As a result, there’s a big demand for skilled marketers who can navigate online channels, particularly in huge cities like Chicago. For those looking to enter, digital marketing bootcamps in Chicago offer an immersive way to start. In this article, readers will learn about these bootcamps, their average costs, the factors affecting tuition rates, and the benefits of attending a digital marketing bootcamp for their burgeoning careers.
Average Cost of Digital Marketing Bootcamps in Chicago
The top digital marketing bootcamps in Chicago have varying prices depending on multiple factors. Most provide several hours, days, or even weeks of training to help students walk away confident in their skills. Some even prepare them for advanced degrees or certifications, which makes them more than worth the investment price. They’re particularly beneficial for people who don’t have much experience in this exciting field. Let’s break down some of these tuition expenses to give learners the best chance to understand their unique learning opportunities.
Overview of Typical Price Range
Bootcamp prices will vary intensely between schools, sometimes significantly. For example, some facilities have courses for around $300, though these are usually one-day programs that give students a quick primer in a subject. By contrast, others have multi-day courses that cost over $4,000. The best learning option depends on their budget, experience, and needs. Some people will only need a day or two of studying to prepare for this market. Others might want more intensive and hands-on support, so it’s essential to choose wisely when researching.
Comparison of Average Costs Between Different Bootcamps
Finding a high-quality digital marketing bootcamp in Chicago requires not only identifying a few options but also knowing their overall costs. These prices might be subject to change depending on various factors but should provide learners with the information they need to make an intelligent choice. Here are four programs that students can try out in the Chicago area:
- Noble Desktop: New York City’s most trusted and acclaimed career training team also provides online courses that anyone in Chicago can take. Most programs have very fair expenses considering their comprehensiveness and generally cost $4,000 or so.
- General Assembly: This school provides learning experiences in-person and online for residents around the nation, including in Chicago. Though it has a few inexpensive one-day courses for about $250-375, its most extensive program costs $4,500.
- Boot Camp Digital: Learners at this school can focus on online and live training on over 30 different marketing topics. In-person, four-day courses are available in Chicago, Miami, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati. It costs about $2,500.
- Computer Training Source: Available throughout multiple locations, this training school provides digital marketing courses on numerous subjects. Typically, their one-day bootcamps cost no more than $329, though learners may need to take several.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Digital Marketing Bootcamps
Why exactly do digital marketing bootcamps in Chicago have such wildly different expenses? Part of that comes down to what the class offers, alongside many other factors. Anyone trying to balance bootcamp expenses with their cost of living needs might need to step back a little and read through the following section to see what impacts their program’s price the most.
Duration of the Program
Understandably, longer bootcamps (such as those that last a few weeks) tend to be more expensive than shorter programs. Learners get far more hands-on digital marketing experience, do plenty of fascinating work, and study alongside their professors and peers. In this way, they simply get more “bang for the buck” and can walk away confident in their marketing skills.
Curriculum and Specializations Offered
Curriculum scope can also affect class cost, as courses might offer general topics like digital marketing tools and techniques or specializations such as advanced SEO, Google Analytics, or paid social media advertising. Focusing on niche areas like ecommerce, influencer marketing, or marketing automation can also raise prices, particularly if certification is an end goal.
Reputation and Ranking of the Bootcamp
Not all bootcamps are made equal, and some have amazing reputations because they offer bonuses like high job placement rates and positive alumni reviews. Thanks to these high rankings, they often come with higher price tags. That said, paying a little more for a better school is obviously a win-win because it can help learners master subjects even more quickly.
Location and Facilities
Any Chicago digital marketing bootcamp is likely to charge a little more due to their location. Those with physical campuses that feature modern learning facilities often have higher costs. After all, they offer state-of-the-art classrooms, coworking spaces, and downtown locations that make them more effective and appealing, particularly for those who live close to them.
Instructor Qualifications
Great teachers provide high-quality support for students throughout their learning process. As a result, any bootcamps that hire experienced digital marketers or industry professionals often charge more for that expertise. After all, learning from professionals with years of hands-on experience and industry insights adds immense value to the program and its successes.
Benefits of Attending Digital Marketing Bootcamps
Whether deciding on in-person or virtual digital marketing bootcamps in Chicago, learners need to know why they’re such a wise investment in their education. These courses are designed to help students quickly and accurately understand this skill set and begin their career on the right foot. Here are the biggest reasons why attending one is such an intelligent personal investment.
Structured Learning Environment
The best Windy City digital marketing bootcamps offer a structured curriculum that keeps students on track. Rather than studying asynchronously, they’ll work through specific lessons to learn essential digital marketing skills within a set time frame. This focused environment provides far more effective learning experiences than self-guided education programs.
Access to Experienced Instructors and Mentors
Most digital marketing bootcamps make good enough money to employ instructors who are industry experts exclusively. Working with someone who’s actually thrived in digital marketing can help learners gain valuable insights into the real-world application of various strategies. In this way, students gain practical knowledge faster and feel more comfortable in this career field.
Networking Opportunities with Peers and Industry Professionals
Getting the chance to work with real digital marketing specialists is a powerful tool for people learning this skill set. Thankfully, most bootcamps host networking events, guest lectures, and collaborative projects. These help students meet other aspiring marketers and established industry professionals. Building these connections is invaluable for future job opportunities.
Career Services and Job Placement Assistance
While colleges and universities might provide a more comprehensive digital marketing education, they don’t always help people find jobs. By contrast, many bootcamps offer career services as part of their tuition. Students can expect resume-building, portfolio creation, and interview preparation workshops. They’ll also likely connect with hiring companies to find work.
Why Paying for a Digital Marketing Bootcamp is Better Than Learning for Free
People looking to save money on their digital marketing training in Chicago are likely tempted to just learn via free seminars and other low-cost options. That’s understandable because everybody likes to save money. However, those who are serious about this experience should take a bootcamp instead. It’s simply the best decision for anyone trying to make real progress.
Accountability and Motivation
Free classes have one glaring problem: a lack of motivation and accountability. After all, students invest nothing in these courses but their time. If they’re bored with the lessons, they’re more likely to drop out than if they had paid for them. By contrast, bootcamps provide a structured timeline and deadlines, which helps students stay accountable and on track.
Hands-On Projects and Real-World Experience
Free seminars and other tools also lack practical experience because they simply don’t have a broad enough scope. By contrast, digital marketing bootcamps in Chicago emphasize hands-on learning through real-world projects. Students will apply what they’ve learned in practical scenarios as they build a strong work portfolio demonstrating their skills to future employers.
Immediate Feedback and Personalized Support
People in free courses will quickly realize these programs don’t provide much instructor support. Unfortunately, they’re limited in their scope and can only do so much to help learners thrive. By contrast, digital marketing bootcamp instructors provide immediate feedback on assignments and projects that can help students improve their skills quickly and start a successful career.
Community and Collaborative Learning
Bootcamps foster a sense of community where students can collaborate with peers, share ideas, and work on projects together. Rather than simply learning alone at home on their computer (and feeling bored and lonely), this team-centered environment enhances a student’s learning experience and helps build a professional network with a group of fascinating people.
Financing Options for Digital Marketing Bootcamps
Anyone looking to start a career in digital marketing in Chicago may find these courses a little hard to afford. Even a $400 program might feel out of range for anyone on a tight budget. Thankfully, there’s good news! Most schools provide high-quality financing options that make classes more easily affordable. The following four options should be available in most schools.
Scholarships and Grants
Some bootcamps offer scholarships or grants to help students offset tuition costs. These are often available for underrepresented groups in tech to help them get a better chance of transitioning to a job in this field. Others are available for students with financial need or exceptional potential. Availability is often limited, making it essential to apply for them ASAP.
Income Share Agreements (ISAs)
An ISA allows students to attend the bootcamp without upfront payment. That sounds too good to be true, but it is real. Rather than paying immediately, students pay some portion of their income after finding a tremendous digital marketing job. These plans typically feature minimal to no interest, which makes them a low-risk option for those concerned about the initial cost.
Payment Plans and Deferred Tuition
While the previous two financing options are desirable, they’re not always available. For those who can’t get them, flexible payment and deferred tuition can greatly help. The first lets learners schedule multiple installments over several months. Deferred tuition lets students pay only after they land a job in digital marketing, whether in Chicago, the surrounding area, or elsewhere.
Loans and Financial Aid
When no other financing options are available for learners, loans can provide the help a student needs to pay for a course. While federal financial aid is rarely an option, most bootcamps partner with financial institutions to offer loans at reasonable rates. These make it easier for students to finance their education, though they accrue interest that makes them costlier.
Available Digital Marketing Bootcamps in Chicago
With dozens or even hundreds of educational teams in the Chicago area, picking a digital marketing bootcamp can be challenging. Knowing what each school charges is just part of the process, as it’s critical for learners to understand what the bootcamp covers. The following three Chicago-area programs provide live and online learning to help digital marketers truly thrive.
Noble Desktop
Noble Desktop is technically New York City’s most popular training team, and with good reason. Since 1990, they’ve provided industry-leading expertise that helps students master various subjects quickly and efficiently. With fantastic teachers, hands-on lessons, and time-tested curriculums, this school’s online course will help digital marketers thrive.
Digital Marketing Certificate
Digital Marketing Certificate takes about 120 hours and costs $4,000 to complete. That money is well spent because learners get access to five different bootcamps. These cover subjects like digital marketing strategies, search engine optimization, and social media marketing. Students will build a portfolio of solid work that they can share with potential employers after graduation.
Boot Camp Digital
Boot Camp Digital offers online and live education in various subjects, including over 30 different topics in the marketing industry. They focus heavily on bootcamps that teach social media, SEO skills, and other vital techniques. With schools in Miami, Cincinnati, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., they’re available for a large number of potential learners.
Digital Marketing Workshop
Digital Marketing Workshop takes about four days and costs $2,500, which makes it a suitable middle-of-the-road training opportunity. It gives students the chance to learn about digital marketing, including new trends in the industry. They’ll practice web optimization, SEO, and other vital skills that help set them up for success either in further training or in their careers.
Certstaffix Training
Certstaffix Training provides live online courses and corporate training for Chicago and other major cities across the nation. Classes cover multiple business and tech subjects, including online marketing, business skills, programming, and desktop support. Most programs are fairly brief and inexpensive to help learners master this subject without spending much money.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) takes place over two days and costs around $900. Learners will practice search engine optimization principles to develop an intricate plan that helps improve their SEO insight. As they work through the multiple modules in this course, they’ll walk away with a better understanding of how to implement critical techniques that reinforce SEO ratings.
Admission Requirements and Application Process
Few digital marketing bootcamps in the Windy City have demanding requirements or complex tests or exams to pass. Instead, they’re welcoming to just about anybody interested in learning. They have beginner-friendly designs that help students learn easily in a structured manner.
Rather than struggling with more challenging tasks, they’ll study basic skills before moving on to more complex lessons. That said, intermediate or advanced courses usually require students to pass advanced classes before they sign up for the course. It’s a logical enough demand, really.
Skills Learned in Digital Marketing Bootcamps
People taking a high-quality digital marketing bootcamp in Chicago will immerse themselves in multiple next-level skills to take their career to the next level. These abilities will vary depending on the course but usually stay consistent to ensure graduates walk away confident in their abilities. Here are a few things people will learn when completing this type of unique course.
Marketing Tools
The best digital marketers utilize essential tools to fine-tune their campaigns and sell products successfully. For example, programs like Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Facebook Ads make it easier to understand where ads go online and how well they’re converting readers. Just as significantly, these products can cut back on marketing expenses while maximizing efficiency.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Search engine optimization helps websites rank higher in Google and other engines, like Bing. Learners studying this subject will practice various strategies and techniques that help their clients stand out. For example, they’ll learn what kind of content and keywords readers enjoy, as well as how to use website design to enhance a content’s spread and appeal to customers.
Social Media Marketing
These days, social media and paid advertising campaigns make up a huge amount of a digital marketer’s time. For example, trying to find influences to market a product will ensure that they reach a larger number of buyers. Furthermore, knowing how to stay on brand with social media posts and reach an audience can help these campaigns thrive and produce real success.
Email Marketing
The average person might think that email marketing simply wastes time. However, real digital marketers know it’s one of the least expensive and highest-performing types on the market. They also understand automation techniques and implementation strategies that get these messages to the right audience and ensure that customers convert a larger number of readers.
Data Analytics
Digital marketing requires data analysis skills to help make campaigns more successful. Learners need not only to understand how to track various metrics, like read rate but also to know how to write great content and place it on web pages. All these skills, including marketing strategy, copywriting, and ad copy creation, require data analysis to do its magic for a team.
Jobs Available After Digital Marketing Bootcamps
Completing digital marketing classes near you in Chicago can open up a new world of potential employment. Many people easily transition into a rewarding career after finishing these courses, though they may need more advanced studies to solidify their knowledge professionally. Just a few positions that might make sense for people interested in this unique career field include:
- Digital Marketer: A career as a Digital Marketer includes designing, managing, and handling digital marketing campaigns for customers. People within this market usually make $65,000 nationally and $70,000 on average in the Chicago area.
- Web Optimization Specialist: As a Web Optimization Specialist, learners will analyze web traffic and make targeted suggestions to help users engage successfully. Median salaries for this job include $69,000 in the US and about $87,000 in Chicago.
- Search Manager: A Search Manager focuses on helping websites rank higher in search engines and utilize organic and paid SEO techniques. They make, on average, $80,000 in the United States and around $71,000 in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan region.
- Digital Analyst: In a Digital Analyst position, students work with a marketing team to analyze their campaigns’ successes and provide insights for their customers. Average US salaries include $97,000 and around $104,000 for many Chicago analyst roles.
Why Learning Digital Marketing is Rewarding
While there are many tech-related careers available professionally, digital marketing is a particularly rewarding field of study. People often walk away with new skills and a higher chance of finding one of the rewarding jobs mentioned previously. Here are a few other reasons why studying this market is a smart choice for students looking to enter a popular industry.
High Demand for Tech Skills in the Job Market
No company looking to thrive in today’s internet-first market can do without a digital marketing team. After all, as businesses increasingly focus on their digital presence, the demand for skilled digital marketers gets bigger. As a result, learners can find jobs working with small startups and large corporations to produce a robust online marketing strategy that makes sense for them.
Opportunities for Creativity and Innovation
Advertising might seem free of creative thought, but digital marketing allows for personal expression in various fields. Whether it’s crafting compelling content or designing innovative ad campaigns, skilled digital marketing teams consistently find new ways to engage audiences online. In this way, they help their clients reach broader audiences and make even more cash.
Potential for Remote Work and Flexible Hours
While large marketing teams often operate primarily out of physical offices, that’s not always the case. Many let employees work entirely online, offering higher job flexibility so that their team can work remotely or set their schedules. Often, people in roles like social media management or freelance content creation can work when they want and make good money on a side hustle.
Personal Satisfaction and Continuous Learning
Digital marketing is an evolving field, which means there’s always something new to learn. People who love continually mastering new concepts will fall into this field with aplomb. From keeping up with algorithm changes to experimenting with the latest tools, digital marketing is a career that will challenge learners in fun ways and push their understanding to the limit.
How Easy Is It to Learn Digital Marketing?
While the concepts of digital marketing are approachable, mastering them takes time and practice. Students have to understand things like social media marketing, content production, email advertising, user experience design, PPC, CRO, SERP, and much more.
Mastering tools like Google Analytics and SEMRush takes time and energy and requires much work. Thankfully, bootcamps simplify the process by offering structured learning, expert guidance, and hands-on experience. In this way, it should be relatively easier for most people.
How Long Will It Take to Learn Digital Marketing?
Most people should learn the basics behind digital marketing in about 1-3 months and can use these skills to build on their knowledge even further. For instance, knowing how to use Google Analytics will make it easier for them to transition to a professional career or advanced courses.
That said, mastery might take six months to a year, depending on the student. The best way to streamline this process is to buckle down and practice. Producing a work portfolio will not only reinforce a student’s knowledge but make it easier to master critical skills more successfully.
Author Bio
Eric Benac is an experienced writer with over 15 years of experience covering multiple subjects. He has written extensively about education, addiction, the financial industry, art, music, travel, and golf carts. In his spare time, he writes electronic music, reads, writes fiction, and swims. Eric continually seeks new experiences and looks to constantly expand his writing portfolio.