Can You Get a Job After a HTML & CSS Bootcamp?

With the cost and time commitment involved, you may be wondering if a HTML & CSS bootcamp will actually be worth it and help you land a job. While this can’t be guaranteed, most bootcamps are designed to help guide you through the job application process. A quality course will help you create a portfolio, offer interview prep, and provide networking opportunities with other alumni. With all these extra resources on your side, finding a job in HTML & CSS is possible for anyone. 

What Job Prospects and Career Paths are available for HTML & CSS Bootcamp Graduates?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the median annual wage was $98,540 for Web and Digital Interface Designers and $84,960 for Web Developers in May 2023. Additionally, overall employment of Web Developers and Digital Designers is projected to grow 16 percent from 2022 to 2032, much faster than the average for all occupations, showcasing an ongoing need for HTML & CSS experts. There are many more job titles suitable to HTML & CSS professionals as well, so keep reading to learn more about the career path options available to those who learn HTML & CSS. 

Are HTML & CSS Bootcamps Good for Beginners?

HTML & CSS bootcamps are great for beginners. These programs are designed to cover entry-level to intermediate skills and tend to cater to those who wish to switch to an entirely new career field. Some bootcamps may focus solely on HTML & CSS while others might include introductions to programming languages like Python and JavaScript, but all will be geared towards professional development. Bootcamps also tend to offer additional resources that are particularly beneficial for newbies, like one-on-one mentoring, setup assistance, portfolio creation, and job search training. With all of this in mind, a HTML & CSS bootcamp is an ideal choice for you if you’re entirely new to the field and excited to go all in. 

What Career Services Do HTML & CSS Bootcamps Offer?

For most students, the goal of attending a HTML & CSS bootcamp is to land a well-paying job as a Web Developer. Reputable training programs will list reviews from previous students and may even include statistics on how many alumni have successfully landed web development or coding roles post-bootcamp. You’ll want to pay close attention to these reviews, as they may offer insight into additional career benefits that may not be listed in the course description. You should also check every course for services like portfolio creation, resume and cover letter assistance, interview prep, and even networking events for alumni and staff. These additional resources can make all the difference in landing a new job as a HTML & CSS expert. 

Noble Desktop offers many of these career service resources in their in-depth courses that are held both live online and in-person at their New York office. A great place to start would be Intro to HTML & CSS, a hands-on course that will teach you the basics of both of these fundamental tools. You’ll hand code a webpage from scratch using HTML, learning how to format paragraphs, headings, and lists. You’ll also learn how to create links, add images, and modify tags with attributes. By the end of class, you’ll be familiar with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), including tag selectors, class selectors, and the class attribute.

Noble Desktop’s HTML Email Certificate will help you gain skills to create responsive emails with personality. Boasting small class sizes led by expert instructors, you’ll learn HTML and CSS coding, including how to code effective and cross-mail-client compatible emails and optimize emails for desktop, webmail, and mobile users. By the end of this program, you’ll be able to code emails that display properly in various email apps for your business or clients.

Their Web Development with HTML & CSS will teach you how to develop websites with HTML and CSS, the coding languages used to create web pages. Using HTML, you’ll learn how to create webpages with text, images, and more. Then you’ll use CSS to style the content, create centered page layouts, add background images, style navigation, and make the page responsive so it adapts to various screen sizes using media queries. Finally, you’ll upload files to FTP to make your site go live.

If you’re looking to go a little deeper, you could try the Front End Web Development Certificate. You’ll learn HTML to mark up web pages, CSS for styling, JavaScript to add interactivity and animation, and Git to track code changes and collaborate with other developers. Ideal for those new to coding, you’ll develop the skills to create responsive websites optimized for any size screen (mobile, tablet, and desktop). Additionally, you’ll learn how to use WordPress, the world's leading content management system, to create customizable websites and edit content without the need to be a programming expert.

You could also attend Noble’s Software Engineering Certificate. The program's first section covers basics like how to HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling. You'll also learn the fundamentals of JavaScript, Git for version control, and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, reorder web page content, and make it adapt to different size screens. You’ll build upon these beginner skills while you learn fundamental JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. Then you’ll learn React, a powerful JavaScript library for web development. Finally, you'll learn the lexical syntax of Python and master advanced topics like dictionaries, custom functions, and sorting algorithms. You'll progress to object-oriented programming, working with APIs, and querying databases with SQL, and get an introduction to Django, a Python web framework used for back end web programming. By the end of this course, you’ll have the skills and confidence to pursue a career in software engineering. 

What Jobs will a HTML & CSS Bootcamp Qualify Me For?

Once you’ve received your HTML & CSS bootcamp certificate of completion, you can begin the exciting process of applying for jobs. You’ll want to look for certain job titles for entry-level roles, and from there you can narrow down your options by things like job requirements, description, location, and pay. Below are a few of the most common job titles you’ll see, as well as a brief description of each role.

Junior Developer

Junior developers learn basic code, write basic code, and fix errors. They also often work on small bug fixes and patch computer code, support software design and coding functions, and compile user data. They may participate in paired programming with more experienced developers, attend and contribute to development team meetings, and collaborate on applications.

Web Editor 

A Web Editor develops the content or assists with the redesign of a web site, working with a team that can include a Creative Director, a Writer, a Designer, and a Web Developer. Their responsibilities often include ensuring that HTML code is correct and focus on the user experience and the front end side of development. In some cases, a Web Editor may work on the back-end of a site to manage its technical framework. Responsibilities often include planning, programming, and publishing new materials. These duties often involve the use of professional design or editing software.

Digital Marketing Coordinator

A Digital Marketing Coordinator implements and manages a company’s online marketing efforts. Job responsibilities include organizing social media sites, creating online content, analyzing digital marketing trends, managing email campaigns, reporting on website analytics, and approving logo designs. Digital Marketing Coordinators use digital tools to generate reports and monitor website traffic, so they need basic HTML & CSS coding skills.

Website Operations Support Specialist 

A Web Operations Support Specialist is a bit of a jack of all trades. You could work on an IT team, assisting with troubleshooting any issues for the company’s internal systems. You could also work more within a web development team and perform regular site audits to identify and resolve technical issues; implement site updates, including new features, design changes, and content updates; and work with developers to fix bugs and improve site functionality.

Can I Freelance After Completing a HTML & CSS Bootcamp?

Yes, it is possible to freelance after completing a React bootcamp. Freelancing can be a great path for those new to the field, as it can give you time to gain experience and add to your portfolio. Choosing your own clients allows you to choose the kind of content you work on, so you can try a bit of everything, like ecommerce, non-profit, or any multitude of industries, to figure out what your preferred niche is. 

If freelancing is your goal, you’ll want to look for bootcamps that focus on the particularities of that path. A course that caters to freelancing will offer insight on how to search for clients, present pitches, negotiate budgets and timelines, deliver your projects, and handle all the administrative tasks like invoicing, record-keeping, and taxes. The world of freelancing is vastly different than working a salaried role for a company, so it’s wise to make sure you attend a course that can properly prepare you for what you’ll encounter professionally. 

Are HTML & CSS Bootcamps Good for Upskilling?

Bootcamps offer many advantages to be the fastest way to learn React. Live bootcamps offer instant feedback from your teacher and interactions with other students, creating the opportunity for a deeper understanding of the coursework. These classes are ideal for students that thrive in a structured learning environment with routine accountability check-ins. If you encounter any challenging material, you can ask questions in real time instead of spending unnecessary time figuring it out on your own. This collaborative environment is available for both full-time and part-time classes and provides structure and accountability, two things that can help you succeed. You’ll master React the quickest in a full-time course, but any class with scheduled times will help you learn faster than trying to master React entirely on your own or in an on-demand program. 

There are some disadvantages though, particularly if you’re looking to upskill. Bootcamps are designed for those new to the field, covering entry-level to intermediate (at most) skills. If you already have a grasp on the basics and are looking to master advanced skills and techniques, a bootcamp may not be the best choice. You can find shorter advanced classes, certificates, and certifications that will focus on the exact topics you wish to cover without wasting any time on things you’ve already mastered. It’s possible that there are bootcamps that focus entirely on advanced-level techniques, but they will be fewer and far between. 

What Does a HTML & CSS Bootcamp Offer Over Other Means of Finding a Job?

There are, of course, other ways to gain experience in React. College degrees and professional certificates are the two most traditional ways to do so, but they each come with their own pros and cons. Both are outlined below. 

Bootcamps Compared to College

College is both expensive and time consuming. The average bachelor’s degree takes four years to complete and involves taking generic courses (or ones not in your subject of interest) before getting the ones specific to a major. Typically, the first two years of your degree are spent on general education requirements, so you’ll only receive two years of training in your actual field. 

According to the Education Data Initiative, an in-state degree costs $27,146 per year, while out-of-state costs $45,708 per year, on average. This price is on the rise, too, making a four-year college degree financially inaccessible for many. College graduates still enjoy higher earnings than the average U.S. worker, but there’s a growing trend of students feeling a degree no longer holds its value, especially when you consider the high interest rates on student loans. 

Pew Research surveyed the public and found that only one-in-four U.S. adults say it’s extremely or very important to have a four-year college degree in order to get a well-paying job in today’s economy. Only 22% say the cost of getting a four-year college degree today is worth it even if someone has to take out loans. So, while a college degree still holds value, there are disadvantages to this pathway that need to be considered. 

Bootcamps Compared to Certifications or Certificates

Another option is to attend a certification or certificate program. Certifications are often required by various employers to prove that you have continuing competency in ever-evolving tools and technology. They are a tried-and-tested method of proving one’s competence in a chosen field and, because of this, some employers will often cover the cost of these certifications and exams, eliminating the need for you to financially invest in this continuing education. But, if you’re attempting to transition into a new field, a certificate may not be the right choice, especially if cost is a concern.

Certificate and certification programs can be lengthy as well. They typically fall somewhere between a bootcamp and a four-year degree, taking up to a year or two to complete. While their curriculum is robust and a certificate of competency will look good to potential employers, they aren’t the best option for folks looking to change careers quickly. A bootcamp can be completed in a much shorter time frame and also typically comes with a certificate of completion that can be added to your resume or LinkedIn to showcase your knowledge. Then, once you’re established in your new field, you can pursue a certificate as a means of continued professional development.