Research

73 Percent of Coding Bootcamp Graduates Employed Full-Time, Earn Salary Lift

• By Sri Ravipati
• 09/14/16

Coding bootcamps have surged in popularity in recent years. These accelerated, intensive programs attract tech-minded students looking to learn full-stack web, mobile and front-end development, as well as UX design, digital marketing and product management. Graduates are not only succeeding in the job market, but they are seeing a significant increase in salary compared to what they earned before enrolling.

Those are the main takeaways from a recent survey from Course Report, a centralized source for reviews of coding bootcamps. Course Report's third-annual “Coding Bootcamp Alumni Outcomes & Demographics Study” surveyed 1,143 graduates of 52 qualifying coding schools, finding that 73 percent of graduates are working full-time in jobs that utilize the skills acquired in bootcamps. The graduates also reported an average salary increase of 64 percent or $26,021 (compared to their salary before enrolling in a coding bootcamp). These numbers are up from the 2015 survey, which found 66 percent working in full-time positions and an average salary increase of 38 percent or $18,000 among 665 graduates.

A breakdown of the demographics reveals that the typical coding bootcamp enrollee is 30 years old with at least a bachelor’s degree (60 percent of respondents) and has never worked as a programmer (40 percent). Prior to enrolling in a bootcamp, many worked in hospitality, retail and tourism industries (153 respondents) and IT, web development and design (151 respondents). Nearly all of the respondents entered a bootcamp with the intention of landing a programming job (89 percent).

Other key findings include:

• Approximately 43 percent of bootcampers are women, compared to 15.7 percent in undergraduate computer science programs;
• Low-income students had a $39,190 lift in salary;
• The average bootcamper paid $11,792 in tuition;
• Coding bootcamp graduates working in San Francisco boast the highest salary average ($101,779), followed by graduates in Oakland ($101,731); and
• Graduates who learned Python earned the highest average salary.

For more information about the participating schools and outcomes of the survey, visit the Course Report site.