Why Do People Drop Out of Bootcamps?

There’s a simple reality about bootcamps that needs to be acknowledged: not everyone who enrolls will graduate. Now, don’t get us wrong — we stand firm in our belief that everyone can join a bootcamp, graduate, and find a great tech job. But we’re not going to pretend that “can” and “will” mean the same thing.

So let’s actually talk about it — here are the most common reasons people drop out of bootcamps.

Lack of time

Let’s start with some context. Typically, you’re going to need to dedicate 20 hours per week to  one of TripleTen’s bootcamps. That works out to just under three hours per day, less than the average American adult spends watching TV. Of course, you don’t have to stick to that three-hours-per-day schedule — you can break up your time however works for you. In fact, there are numerous ways_{3 Strategies to Balance Your Life and Studies Like a Pro} to balance your studies with everything else you have to see to.

But you’re going to need to allocate those 20 hours. The people who think they can properly master the wealth of complex material they need to digest in one of our programs in less time than that — they’re the ones who are more likely to drop out. We’ll underline it here: bootcamps are about gaining new skills and knowledge that will help you land a major career pivot. That means students need to get serious about practicing new capabilities and locking in new information.

There’s a bit of a catch here, though. Students can be deeply serious about the bootcamp, can work out a realistic study schedule in advance, and they can have carved out more than 20 hours in their weekly timetables. But then life can happen. 

A family emergency might come up, you might suddenly have to dedicate more time to work, or the childcare you were relying on might fall through. Sure, we offer extensions and breaks_{Yes, Our Bootcamp Is Flexible. Here’s Why That Matters for Students.}, but that might not be enough. So through no fault of hubris, students might find themselves without the time they thought they’d have. And this is another way lack of time can cause people to drop out.

Financial issues

Again, we’ll start this section off with some numbers. Depending on the program and the payment option chosen, one of our bootcamps can cost between $5,750 (for the Quality Assurance bootcamp paid upfront) and $14,570 (for the Software Engineering/Data Science/Cyber Security bootcamps paid in installments). To be fully transparent, these are not the only methods of paying — loans are also available. However, loans depend on the specifics of the applicant, so we can’t give hard numbers here.

In any case, bootcamps aren’t free. And for some people, the cost can become a significant hurdle. Maybe they misunderstood the terms of payment or maybe something has changed in their lives — in any case, they realize the money they were planning to invest in a bootcamp needs to be redirected elsewhere. So, to secure a refund or cease the untenable payments, they drop out.

And we do offer refunds, but, for full clarity once again, the refund policy and the money-back guarantee_{What You Need to Know about the TripleTen Money-Back Guarantee} are different things. Basically, people who don’t finish the program they signed up for can request refunds, and people who’ve completed their programs and followed our get-hired advice are eligible for the money-back guarantee. For specifics on this, we’d recommend booking a call with one of our experts.

See, we know that money matters. After all, one of our goals is to help our graduates secure jobs with higher salaries. So we’re not going to fail to mention this key factor that can lead to people dropping out. Sometimes, whether through misinformed planning or just the vicissitudes of life, people can’t afford the bootcamp anymore.

Friction with the material itself

This takes three distinct forms. Let’s go one-by-one.

Complexity

We’re not going to be coy about it. Some of the material we teach is complex, and it takes real time to understand. And while we fundamentally believe that anyone can master new tech knowledge and skills, some people encounter difficulties that discourage them to the point of giving up. Now, there are extensions and tutoring sessions and the community and much, much more in place to help students tackle even the most abstruse topics (APIs_{A New Country, New Career, and New Sense of Belonging: Natasha Bagramian’s TripleTen Story}, for example). 

But once despair sets in, especially for someone making a major career pivot, it can be hard to dislodge. When someone convinces themselves that they’re not cut out for a job in tech because the tasks are beyond them, they tend to drop out.

Diminishing interest

Often, when people go through bootcamps, not only do they find better-paying jobs, but they also find jobs that are more meaningful and rewarding. However, this transformation relies on the tech tasks aligning with what the student is looking to do day-in and day-out. So sometimes, students might enroll expecting to find themselves enthralled by tech work — only to find their expectations unmet.

We teach using projects that students can expect to encounter in real-life tech jobs, so essentially, we simulate what it’s like to work in tech throughout our curricula. That means the tasks assigned mirror what someone will do in a tech job. If a student realizes they just plain don’t like what they’re doing — not out of complexity but out of simple lack of interest — they often drop out.

Lack of support

This takes a few forms. The first one is lack of support from the bootcamp. As we’ve shared, we have a robust support system_{At TripleTen, Learning Online Doesn’t Mean Learning Alone} staffed by professionals as well as a community of experts and learners who’ve been where you are and so can give you the help you need whenever you get stuck. 

However, you need to actively make use of these resources. Sure, people will check in, but if you’re not going to take advantage of the support, you’re going to have a difficult time. Just take it from TripleTen grad, Kyle Kolodziej:

‍I should have just started from the get-go with asking for help rather than beating my head against the wall, but that's me being stubborn. It's like asking for directions when you're lost. I'm not gonna roll down the window and ask anybody.

Kyle Kolodziej TripleTen grad

When people won’t ask for the help they need, they tend to drop out.

But we said there were a few forms. The other way lack of support can lead to someone dropping out is if a community outside of the bootcamp doesn’t come through. Maybe the student’s partner doesn’t take on a greater share of childcare duties even though they said they would. Maybe the learner’s friends and family don’t offer encouragement when there’s a rough patch and instead use the student’s difficulties as proof they shouldn’t be in the bootcamp in the first place.

This truly matters. According to an article in the International Journal of Lifelong Education, “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.”

TripleTen will architect a learning-focused community on its side to give students the highest chances of success, but if a student’s community outside of the bootcamp doesn’t back the professional pivot, they might still drop out from lack of support.

Personal issues

This’ll be the least actionable section here, but it needs to be mentioned. See, for the above reasons someone might drop out, there’s the possibility that proper preparation can head off someone leaving the bootcamp. People can get more information on the learning experience — the complexity, what exactly the tasks will be, and how to overcome difficulties. They can make a realistic accounting of their resources — both in terms of finances and time — and see if it matches what bootcamps are asking for.

But even in those previous sections, we noted that life happens. When people drop out of bootcamps citing “personal issues,” that vague term can cover numerous developments, many of which are impossible to prepare for. Unexpected circumstances sometimes require someone’s full attention, and that necessary redirection of attention can lead to people dropping out.

Still want to know more? Talk to one of our experts.

If you’d like to discuss your specific situation with someone in-the-know, book a call with one of our career advisors.