | 78% |
| US Citizen, Naturalized | 7% | 2% |
| No | 22% | 21% |
In 2018, we added a question about military service – 5% of bootcamp graduates served in the US Military.
| Military Service | All Respondents |
|---|---|
| Yes | 94.6% |
| No | 5.4% |
Education
The majority of bootcamp grads already have at least a Bachelor's degree. However, only 56% of alumni who graduated from a bootcamp in 2018 have a Bachelor's degree (compared to 59% for all graduates). Fields of study are widespread: the top 5 (out of 24) only represents 37% of the total. The most frequent pre-bootcamp education fields are business/public administration, computer science, education , engineering and physical sciences.
| Education | All Grads | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Did not complete high school | 0% | 0% |
| High school graduate (or GED) | 4% | 6% |
| Associate's degree | 7% | 8% |
| Professional school degree | 1% | 0% |
| Some college (1-4 years) | 13% | 14% |
| Bachelor's degree | 59% | 56% |
| Master's degree | 16% | 15% |
| Doctorate degree | 1% | 1% |
| Study Field (Top 5) | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|
| Business/ Public Administration | 9% |
| Computer Science | 9% |
| Education | 8% |
| Engineering | 7% |
| Physical Sciences | 5% |
Location of Bootcamp Attendance
The majority of bootcampers attended their courses in New York, while California was the state that had the highest amount of bootcamp graduates.
| City | Percent of Total |
|---|---|
| New York | 15.9% |
| San Francisco | 14.5% |
| Denver | 6.3% |
| Portland | 5.2% |
| Philadelphia | 5.0% |
| Houston | 4.4% |
| Miami | 4.2% |
| Cleveland | 3.3% |
| Boston | 3.2% |
| Atlanta | 3.0% |
| States (Top 10) | All Respondents |
|---|---|
| California | 21% |
| New York | 15% |
| Pennsylvania | 7% |
| Colorado | 6% |
| Ohio | 6% |
| Texas | 5% |
| Florida | 5% |
| Oregon | 5% |
| North Carolina | 4% |
| Utah | 4% |
Of the respondents who attended bootcamp abroad (17.7%), more than half live in Canada (71%), 19% live in Europe, and 4% live in both Australia and Asia. The full split for all graduates follows:
| Location | Percent of Total | Percent of Abroad |
|---|---|---|
| North America- Canada | 12.7% | 71% |
| Europe | 3.3% | 19% |
| Australia | 0.8% | 4% |
| South America | 0.1% | 0% |
| Asia | 0.7% | 4% |
| N/A | 0.2% | 1% |
| Total | 17.7% | 100% |
12% of bootcamp graduates attended their full-time bootcamp online – this number is on the rise over the years
| Location | Total | 2012-16 | 2017 Grads | 2018 Grads | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-Person | 93% | 99% | 94% | 88% | |
| Online | 7% | 1% | 6% | 12% |
Pre-Bootcamp Programming Experience
Most respondents (59%) did some self-teaching prior to attending bootcamp, and 35% were complete beginners prior to enrolling.
| Former Programming Level |
|
2018 Grads |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Beginner | 35% | 38% |
| Some self-teaching in my free time | 59% | 55% |
| Experienced Programmer | 6% | 7% |
Pre-Bootcamp Work Experience
The average previous work experience among students is ~6 years, although 16% report being unemployed prior to bootcamp enrollment, as shown in Table 5a. 48% of bootcamp students join with less than 4 years of work experience; 23% of bootcamp graduates joined with more than 10 years of work experience. 77% of graduates were working in some capacity before they started bootcamp.
| All Respondents | 2018 Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Work Experience | Mean (USD) | Mean (USD) |
| Years | 5.8* | 5.8 |
| Salary | Mean (USD) | Mean (USD) |
| All respondents | $48,189** | $47, 629** |
| Pre-Camp Employment Status | % | % |
| Employed full-time | 57% | 63% |
| Employed part-time | 11% | 11% |
| Employed freelance | 4% | 2% |
| Self-employed/Entrepreneur | 4% | 4% |
| Homemaker/"stay at home" parent | 1% | 2% |
| Student | 6% | 5% |
| Unemployed | 16% | 13% |
*Median years worked was 5 years.
**Figure concentrates on full-time positions only (i.e. including "Employed – freelance or independent contractor", "Employed full-time", "Self-employed Entrepreneur").
| Pre-bootcamp Work Industry | All | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| IT/Web Development/Design | 13% | 12% |
| Hospitality/Retail/Tourism | 13% | 14% |
| Education | 12% | 13% |
| Marketing/Advertising/Journalism | 8% | 8% |
| Government/Non-profit/Human Services | 7% | 7% |
| Health Care | 7% | 7% |
| Finance/Accounting | 6% | 6% |
| Fashion/Entertainment/Music | 5% | 5% |
| Engineering (civil/mechanical/industrial) | 4% | 3% |
| Manufacturing | 3% | 4% |
| Consulting (Business, Management) | 3% | 2% |
| Real Estate | 3% | 2% |
| Construction | 1% | 2% |
| Other | 20% | 18% |
Applications & Student Motivations
By far, most graduates report applying to a coding bootcamp in order to get a job as a programmer (90%). 77% of bootcampers applied to only one school. 92% of bootcamp graduates were accepted to all the schools they applied to.
| All Respondents | 2018 Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Applications | Mean | Mean |
| Number of Applications | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Number of Accepted Applications | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Reason for Attending a Bootcamp | % | % |
| Getting a programming job | 90% | 88% |
| Starting a company | 2% | 1% |
| Getting a non-technical job | 2% | 2% |
| Freelancing/contracting | 1% | 3% |
| Getting a promotion | 0% | 1% |
| Other* | 5% | 5% |
* For the 5% of respondents who replied "Other," the most popular "Other" reasons are to: "Improve current career/ skills (without necessarily aiming for a promotion)," "Learn something new," "Discover coding," "Expand skills," and "Round up tech professional profile."
Finally, the most important factor to a future bootcamper when deciding between bootcamps are Alumni Outcomes. Average ratings (Table 6b) give some idea about the importance of factors. Instructors and Curriculum are the next most important factors. Tuition and Location have about the same importance, followed by Scholarships and Quality of Facilities being the least important factors.
| Primary Reasons for Selecting | All | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni Outcomes | 35% | 36% |
| Curriculum | 20% | 20% |
| Instructors | 19% | 19% |
| Tuition | 11% | 10% |
| Location | 11% | 9% |
| Scholarship | 4% | 6% |
| Facilities | 1% | 2% |
Tuition
Average tuition for a coding bootcamp is $12,643, with most students paying for school themselves or with the help of family and external loans (Table 7). The middle 50% of 2018 graduates paid between $8,500 and $15,000.
| All Respondents | 2018 Graduates | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition Cost | USD | USD |
| Median | $12,000 | $12,000 |
| Average | $12,643 | $12,043 |
| Source of Funding | % | % |
| Self | 53% | 48% |
| External Loan | 19% | 23% |
| Family | 16% | 12% |
| Scholarship | 8% | 10% |
| Employer Sponsorship | 3% | 5% |
| GI Bill Benefits | 1% | 2% |
| ISA + Deferred Tuition | ||
| Used Income Sharing Agreement plan | 8% | 6% |
| Used Deferred Tuition plan | 14% | 10% |
| Bootcamp offered, but student opted out | 22% | 25% |
| Bootcamp did not offer | 57% | 58% |
Funding Sources
While most 2018 graduates (48%) cover tuition by Self-funding, their share is decreasing from 61% for 2012-2016 graduates. This is compensated by the rise of External Loans and Scholarships. Additionally, 2% of bootcamp graduates used the GI Bill in 2018, explained by the passing of the new Forever GI Bill, which includes many coding bootcamps. This year over year comparison is shown in Table 8a.
| Type of Funding By Year | All | 2012-2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self | 53% | 61% | 54% | 48% | |
| External Loan | 19% | 15% | 16% | 23% | |
| Family | 16% | 18% | 20% | 12% | |
| Scholarship | 8% | 5% | 8% | 10% | |
| Employer Sponsorship | 3% | 1% | 3% | 5% | |
| GI Bill Benefits | 1% | 0% | 0% | 2% |
The most popular lending partners used are Climb Credit and Skills Fund (Table 8b). For the 23% of graduates who used External Loans, an average of 91% of the tuition cost was covered by a lending partner. The distribution of lending partners is shown below for those graduates who used External Loans.
| Graduation Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lending Partner | All | 2012-16 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Skills Fund | 33% | 8% | 47% | 38% | |
| Climb Credit | 26% | 17% | 29% | 27% | |
| Earnest | 8% | 33% | 1% | 0% | |
| Affirm + Lendlayer | 8% | 23% | 0% | 5% | |
| Other (credit cards etc.) | 17% | 19% | 23% | 29% |
"Other" answers mention repeatedly using banks and school funding.
Income Sharing Agreements (ISAs) and Deferred Tuition are two trends on the rise in the bootcamp industry. Table 8c shows graduates' use of these options – in 2018, 42% of bootcamps offer an Income Sharing Agreement or Deferred Tuition.
| Graduation Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All | 2012-16 | 2017 | 2018 | ||
| Used Income Sharing Agreement plan | 8% | 11% | 7% | 6% | |
| Used Deferred Tuition plan | 14% | 14% | 21% | 10% | |
| Bootcamp offered, but student opted out | 22% | 19% | 18% | 25% | |
| Bootcamp did not offer | 57% | 56% | 54% | 58% |
Student Outcomes
| Employment Status | Time to Job Placement | Graduate Satisfaction with Bootcamp |
| Post-Bootcamp Salary | Salary Change after First Job | |
| Popular Job Titles | Bootcamp Career Services |
Post-Bootcamp Employment
Most alumni (76%) are in salaried, full-time positions, with others reporting working as independent contractors, or running their own businesses. Note: In Table 9a, employment status is shown for all graduates. In Table 9b, you can see how Employment Status for 2018 graduates changes based on time since graduation. Because it takes most alumni 1-6 months to accept a job after graduation, we find that alumni who graduated in January-May are more likely to be employed.
| Employment Status | Pre-Bootcamp | Post-Bootcamp |
|---|---|---|
| Employed full-time (30h+ per week) | 57% | 76% |
| Employed part-time (<30h per week) | 11% | 4% |
| Employed freelance or independent contractor | 4% | 3% |
| Self-Employed Entrepreneur | 4% | 3% |
| Homemaker/"Stay-at-home" parent | 1% | 1% |
| Student | 6% | 2% |
| Unemployed | 16% | 12% |
| Graduation Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Status | All | 2018 (all year) | 2018 (Jan-May) | |
| Employed Full-Time | 76% | 62% | 85% | |
| Employed Part-Time | 4% | 6% | 4% | |
| Employed Freelance | 3% | 2% | 0% | |
| Entrepreneur | 3% | 4% | 1% | |
| Homemaker | 1% | 2% | 2% | |
| Student | 2% | 2% | 7% | |
| Unemployed | 12% | 22% | 16% |
Since graduating, 80% of alumni have had a job requiring the technical skills they learned in the bootcamp.
| Graduation Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 2012-16 | 2017 | 2018 | ||
| Yes | 80% | 94% | 86% | 66% | |
| No | 20% | 6% | 14% | 34% |
Post-Bootcamp Salary
Alumni report an average first salary of $64,525 and an average most recent salary of $72,354. 50% of 2018 bootcamp graduates in full-time employment earn more than $55,000 in their first job after bootcamp. Most recent salaries are in line with first salary after bootcamp for 2018 graduates who have not had time to change jobs yet.
| First Salary Post-Graduation | All | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Average Salary | $64,525 | $58,098 |
| Median Salary | $64,000 | $55,000 |
| Most Recent Salary | All | 2018 Graduates |
| Average Salary | $72,354 | $58,663 |
| Median Salary | $68,000 | $56,000 |
*Figures concentrate on full-time positions only (i.e. including Freelance, Employed, and Self-employed Entrepreneur."
The most common job title for bootcampers is Software Engineer. 31% of Other job titles contain “developer”.
| Graduation Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Job Title | All Years | 2012-2016 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| Software Engineer | 32% | 35% | 26% | 31% | |
| Front-End Developer | 15% | 13% | 14% | 18% | |
| Junior Web Developer | 14% | 15% | 12% | 15% | |
| Associate/ Junior Software Engineer | 6% | 9% | 2% | 3% | |
| QA Engineer | 2% | 4% | 2% | 4% | |
| Teaching Assistant | 2% | 2% | 3% | 3% | |
| UX/UI Designer | 1% | 0% | 1% | 1% | |
| Product Manager | 0% | 1% | 0% | 1% | |
| Mobile Developer | 0% | 0% | 1% | 0% | |
| Data Engineer | 0% | 1% | 3% | 0% | |
| Senior Web Developer | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% | |
| Other | 26% | 18% | 35% | 22% |
Time to Job Placement
36% of graduates find a job within less than a month, another third of the population between 1 and 3 months.
| Graduation Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job Search Length | All Years | 2012-16 | 2017 | 2018 | |
| < 1 month | 36% | 35% | 39% | 24% | |
| 1-3 months | 28% | 32% | 26% | 26% | |
| 3-6 months | 14% | 17% | 21% | 7% | |
| >6 months | 7% | 15% | 6% | 2% | |
| Still unemployed | 16% | 1% | 8% | 30% |
Salary Change After First Job
Most coding bootcamp graduates (71%) are still working in the first job they landed after graduation (Table 12a). As bootcamp graduates accept second and third jobs, their average salaries also jump – a typical 18% salary increase
| Number of Post-Graduation Jobs | All | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71% | 94% |
| 2 | 19% | 6% |
| 3 | 8% | 0% |
| 4 | 1% | 0% |
When a bootcamp grad moves to their second and third jobs, their salary typically increases by 18% for each new job (+25% on the median salary from Job 1 to Job 2, and +11% from Job 2 to Job 3). (Table 12b).
| Job | Median | Average |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Job | $60,000 | $58,974 |
| 2nd Job | $75,000 | $80,743 |
| 3rd Job | $83,000 | $94,030 |
| Change in Job | % | % |
| Increase 1st to 2nd Job | 25% | 37% |
| Increase 2nd to 3rd Job | 11% | 16% |
| Increase 1st to 3rd Job | 38% | 59% |
School Services
Many schools offer services to help prepare students for the job market. Almost all students report receiving some form of assistance: resume prep, apprenticeship, on-site interviews, and more. The most popular services offered are resume assistance and networking events (Table 13a). Online bootcamps logically offer less face-to-face events (Table 13b) but also are more likely to offer a job guarantee.
| Services Offered | All | 2018 Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Resume preparation assistance | 89% | 86% |
| Career day, demo day, networking | 87% | 82% |
| Job placement services | 61% | 61% |
| Apprenticeship or internship | 25% | 28% |
| None of the above | 3% | 5% |
| 2018 Graduates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Services Offered | Online | In-Person |
| Resume preparation assistance | 62% | 89% |
| Career day, demo day, networking | 50% | 87% |
| Job placement services | 64% | 60% |
| Apprenticeship or internship | 14% | 30% |
| None of the above | 15% | 3% |
| Job Guarantee Offered | Online | In-Person |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 37% | 15% |
| No | 63% | 85% |
Graduate Satisfaction
Graduates report an average satisfaction rating of 8.3/10 and would recommend their coding bootcamp to a friend 8 times out of 10.
Satisfaction and recommendation are very strongly correlated (83%). More than 50% of graduates are very satisfied or would strongly recommend their schools (scores 9 and 10).
| Overall Program Satisfaction | Average Score | NPS (Net Promoter Score) |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfaction (1-10) | 8.3 | 45% |
| Recommended (1-10) | 8.1 | 37% |
Success Insights
We've analyzed post-bootcamp success by a number of factors, including location, race, gender, educational attainment, and more. The following tables dig deeper into analyzing the types of students who see the most success after graduating from a coding bootcamp.
| Success by Socioeconomic Status | Success by Gender |
| Success by Educational Attainment | Success by Programming Language Learned |
| Success by Location | Success by Race/Ethnicity |
| Success by Military Status |
How does Socioeconomic Status Impact Success?
The average bootcamper reported a $21,000 lift in salary after graduating from a bootcamp. Do low-income students experience the same increase in salary as middle and high-income students? We find that low-income students see a lower average post-bootcamp salary than middle and high-income students, but a high lift in salary after graduation (128% growth).
| Mean Salary (USD) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Socioeconomic Class | Pre-bootcamp | Post-bootcamp | % Employed |
| Prior income ≤ $30,000 | $22,053 | $50,281 | 77% |
| $30,000 < Prior income ≤ $40,000 | $34,117 | $59,978 | 72% |
| $40,000 < Prior income ≤ $60,000 | $47,372 | $67,556 | 79% |
| Prior income > $60,000 | $81,178 | $81,600 | 85% |
How does Past Education Impact Success?
There is a strong relationship between pre-bootcamp educational attainment and post-bootcamp salary. Students with a Bachelor's degree reported the highest average salary of $70,301. However, Table 16 reveals that bootcamp graduates with no college degree also have very positive outcomes (44% salary growth).
| Education | Pre-Bootcamp | Post-bootcamp | % Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| No college degree | $37,278 | $56,164 | 71% |
| Associate's degree | $45,076 | $58,524 | 63% |
| Bachelor's degree | $50,396 | $70,301 | 84% |
| Master's degree | $59,253 | $65,020 | 75% |
*Doctorate degrees accounted for only ~1% of respondents.
How does Race/Ethnicity Impact Success?
While respondents have the highest average post-bootcamp salary; they are also the most likely to be employed after graduation.
| Ethnicity | Pre-bootcamp | Post-bootcamp | % Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | $51,295 | $68,974 | 83% |
| Hispanic | $43,050 | $64,867 | 63% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | $47,281 | $62,636 | 81% |
| Black | $46,958 | $56,088 | 63% |
| Other | $51,403 | $66,427 | 79% |
How does Gender Impact Success?
Women make up 34% of the coding bootcamp industry; women saw more drastic salary growth after graduating from a bootcamp and report a higher average salary. Note: "Non-binary" was not included in Table 19 as there were not a significant number of cases.
| Gender | Pre-bootcamp | Post-bootcamp | % Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | $48,804 | $65,538 | 78% |
| Female | $51,369 | $69,548 | 80% |
How does Programming Language Learned Impact Success?
While JavaScript has been gaining popularity in coding bootcamps since 2014, graduates who learned Ruby on Rails report the highest salary after graduation and are most likely to be employed (Table 20). Note: Only languages with a significant sample size were included in Table 20.
| Language | Pre-bootcamp | Post-bootcamp | % Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruby on Rails | $48,891 | $76,150 | 80% |
| Full Stack JavaScript | $48,943 | $60,127 | 73% |
| C# | $45,908 | $59,315 | 93% |
How does Location Impact Success?
States with the highest average salaries remain the largest tech hubs with plenty of developer jobs: California, New York City, and Utah were among the states with highest average salaries (Table 21). Note: Only cities with a significant sample size were included in Table 21.
| City | Pre-bootcamp | Post-bootcamp | % Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $61,859 | $101,649 | 77% |
| New York | $61,859 | $77,397 | 80% |
| Utah | $43,929 | $52,027 | 92% |
| Online | $51,183 | $69,939 | 64% |
| Other | $46,153 | $57,106 | 75% |
How does Military Status Impact Success?
Respondents who served in the military report earning higher salaries than those who did not – $76,537 vs $66,550
| Military Service | Pre-Bootcamp | Post-Bootcamp | %Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | $37,980 | $76,537 | 71% |
| No | $50,383 | $66,550 | 79% |
| 2018 Coding Bootcamp Market Sizing Report |
| 2016 Graduate Outcomes + Demographics Study |
| 2016 Coding Bootcamp Market Sizing Report |
| 2015 Graduate Outcomes + Demographics Study |
Participating Schools
Respondents in the 2018 Coding Bootcamp Student Outcomes & Demographics Study graduated from the following 41 bootcamps:
*These bootcamps are no longer operating.
** Formerly C4Q Access Code
Methodology
We received responses from graduates from 41 coding schools, commonly referred to as "bootcamps." We received 926 responses, 828 of which met the criteria described below. The surveys were sent to graduates and all figures are self-reported by the respondents.
INCLUSION CRITERIA
To qualify for inclusion in the survey, a respondent must have attended a school that (a) offers full-time, in-person instruction of 40 or more hours of classroom time per week, (b) is not degree-granting, (c) provides programming-specific curriculum.
GRADUATES
To qualify for inclusion in the survey, individuals must have completed a course offered by a coding bootcamp (as defined above) prior to October 31, 2018.
INCENTIVES
Participation in the survey was voluntary. An incentive for a $500 Amazon Giftcard was offered for participation.
POST-STRATIFICATION
Because bootcamps likely varied in the extent to which they distributed and advertised the survey to students, it is unlikely that our raw sample is representative of the overall population of students. To adjust for varying sampling probabilities across schools, we post-stratify the sample on school using the known (2014-2018) bootcamp sizes from a recent Course Report survey. Respondents are weighted such that the in-sample distribution of respondents across camps matches as closely as possible the known distribution of bootcamp sizes. Therefore, our estimates rely on a much weaker assumption than random sampling—we only need to assume that respondents are effectively randomly sampled within school strata.
ABOUT COURSE REPORT
Course Report, founded in 2013 by Adam Lovallo and Liz Eggleston, operates https://www.coursereport.com/, which helps potential students find, research, and apply to coding bootcamp programs. Course Report offers a directory of schools, webinars, thousands of reviews, and interviews with teachers, founders, students, and alumni.
