“What If I’m Not Smart Enough for a Bootcamp?”

There’s a common misconception outside of tech that only the smartest people get to work in the industry. Yet if that were true, tech companies wouldn’t be able to employ 9.5 million professionals in the US alone — there simply wouldn’t be enough geniuses to go around!

The reality is, it takes all kinds of people to run a tech company. Which is why employers now care more about the skills people have_{The Most In-Demand Tech Skills That Will Get You Hired} and a whole lot less about how they were acquired. Whatever your background or current career, we’re here to tell you that you’re definitely smart enough for tech. And, by that measure, a bootcamp. Here are six reasons to believe.

First things first: you are smart enough

It takes a lot of courage to consider starting something that is both new and outside of your comfort zone. So before we go any further, we just want to take a moment to say your guts and emotional intelligence will serve you well in tech!

As for other types of intelligence? We hope it helps to know that many TripleTen students are worried they might not have what it takes to finish a bootcamp before they start, only to find that they had everything they needed all along after graduating and getting hired in tech.

Here are some common concerns our career advisors hear from prospective students:

“I haven’t had the best experiences with school in the past.”

Let’s be real, a lot of educational environments do not support students to do their best work. Whether it was a too-high ratio of students to teachers, a personality clash with an educator, or not knowing that you had a different learning style that wasn’t accommodated by your institution, it’s totally normal if your time at school left you less than confident at the idea of starting a bootcamp.

A self-paced, part-time program like TripleTen is, by design, built to be a supportive environment_{Yes, Our Bootcamp Is Flexible. Here’s Why That Matters for Students.} that helps new students from any background learn tech skills effectively.

“Isn’t intelligence something you’re born with?”

For a long time, researchers believed that humans were born with a fixed amount of intelligence and that no matter what an individual did, that intelligence couldn’t be changed. But findings in recent years have shown intelligence can be cultivated through modifications in behavior and environment; that it is not easily measured by a standardized test; and that there are many different types of intelligence.

The right professional bootcamp for you will cater to your unique learning style, while helping you learn how to solve real-world tech problems for a new career_{Career Coaching at TripleTen: What It Is and How It Helps You Land a Job}.

“What if I can’t meet your acceptance requirements?”

Colleges and universities have pre-requisites that students must meet to be considered for acceptance. For example, standardized test scores, personal essays, and even grade point average (GPA) qualifications help admissions teams decide which students qualify for admittance. If you’ve gone through that process before and been rejected, it can easily create fear of rejection again with a bootcamp.

At TripleTen, we’ve built our educational philosophy_{It’s About Community: What Sets TripleTen Apart} around making tech learning accessible to everyone. Since we don’t pre-qualify, we accept all applicants!

How we fuel your success — regardless of your background

By now, we hope you’re starting to feel more confident that you are indeed smart enough for a bootcamp. But if you’re still experiencing some nervousness and want to know about what supports a program like TripleTen offers students to set them up for success, we got you. Here are three from our suite of robust approaches that can help you follow your own path to tech.The computer literacy courseWhile the title might sound like a college intro course out of the 1990s, we love that everyone comes to TripleTen with a different baseline foundation in computer skills. After all, we exist to make tech more inclusive, which is why we offer students who need it a beginner-level practice space for building confidence with software and tools popular in tech workplaces.This bonus course is free and prepares you for one of our bootcamps by teaching you how to:

• Install applications, e.g. making a program ready to run on a device
• Use communication tools like Discord, Zoom, and Google Meet
• Build fluency in cloud-based collaboration tools like Google Suite
• And so much more

I have no tech background really. But by embracing Struggle Mountain and The Valley of Despair and meeting them with courage, I found out just how capable I really am. Britney Lunte, TripleTen student

Related read: Britney Lunte’s unfiltered perspective on being a tech student_{From Valley to Peak: An Unfiltered Perspective on Being a Tech Student}

‍A community of experts who know how to helpGetting support when you’re struggling is the single most important element of successful learning. At TripleTen, we don’t just put the ball in your court to find and build a student community. We purposely integrate you into an existing safety net of tutors, instructors, senior students, code reviewers, and career coaches that you can lean on throughout your program.The benefits of our deep support network for TripleTen students are many and include:

• Ensuring a high success rate for our students (with a grad employment rate of 87%)
• Mimicking real-world tech environments, where collaborative problem solving is the norm
• Empowering students with a professional network for launching their careers in tech

We had an interesting group. When I was learning, it was 50% men and 50% women, and there were all different ages and different people. Evgeniia Unzhakova, TripleTen grad

Related read: Evgeniia Unzhakova on landing a career in the US as an immigrant_{How an Immigrant Landed a Career in the US: Evgeniia Unzhakova’s TripleTen Story}

‍ExtensionsLast, but not least, we know that some students will need more time to complete their program than others. Even with a part-time learning schedule, it can be necessary to have the option to request an extension for a specific topic. We offer this for every student because we truly want everyone to become proficient in each skill as they progress through a TripleTen bootcamp.Keep in mind that asking for an extension does not mean you are not smart enough. Everyone has their own needs and if one of yours is requiring more time to master a thing, it is you taking care of yourself and taking responsibility for your unique learning journey

I liked being able to go at my own pace. So if one day I felt burnt out coming home from work, I didn't need to do it because I had enough time to do it. Jeremy Laurange, TripleTen grad

Related read: Jeremy Laurange on switching to tech for his family_{Switching to Tech for His Family: Jeremy Laurange’s TripleTen Story}

‍Want to know more? Talk to an expert

When we say we help students from all backgrounds start their career in tech, we really mean it. The majority (80%) of our students do not consider themselves particularly tech-savvy. But with our support and high-quality programs, 87% go on to graduate and find employment in tech.

If you’re ready to make your tech aspirations a reality, too, schedule a call with one of our career advisors today. You’ll get your questions answered and learn the next steps to start a program.