What do I really need to learn to become a developer?

Figuring out the right coding bootcamp for you can be tough! You may have already asked your developer friends or searched for “coding bootcamp” on Google.

Finding the right coding bootcamp can seem overwhelming, but after you have determined the amount of time you want to spend in a bootcamp, the cost, and location, it is time to read between the lines. Literally.

Websites that offer free coding exercises are a start. There are many programming languages you can use to create anything from a database that keeps track of dog walkers, to a website that showcases an artist’s latest gallery show.

The key to figuring it all out is to work backward. Do you want to create websites that use Facebook logins for small businesses, or do you want to create all of the code that is behind your favorite gaming app? Our biggest piece of advice is to check out Indeed.com and find the job you want. What are the skill requirements? In over 20 years of training industry professionals, we have found that Java gives individuals the strongest foundation for finding employment.

When searching through the curriculum or program page on a bootcamp’s website, ask yourself if what is being taught will help you land the job you want. Programs may focus on technologies that are easier to teach in a short amount of time or to compete with other bootcamps in the area.

Building on a Java foundation, we also teach front-end programming languages Javascript, HTML, CSS, and how to work with REST APIs. The Skill Distillery difference is that we want graduates to truly be competitive in the job market.

12-16 weeks is a significant amount of time to spend learning a new skill set and you deserve to know that what you are learning will help you achieve your goals. If you thought coding was all about letters and numbers, so is the bootcamp search.

Do not settle! If a bootcamp does not offer the right mix of technologies, keep searching. For example, Java and Javascript are not the same languages.  In fact, they are on opposite ends of the development work spectrum.

Changing careers and landing that dream job may seem like a big risk, but as a great person once said, “great things never came from comfort zones.”