Coding Bootcamp vs. Computer Science Degree [Infographic] by WhatsTheHost

Blink and you might miss it. The economy and job market are changing faster than ever. When it comes to jobs in the technology sector, this fact resounds with even more weight.

“Technology is moving too fast for governments to keep up,” admitted Ken Gabriel, Google executive and former senior official at the U.S. Department of Defense’s DARPA agency. When the future of technology is so uncertain, how can the foundational institutions of our society, like government, education, and the workplace, evolve to keep pace?

Coding bootcamps, online courseware, and other faster, cheaper educational models have emerged as part of a solution to one of the problems presented by rapidly changing technology and lagging institutional progress. And these alternatives couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. While jobs in the tech industry are booming, universities can’t seem to pump out enough trained developers and programmers to meet the market’s demands. Furthermore, those looking to change career paths after college were left in the lurch without educational opportunities that were financially or professionally feasible.

By offering a rigourous, accelerated curriculum with a flexible and affordable tuition model, coding bootcamps are making careers in the tech industry accessible to a diverse and dedicated population that may have otherwise never been able to get a foot in the door.

In such a rapidly changing industry, an innovative education model like that of coding bootcamps makes perfect sense. Indeed, college and university Computer Science programs are also revising their curriculae in response to the evolving demands of the tech workforce. But as demonstrated in the following infographic illustrating demographic statistics of U.S. coding bootcamp grads, the students who enroll in one type of program or the other tend to come from different backgrounds. After all, not every aspiring developer is fresh out of high school and both capable and willing to take out four academic years’ worth of student loans.

Different life situations call for different choices. Here are some of the most noteworthy differences that an aspiring programmer should consider when deciding between a coding bootcamp education and a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science:

SOURCE: Whatsthehost