Is it possible to make a successful career shift from behavioral counseling to IT using a coding boot camp, particularly if I have little to no expertise in IT?
Last Updated: December 12th 2024
Yes! I would suggest a few things:
- First, test that it’s really something you like before jumping in. Some bootcamps will give you a preview of the experience with shorter courses, at a much lower cost. Take one that would introduce you to programming. HTML, CSS and JavaScript is a no brainer for that. You will never regret learning these 3 first. Register, commit to it and check yourself: do you like learning programming? does it come easily? Were you able to do all the exercises and assignments? did you like looking for answers? would you take that experience and extend it over a period of 4 to 6 months? If you respond yes to all of the above then move to step 2
- Pick your bootcamp wisely. And just to make sure, have you considered online? The trick is knowing how much you can stay committed on your own. Online is flexible and cheap, with some great curriculum out there- but only 10% of the people enrolled ever finish. Also easy to test: enroll, with the intent to commit and check yourself 3 weeks later... have you made the progress you were supposed to make? Once you’re sure that a Bootcamp is the right way to go, find which ones are available near you, and speak with their alumni to get a really good idea of what they have to offer.
- Don’t put too much emphasis on the job placement rates… there is some controversy around those right now and not necessarily a good decision factor.
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Chevas Balloun
Director of Marketing & Brand
Chevas has spent over 15 years inventing brands, designing interfaces, and driving engagement for companies like Microsoft. He is a practiced writer, a productivity app inventor, board game designer, and has a builder-mentality drives entrepreneurship.