My boot camp loan is fully paid as of today. 5 years ago, I finished a software engineering immersive and began volunteering with Code for Philly while job searching and closing down Cycles PHL.
The choice to take that on and switch careers dramatically changed my and Ruby‘s life. But it was not a decision made lightly. Ruby and I planned for me to start that in early April 2020 after a devastating (second) rejection for a salaried job at a nonprofit.
I was working as a courier at the time, and wanted to get away from that work and also the seasonal nature of working in bike shops. I also wanted health insurance. After that rejection that I was led to believe I was a shoe-in for, I decided to get out of “bike world” entirely. Ruby suggested trying a boot camp and that she could cover our bills while I did that, which made it possible to actually do it.
I did a lot of research and settled on General Assembly‘s Software Engineering Immersive program, because it offered outcomes coaching after completing the certificate. This meant taking out a loan for roughly $15,000. General Assembly offered a “Don’t Pay Until You Get a Job” plan but my bad credit didn’t qualify me for it, so I took out a loan that I had to start paying during the course. This cost was factored into what I needed to save to be able to help cover some of my personal expenses while Ruby covered our shared bills and costs.
I got very lucky and after a six month job search, I found my first tech job with Urality. This led me to work with some great colleagues and mentors at Azavea. All of these experiences helped me get to my current genuine dream job developing web and data tools for Community Legal Services.
The shape of my life has dramatically changed from this choice. Ruby and I own a home! I never thought it would be my name on the deed. I have health insurance that isn’t catastrophe-only. My credit score is excellent which opened up even more opportunities (that system is still a scam and is specifically built to keep poor people poor so we should abolish credit scores entirely).
Granted, somewhat surprisingly, I don’t necessarily advise doing a boot camp to get into tech. It can still be a good idea for sure, especially if it’s what you want to do. But the landscape has changed. A lot of the entry level jobs that were there in 2020/2021 largely dried up when interest rates rose and money was no longer free for VCs to borrow.
I often feel like I was Indiana Jones sliding under a closing door and reaching through to grab his hat. I searched full time for six (6) months and put in 250 applications to get my first job. But often I hear from Code for Philly volunteers, as well as people at networking events, that they are sometimes two years and a thousand applications into their search. It is hard out here for junior tech workers looking for their first role.
I got lucky and feel grateful for it. And I am also grateful this loan is finally paid off, and I even paid it off early! The original schedule would have gone another 6 months. In total I have paid about $21,000 for my $15,000 course. But it was well worth it. I am very happy with that choice.
