Yes, you are reading this on a bootcamp’s blog. And yes, we, The Bootcamp, are discouraging you from enrolling after reading just one article. See, this educational institution is intentionally named — bootcamps aren’t known for being breezy.
Sure, our part-time programs are catered to people who have things to do during the day such as a full-time job, but when you launch into a bootcamp, you’re going to need to master a wealth of new material, and that’s going to ask a lot of you. So our advice: hold off on starting this journey until you’re sure you’re ready. Because once you’re ready, it’s going to really stick.
But now you might be wondering: how will I know I’m ready? Let’s get into that.
Don’t enroll until you’re sure you have the time
Our part-time programs will ask you to dedicate about 20 hours a week to your studies. As determined by the education and tech experts who shape our curricula, this is the minimum amount of time a student will typically need to spend to really master the material. And not just at a theoretical level — the point of most students is to land a better job on the other side. So spending this time also enables grads to have the practical skills and projects they can highlight when talking to hiring managers.
And we know that 20 hours per week can seem like a lot. But as we go into in this articleFrom Law Enforcement to QA: Gerardo Antolino Torres II’s TripleTen Story, carving out this time to study is eminently realistic. For example, Nielsen found that the average American adult spends 32 hours a week watching TV in the summer (and this rises two more hours in colder months!). If you just cut your TV time in half, you’d already reclaim most of the time you’d need to study.
That’s just one suggestion (and we have more in the blog article linked above), but the crucial fact is this: you need that time. Sure, we offer breaks and extensionsYes, Our Bootcamp Is Flexible. Here’s Why That Matters for Students. because things happen, but our programs ask for real time commitment.
So, before you take the plunge and enroll in an intensive tech program, sit down and take a realistic accounting of your schedule. Can you find those 20 hours by cutting back on TV and doomscrolling? Can you temporarily reallocate some of your responsibilities among your community and loved ones?
Once you’ve sketched out a plan for how you’re going to find time to study, then you’re a step closer to being ready. But there’s one more important thing to consider.
Don’t enroll until you have a clear plan for payment
Instead of spending this section describing how much each of our programs costs and the differences in payment methods (more info on this can be found here), we’re going to instead talk about things more generally. And the most general starting point is this: your program is going to cost money. By design, we keep our prices accessible to most, but there is still tuition to be covered.
Like we said, there are many ways of approaching this, but you’re going to choose a method of payment when you enroll. That means that being well-informed about what each plan looks like will ensure you’re prepared financially for the education that will upgrade your career. For example, if you decide to go with an installment plan early, you’ll have extra time to save up for the deposit.
When you’re working on gaining new get-hired skills, you don’t want to have your attention diverted by financial concerns. Continuing on the previous example: if you choose an installment plan, have enough to cover the deposit, but find yourself scrambling to rustle up the monthly payment, that’s going to cost you time and effort that could be better directed. And that can affect the point mentioned above — you might lose out on the time you allocated to your studies.
So sit down and, as with your schedule, examine your finances as well as the various payment methods on offer. Being well-informed and clear about financing your education will help ensure you stay the course long-term. And, speaking of:
Don’t enroll looking for an instant solution
A bootcamp is focused, but it’s not magic. Here’s what we mean: we’ve crafted each of our programs to ensure students gain the essential skills that’ll launch their tech careers in as short a time as possible. But that timeframe is not days or weeks — it’s months. So don’t come in expecting to learn JavaScript in two days and then start a brand-new career the following Thursday.
It’s going to take time. How much time? Well, that depends. On the low end, the Business Intelligence Analytics program proper will take four months, and on the high end, the Software Engineering program runs for nine months, with our other programs falling between those two.
But that’s not the whole story — once you finish your studies, we’re also going to help you with your job-search process. And within that, our money-back guaranteeWhat You Need to Know about the TripleTen Money-Back Guarantee lasts for 10 months following the date when you submit your final project. As part of this, if you follow our stipulations and don’t land a job in the field you studied within those 10 months, then you can absolutely request a full tuition refund.
Let’s combine those two time estimates — the transition from one career to another can take up to 19 months if you go for the longest program we offer. This is a fraction of the time a traditional college degree would ask for, and it would also be career-focused whereas a college degree would be more theory-based.
But nonetheless, it is not the kung-fu download that Neo got in The Matrix. It’s going to take work, patience, and diligence. We’re going to be with you throughout the whole process, and we’re going to give you the insider knowledge that gets over four out of five grads hired, but this change will take time and effort on your part.
Can you do it? Absolutely. Effort and commitment have paid off for our students such as Gerardo Antolino Torres IIFrom Law Enforcement to QA: Gerardo Antolino Torres II’s TripleTen Story.
So what should you do?
We know each of these sections have started out with advice on what not to do, so we’re going to flip that. There are clear actions you can take: Get informed and start preparing.
You’re already here on the blog, so this is a great starting point — keep on reading. Search what you’re worried about or what you’re unclear on using the magnifying glass at the top of the page. Or click on links in our articles. We have posts covering the gamut of what people want to know about bootcamps.
Or read up on reviews on Course Report, Career Karma, or SwitchUp to see what other people are talking about — you might find your specific question answered by one of these reviews.
One other thing you can do? Get your community on board. Research has found that, “Learning is not only a matter of individual agency and situational context (e.g. having time to learn, money to pay for it, and learning opportunities at hand), it also depends on the wider social context and the communities a person is part of that trigger change or support learning.”
When the people around you are invested in your success, they will take the actions that will help you realize your goals. Share your intention, prepare people for the fact that you’re going for a major career upgrade, and when they’re on board, they’ll help out. Need childcare? A friend or family member who’s on board with your transition will be more likely to lend a hand.
And check in with our graduates and students. We have many of their stories here on the blog as well as on YouTube. Want to ask questions? Many of our grads and senior students would be happy to talk.
So yes, there’s much to do to prepare. But once you’re ready, the journey is going to be incomparable.
Keep exploring
Start learning more wherever you’d like — choose your own adventure as you really dig into everything about TripleTen:
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