Congratulations! Lambda School was in our Y Combinator batch. There was a pretty good inkling back then that they were on to something. I remember them saying that hedge funds were banging down their door, trying to invest money in their students.
That's so cool! I agree they're definitely onto something. They have a pipeline of software developers going right to Facebook, Stripe, myriad startups upon graduation. There's probably a bit of a low-hanging fruit/selection bias with their early success--a horde of would-be engineers with pent-up desire to enter new careers--but I think their income share agreement is a great idea. $30k is a bit steep, though. But for 9 months of intense bootcamping? Plus the final 3 months of job search assistance? I think it's the best way to develop the skills that's available right now on the market, given that I learn best with a commitment device such as regular class and meeting time. I see the program as a way towards developing hard skills and becoming sought-after. A medium-term goal is to use my communication and people skills and become a killer group or project leader. Then maybe start a business. Things get fuzzier the farther I look in the future. And I'm not without my doubts--a friend who owns an online marketing business with 20 employees and knows how to code thinks I could get into the industry without a paid coding camp. What do you think?
insomniasexx did it. She bootstrapped herself into web dev, then started solving a problem that she found obsessive. IMO half of what you are buying is the discipline that financial obligation brings. Do you have anything like classmates in Lambda School? Building connections is a big part of the career track as you know. You can definitely get into the industry without a paid coding camp. You just need to code like crazy.
It's not even the financial obligation that would be committing me. In order of importance/utility to me, it's the schedule and structure primarily, then the sunk financial cost, then the faculty support, and then the credential. When I think on my own about it, I convince myself that a bootcamp is the way to go. When I talk about it with people, especially experienced folks, I start to think that self-starting is the way to go. Would hiring managers really be convinced if I told them, "The ~yearlong gap in relevant work experience is because I taught myself" and then coded them FizzBang?