How a Boot Camp Code Graduate Can Fetch the Same Entry Level Salary as a CS Graduate

Full disclosure: I was not paid or asked to write this blog post on behalf of Coding Boot Camps. If anything, Boot Camps represent a threat to my business as they are a new direct source of talent that doesn't go through agencies. I write this blog for software engineers and aspiring software engineers and I feel there might be some value here. 

I recently worked with a software engineer who was one year out of school and was looking for a new opportunity. She was a good engineer and after starting her first job out of college, she wasn't too happy and wanted to look for her next position. These things happen. It just wasn't the opportunity that she was hoping it would be. She shared with me a couple of her frustrations but one stuck out and it was the following,

Well, one thing that irked me was that they had another engineer, a Boot Camp graduate, making the same salary as me, 77k. I have a CS degree and he comes from a code camp. I felt a little insulted by that...

Okay, I understand where this engineer is coming from but let's break this down a little bit and explain how a Boot Camp graduate can garner the same salary as a CS grad coming out of school. I call these engineers "Boot Campers" and please don't take that the wrong way. I do some community exercise in Boot Camps and call myself a Boot Camper. For this story, please let me use that. 

Coding Camps continue to build some traction in Austin and the Bay Area and as a recruiter, I am seeing some impressive results. These graduates are landing good jobs at respectable companies but still, from a traditional sense, I hold the Computer Science degree in higher regard. It's generally understood that if you put a CS graduate software engineer alongside a Boot Camp graduate, the higher salary and industry respect will go with the developer with the four year degree. That said, let's look at some reasons why a Boot Camper can pull even on salary with an entry level CS graduate. Every case is different but some of these variables might be at play.

Personality/Attitude - 

Okay, so this is a small thing but again, there could be a difference between the Boot Camper's attitude and that of the CS graduate. To me, it starts with the message we send to all high school and college students when we talk about the CS degree. Here is what I tell people and trust me, I'm not alone in this message,

So you're interested in getting a Computer Science degree? I mean, if you have the technical chops for it, you should definitely get one. I mean, you'd would be set. You'll have a ton of companies coming after you once you graduate and to a degree, you pretty much get the pick of where you want to work. Even if you don't hop on with a Google or Facebook, there will be a lot of offers coming your way and whether it's the Bay Area, Chicago or Austin, you'll be starting out with a great job. Quite simply, you'd be in great demand around the country.  

A Computer Science graduates hears this quite often and I almost pound the table in these words. And come Career Day at the university, the Computer Science graduate has no shortage whatsoever of companies to talk to. Okay great, so what then? Well, I'm not talking about arrogance but with such endorsements and being in such hot pursuit by companies, is there a sense of entitlement that creeps into the CS graduate? Upon interviewing, is there the mindset and presence of,

"Okay everyone, here I am, come and get me"

The CS graduate enters these interviews with lofty expectations and carries himself/herself in that manner. Again, they aren't arrogant but they can very likely be carrying themselves with the understanding that companies need to pursue them and they will have the luxury of ranking their offers to their liking according to geography, money, perks and title. The result could be an interviewing performance that is 90% of their best rather than their absolute most humble and deferential self. The company might not think anything of it until they speak with a Boot Camper who has an entirely different approach to the interviews.

Mean while, with the Boot Camp graduate you are dealing with someone who, to a degree, has been reborn and this rebirth is reflected in their personality and this dream they are chasing. This really is their 2nd chance and there is a lot of focus and energy behind this job search they are on. Remember, a lot of these Boot Campers have already been in professional jobs for 2, 3 or even 5 years and they want to make things better for themselves. Their first move out of college has not been what they expected and they want something better. 

Boot Campers are made up of Digital Architects, Creative designers, Math majors, Chemistry majors who are pivoting over to full stack Software Development. They are smart, very ambitious and remember, just before they pull the trigger on entering the Boot Camp program, they are sitting there saying these words to themselves,

Okay, so I'm looking at about 12-15k in debt I'm about to take on with the hope and understanding that in 4 months, I'll be on the market looking for a job as a full stack developer. This is not without risk but I will make this work. I'll take this plunge and I'll come out on fire to show the world what I can do. 

The result is a 25, 26, or even a 30 year old, with a full experience of what the working world is all about and they are coming out with a razor sharp focus of what they are looking for. Compare this with a 22/23 year old CS graduate who is embarking on their first job and most likely might not have the focus and drive that a Boot Camp graduate has.

Question: Can companies possibly recognize this difference in personality, focus and maturity? And if they do recognize this difference, is this reflected in the starting salary/compensation package. 

I say, "Yes" 

The Full-Stack Developer focus -

So, we're not talking about Machine Learning Data Science or server side C++ development. CS fundamentals will always overpower the 15 week Boot Camp in those disciplines. At play here is the focus on full-stack software development. Whether it be Ruby on Rails or node.js, the Boot Camps generate sharp full-stack developers who, upon graduation, not only have an updated resume but also present these portfolios that companies can look at first hand and see how practical their knowledge is. Remember something, these Boot Camps provide very practical experience for these students. Their heads just aren't in books all day. These students are writing some pretty impressive code.

Also, the vocabulary comes into play. These graduates talk impressively and they speak intimately about these full-stack applications they have engineered. So, if they are interviewing with a software company that is a Ruby on Rails environment and if their Boot Camp portfolio is made up of Ruby on Rails applications, you have immediate traction from the start. Now, make no mistake, the company will press on their knowledge and really listen to the Boot Camper to understand how well they really know this particular tech stack. If they speak well enough to support the work they are showing in their portfolio, a strong impression will be made. With the CS graduate, however, they might enter the picture and be seen more as a generalist with no particular speciality yet. Granted, that is to be understood since the curriculum at their university obviously was not as narrow as that of the Boot Camp's. But still, the focus of full stack web development could certainly appeal to a company's need for "role fit".

Lastly, CS graduates are potentially going up against Boot Campers who have discovered that they have the gift of web development inside them. I'm not saying this puts them at a genius level or anything like that but upon entering this new world, they discover that they like it a lot and it really drives them forward in this new career. The result is that from the starting line of finding that first new job out of school, the CS graduate might even be a little behind the Boot Camp graduate. Does that make sense?

In closing, let's add these things up:

1. The Boot Campers more humble and potentially have a more focused and driven attitude compared to a CS graduate who might be expecting the "world on a platter".

2. Boot Campers can provide real, practical applications that match up closely with a company's development environment/tech stack.

3. SW companies interviewing Boot Campers who have "found their gift" and the possibility of uncovering a powerhouse Web Developer with tons of upside.

These three variables at play, if you ask me, can result in salary matches between entry level CS graduates and Boot Campers. And as a recruiter, I don't see anything wrong with that.

When I think about the phone call I had with this Jr. Software Engineer and her frustration about being paid the same as a Boot Camp graduate, it immediately made me think about her co-worker and how special his own situation must have been. He took a bold move to pivot early in his career which included going back to school, taking on more debt in return for a new professional lease on life. There was risk with this move but the net result was a really strong salary and a great company to be employed at.

At face value, the CS degree will always make a stronger impression than a 14 week Code Camp. However, when it comes to interviewing, the process goes far beyond the degree and delves into the individual and what they are made up of. And if there is one thing you have to say about these Boot Campers, they are focused and driven and that can make a huge difference when it comes to a software company evaluating them and potentially making an offer. 

Thanks,

Mark Cunningham

Technical Recruiter

512-699-5719

[email protected]

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/markhc

https://markcunningham91.blogspot.com

https://thebiddingnetwork.com

@mhcrecruit