So which is better for learning coding - bootcamps or self-taught?

I spent 3 months in a $12k bootcamp last year and honestly felt like I rushed through everything without really getting it. But then my buddy learned Python on his own using free YouTube videos over 8 months and now he's actually building apps for a startup. The bootcamp gave me structure but I forgot half the stuff within a week. Self-taught seems harder to stick with but you go at your own pace. Which approach actually works better long term for people who've tried both?

1 comments

1 Comment

blair_green8645m ago

Wait, did your bootcamp not give you any ongoing support after? Most decent ones have a few months of career coaching or project reviews, which is literally half the value. I did a self-taught route for 2 years but hit a wall hard on the job search cause I had zero portfolio feedback. Your buddy sounds lucky but not everyone can just "build apps" without some serious debugging help along the way. If you're gonna go self-taught, at least join a discord community or find a local meetup to bounce code off of.