In this post I’ll attempt to articulate the thought process I used to decide on Hack Reactor. I discuss how I got to this point in Atoms to Bits.

Why go to a bootcamp?

Unlike most other disciplines, there are a number of options if you want to pivot to software engineering.

1. A traditional Computer Science/Software Engineering degree program from a 2- or 4-year college. if you have enough prerequisites (read: BS/BEng in a STEM field), you could apply directly for a masters program.
2. A vocational program (focused, project-based learning) like a bootcamp or an apprenticeship.
3. Go solo. All the documents you need to learn the tools of the trade (backend and frontend languages, databases, testing frameworks, compilers, version control, and etc.) are available for free on the internet. Don’t believe me? A lot of the web platforms you use today are built on the MERN tech stack. Here is all the documentation: MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js. Free.

That being said, the most straight-forward path into any of corporation is to graduate with a CS degree from a reputable university. I am living proof of this. I went to a highly-ranked petroleum geology school for my bachelors and masters degrees in geology. The top companies in the petroleum industry came there to recruit and I ended up at one of them. Software engineering is different, however. Most of the technologies used to build the applications that power the world today are open-source. Anybody can pick up the documentation, learn it with enough dedication and curiosity, and put together a working application (see #2 and #3 above). All you need is a computer and an internet connection.

Consider the following statistics: Approximately 50,000 computer science graduates are minted every year in the US and the first computer science department in the US was established in 1962; Coding bootcamps started cropping up in the US in the early 2010s and they churn out over 30,000 graduates each year as of 2020. The fast growth in bootcamps and the loose regulation around them has given them a mixed reputation with hiring managers.

Why Hack Reactor?

Hack Reactor has a reputation as being hard to get into (source: alumni blog posts, first-hand accounts from people in the industry, and I had to go through it). The admissions process requires an application and technical assessment - prep material is provided for free. Then a 6- to 7-week pre-course follows. It’s comprised of 3 sprints covering JavaScript, HTML, CSS, JQuery, and version control (Git and GitHub). Successful completion of the admissions process and pre-course is required for starting the actual program.

The program is rigorous and focuses only on one language — JavaScript. The reasoning is simple. Get good at one language and you should have no trouble picking up others in the future.

Hack Reactor has a full-time and part-time program. The full-time program is a 13-week and 11-hour daily commitment from Monday to Saturday. The part-time program covers the same curriculum in 36 weeks — 11 hours per week of class time over 2 weeknights (Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday) and Saturday. The curriculum is comprised of sprints (every 2 days in the full-time program and every week in the part-time program). The sprints cover Computer Science and Software Engineering concepts, full-stack JavaScript, and application design and development. A 1-week (or 3-week) career services portion follows where you get coaching on preparing a portfolio, resume, and putting your best foot forward for job applications.

Being a part of a rigorous program provided me structure. I’m a pro-procrastinator and the sprint deadlines kept me focused and unable to make excuses (know thyself). A good example was the 1-month period in late 2021 when I attended 5 separate wedding events (covid-delayed weddings). I managed to stay on track with all my work while enjoying all of the festivities. I was definitely tired after the wedding blitz, but I had no regrets. Fun was had and progress was made.

Hack Reactor has a massive alumni network in industry — the bootcamp started in 2012. This meant I would have a healthy number of people who could attest to the quality and rigor of the program I attended. The stats from bootcamp review sites and my LinkedIn sleuthing confirmed this.

In the end, I had been through 2 traditional degree programs and I was no longer interested in going back for a third helping. There would be no grades or certifications. It was going to come down to the projects I was able to build during the program and on my own time. After 3 years in a professional setting where I learned most of what I did on the job, I felt that was a fair proposition.

The kicker? I was looking at some cool companies and reviewing the requirements for their software engineering positions (always keep your eyes on the prize), and one of them mentioned Hack Reactor by name (as well as another well-known bootcamp) as an alternative to a traditional 4-year CS degree. That was it.

Should I apply to a bootcamp?

It depends on your circumstances. Consider the following: