The software development job market is highly competitive, with new technologies and customer requirements, creating a demand for professionals skilled in the latest tools, programming languages, and supporting frameworks. Full-stack development skills with expertise in front-end and back-end are in high demand.
However, not many can afford the time or expense of a full-time grad program. And those who want to migrate from other domains or non-IT grad degrees look for ways to learn programming in the shortest possible time.
Enter Coding Bootcamps, the easiest way to pick up skills required for building web applications and IT systems using the latest technologies. Depending upon the topic or goal, they are of short duration, spanning a few weeks to a few months. These Bootcamps are pocket-friendly too. What’s more, they impart the latest and most relevant skills, opening career pathways to the uninitiated in a wide range of IT job roles.
So if you are not keen to learn programming the hard and long way through a formal college education, check out a Coding Bootcamp in your city and register for one. Attending a Bootcamp will ensure a fast transition to a career in web development and help you choose from full-time, work-from-home, and freelance career options in software and app development.
What is a Coding Bootcamp
Coding Bootcamp is a short technical training that teaches coding skills and all the programming aspects to help build web applications to solve real-world problems. They help students hone coding proficiency among job aspirants in information technology and project management.
In a formal degree, the course curriculum includes topics like networking, operating systems and computing theory, which are relevant to academia but disconnected from the daily tasks of software development. However, Coding Bootcamps focus only on industry-relevant skills and high-impact learning. Thus, as the term suggests, Bootcamps are short-duration camps that cut down the learning curve and fees associated with traditional college degrees.
Businesses look for tech-savvy professionals for customer-driven software, speedy glitch-free rollouts, light apps, and efficient systems. Considering these market demands, training Bootcamps focus on specific in-demand skills and various new-age job roles. Thus a Bootcamp can be a rewarding pathway for programmer wannabes or IT professionals.
What to expect at a Coding Bootcamp
Coding Bootcamps teach you the essentials of coding. The training method is designed as a high-impact delivery that teaches you the latest programming skills that startups use to build and launch products and services. It makes Coding Bootcamps the most relevant platform for upskilling.
Coding Bootcamps teach programming languages, web development frameworks, version control, servers and hosting, and databases.
Coding Languages
The web developer’s toolkit is the programming language. With many languages to choose from, the pathway to programming can be confusing. Which languages to learn? How does the learning progression pan out?
Here is a rundown of the common programming languages taught at Coding Bootcamps
- JavaScript
- Ruby
- Python
- C++
Web Development Frameworks
Web application frameworks are essential for writing code faster. They are feature-driven and provide easy and efficient ways to complete development tasks. Web frameworks are built on top of the language and thus depend on the language taught at the Bootcamp.
The Ruby-on-Rails is a full-stack web framework included in most courses, as it is the standard way to build web applications.
ExpressJS is a minimalist web framework that helps organize and structure applications.
Django is a popular Python-based web framework used in large projects and taught to handle situations where multiple developers work on a single project.
Pylons and Flask are other web frameworks within the Python ecosystem that are often a part of some Bootcamps.
Version Control
Version control tools are collaboration tools that form a part of the Coding learning curve. A popular program is Git, which manages and tracks code changes. It is an essential learning path to keep your code backed up and safe, work on experimental features, etc.
Github is a collaborative platform that leverages the Git program and where you showcase your work as part of the project’s portfolio.
Servers & Hosting
Heroku platform as a service (PaaS) allows you to place your web application live on the internet.
Amazon Web Services is a collection of cloud solutions to help solve cloud-related problems of web developers.
Databases
The PostgreSQL and MySQL relational databases and Mongo are common databases included in most courses.
Gaining pro skills in coding requires you to master a range of skills in the shortest possible time, and the above are critical to your learning.
How to prepare for a Coding Bootcamp Technical Interview
Is it tough to get into a Coding Bootcamp? No, if you know where to look, in which Bootcamp to register, and how to prepare for a technical interview.
Bootcamps are designed for entry-level positions and have no hard prerequisites. However, previous math or programming experience is useful. Check out if Bootcamp has any prerequisites. Most Bootcamps require an interview to separate the wheat from the chaff and check if the candidate can walk through the fast-paced Coding Bootcamp. Any tests or interviews assess the learners’ problem-solving skills, communication skills, retention powers, math skills, technical competencies, and testing abilities.
What to do for a Coding Bootcamp interview
So you are preparing for Coding Bootcamp interview questions and are wondering what pathway to adopt. Before we get into the interview preparation pathway, let us explore what a coding interview is.
Coding interviews are technical interviews with the purpose of accessing a potential candidate’s competencies through programming problems that focus on testing knowledge of data structures and algorithms. The interviewer places a technical question/questions for which the candidate writes code in a real-time collaborative editor such as CodePen, CoderPad, or a whiteboard for onsite interviews and assigns a stipulated time to solve the problem, say 30–45 minutes.
1. Select a good programming language
Use a known language. Recommended programming languages for coding interviews are Python, C++, Java, and JavaScript.
2. Practice topic-wise
Memory retention is as critical as efficiency in programming. A recommended way is to learn a concept and follow it with topic-specific practice questions.
Check online for coding interview preparation resources like AlgoMonster.
3. Internalize the must-dos
Focus on how to find a solution and optimize your coding approach
Do practice questions for every data structure and algorithm.
4. Prepare a good self-introduction and final questions
Self-introductions and end-interview questions are a part of any Bootcamp interview. Craft an excellent self-introduction and set of final questions to ask that leaves a favorable impact.
Check the resource for the opening questions and this final questions guide for the best wrap-up.
5. Practice mock coding interviews
Practice mock interviews for a great head start in the actual interview. Interviewing.io is a great mock technical interview resource for anonymous practice with Google and Facebook engineers, albeit anonymously.
Bottomline
Most of the questions at the introductory interview are likely to be related to your personal growth story in development and current goals in coding.
So if you are still considering a Coding Bootcamp to choose from, why not look around and check which Coding Bootcamp best mirrors your career goals? Check out the details and prepare for their technical interview!
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