Best Part-Time Java Bootcamps

Live course schedules vary widely depending on each course’s content, length, and provider, but they group into two general types: full-time versus part-time. On a full-time schedule, students attend class for six to eight hours each day, typically during daytime hours (e.g., 10:00 am to 5:00 pm) and usually on consecutive weekdays. Part-time courses hold shorter classes, typically three to four hours per session, often in the evenings (e.g., 7:30 pm to 10:30 pm) and sometimes held on fewer days per week (e.g., Monday-Wednesday-Friday or Tuesday-Thursday).

Providers offer part-time scheduling primarily to help students avoid conflicts with working hours. However, part-time scheduling also helps students with family responsibilities, those needing shorter class sessions, or students needing more time between classes. The main drawback of part-time scheduling is that it considerably increases the length of a course. Students who have a limited time frame and need to finish their training quickly may be unable to study part-time. Part-time and full-time scheduling each have several more advantages and disadvantages to consider, particularly when discussing Java classes. This article will help readers decide which type of schedule fits their needs better.

Why Learn Java Part-Time?

Schools and other course providers primarily offer part-time scheduling for working students who cannot attend frequent, long classes. Even if a student plans to pursue a new career after graduating, being able to work while studying reduces their urgency and lets them consider potential jobs more carefully. Staying fully employed also helps students avoid financial worries, not to mention, helps them pay for their education. Other students intend to stay with their current employers and are taking courses after work to prepare for new projects or positions.

Students may have other limitations on their time. Some must attend to the needs of children or other family members. Others might be taking multiple classes simultaneously, possibly in related subjects. For example, a student might want to study both Java and web development, especially if they plan to become a back end or full stack web developer. 

A student might also prefer part-time scheduling if long or frequent classes interfere with their learning style. Longer classes can strain some students’ attention, overload their senses, or exceed their memory retention, reducing the value of added hours. Shorter class sessions ensure that these students can process and recall more information. Shorter classes also mean that students get more time between class sessions, and this spacing is lengthened when classes are scheduled on alternating days. Such longer gaps can help students rest, consolidate, and retain information better. These breaks also give students more time to work on readings, practice exercises, and class projects, which is particularly beneficial when studying programming languages like Java. Part-time courses give students more time to understand each topic before moving on. The extra length of part-time Java courses potentially allows students to build a larger starting portfolio, as well. As a final benefit, for providers that spread their payments over the length of a course, part-time study gives students more time to cover the costs of their studies.

Drawbacks to Learning Java Part-time

The most significant drawback to a part-time course is its increased length. A longer course is a particular problem for students who have a limited time frame or otherwise want to finish their studies quickly. For example, an unemployed student might be learning Java to find a new job. Another student might be studying during a short break like a summer vacation or a sabbatical. Some students need to know Java for an upcoming project and have a deadline. Even without a specific time frame, taking so much longer to graduate can be frustrating.

While some students learn better on a part-time schedule, others find that part-time study conflicts with their learning. Shorter class sessions can end too soon for some students, giving them less time for in-class discussion, questions, and practice. Longer gaps between classes might cause memories to fade, especially if outside events and obligations distract students from reading, rehearsing, and practicing their lessons. Learning to program is a cumulative process in which early, simpler concepts build up to form more complex techniques. Any lost progress can cause increasing difficulties over time. For all these reasons, some students learn more effectively on a full-time schedule. In particular, longer, more frequent classes ensure that more of students’ time and attention is devoted to their studies and that concepts are kept fresh in mind.

Is a Part-Time Java Bootcamp Right for You?

A part-time bootcamp is usually the best option for employed students who want to keep working at their current job. Studying outside of work hours means that a student maintains their income and is less rushed to seek employment after graduation. A worker who stays employed can take more time to seek a good position or even take additional courses if needed. Part-time study is also advisable for students who have limited study hours due to other obligations such as family needs. Still other students might prefer part-time scheduling as better for their learning style, especially if they have trouble focusing during long classes or need more time between classes for study and practice. When studying a programming language like Java, working through multiple coding challenges and projects to master early concepts can help when moving on to complex material.

However, a student who needs to finish their studies quickly should seek a full-time program, if possible. Full-time study is also better for some students’ learning styles, especially in an accelerated, immersive course like a bootcamp. Full-time attendance provides more continuous class time, keeps lessons fresher in mind, and avoids distractions. Some students find this format particularly helpful when learning Java because it gives them longer periods in class to ask questions, practice coding, and check their work with an instructor. 

Ways to Make Learning Java Part-Time Easier

While more convenient for many students and even necessary for some, part-time study can create some difficulties. The problem cited most often by part-time students is difficulty staying engaged with their studies, especially when outside events and other distractions intrude. One way to stay engaged and maintain information in memory is to create a personal study schedule outside of classes. Students should set regular study times, as much as their schedule allows, to frequently review lessons and complete assigned readings and exercises. In addition to building recall and refreshing memory, this commitment reinforces learning as a priority both for the student and for others in their lives. While other responsibilities will sometimes come first, students need to maintain steady progress to learn any subject successfully.

Another problem is that, given shorter classes and long gaps between classes, students have trouble recalling specific concepts or clarifying confusing concepts. Reviewing course materials or working on exercises might not help if the original material was unclear. Instead, students should try using free resources like written or virtual texts, video tutorials, interactive websites, and online coding exercises and challenges. Studying material similar to their course’s current topics can provide additional perspectives, examples, and practice that complement live instruction, improve understanding, and boost memory.

While studying between classes, students should also note any questions or problems they have so that they can discuss these issues with the instructor during their next session. Some instructors even welcome email contact between classes, which helps them to address concerns more quickly. Either way, this habit helps students get more out of each shorter part-time class session. Students might also be able to discuss class topics with other students via email, chat, or message boards provided by a school. While other students are limited guides, they may be able to fill in missing information, suggest coding fixes, or point to additional resources.

Choosing the Best Part Time Java Classes or Bootcamp

Even when limiting themselves to part-time courses, prospective students will find many options. Depending on the school, part-time scheduling is available for introductory and advanced short courses, bootcamps, and professional training programs. Java courses are further distinguished by their educational goals: what students should expect to know and be able to do after completing each course. A student should look, first, for a course with goals matching their personal and professional goals. Java students should consider how deeply they want to know the language, what kinds of products or projects they want to create, and what kinds of Java-related careers, if any, they want to pursue. For example, a student who plans to write web applications in Java might only need an introductory course, preferably one focused on web development. However, a student who wants a career writing mobile applications would be better served by a bootcamp or professional training program specializing in mobile software development with Java. While the second student could take an introductory class first and then find advanced classes on mobile development, this option would take longer overall and lack the continuous progress of a single complete course.

Ideally, filtering courses based on one’s educational goals will still leave many choices. As noted, a longer course like a bootcamp or training program is the best choice for career preparation, especially a course specifically focused on one’s desired career. In addition to their thorough and work-focused curricula, these courses include career guidance, placement, and other support services not included in shorter courses. Career-focused students must then decide between professional training programs versus bootcamps. For some students, a professional training program is longer and more in-depth than they need. This extra length is especially concerning for part-time students, since a professional Java training program on a part-time schedule might take five or six months to complete. By comparison, many Java bootcamps require only three or four months on a part-time schedule. Still, some students do need the additional material covered by an extended training program to meet their goals.

Students should also be sure they can attend all (or nearly all) of the class dates and times scheduled for a potential course. While other responsibilities can create occasional attendance problems for part-time students, they should plan ahead as much as possible and choose a course that minimizes these conflicts. Also, when comparing the total time investment for Java study, the length of each course and its classroom hours are not the only considerations. Students will also need time between classes to study and practice coding techniques and create programming projects. When choosing a course, students should make sure they can devote the necessary time to get the full benefit of their studies. 

While looking for the right type of course, students should also compare individual course descriptions. Some courses cover certain topics more thoroughly than others. Some courses describe their lesson plans better, lending confidence both in the course’s content and its instructional quality. Different courses and schools may also offer different added services, including access to class recordings, additional video lessons, supplemental texts, interactive exercises, and personal mentoring sessions. While these additions may not be necessities, they can be valuable assets, especially for part-time students who can benefit from additional study and practice between classes. Students should also compare each school’s reputation, and when possible, their instructors’ experience and credentials. An instructor who has worked in the same career that a student wants to pursue can advise them best. In particular, look for recommendations from former students who are now working professionals using Java. These graduates can confirm whether a course and instructor met their educational needs and taught them the skills they needed to succeed.

Learn Java Part-Time with Noble Desktop

NextGen Bootcamp hosts their Java Programming Summer Program both live online and in-person in New York City. This bootcamp course teaches professional Java coding to high school and college students. On a full-time schedule, this course takes about two weeks, beginning with an introduction to programming that grounds each concept with its corresponding uses in Java. Students then learn more complex topics like file management, object-oriented programming, and recursion. In addition to in-class instruction, students receive a proprietary workbook, complete practical projects, and can review the recordings after each class session. After completing this program, students receive a verified digital certificate.

For adult learners, Noble Desktop offers online Java Private Tutoring in three-hour increments. This instruction is 1-on-1 and personalized to each student. Though designed primarily for beginners with little or no programming experience, this tutoring program progresses quickly to higher-level programming concepts and includes a complete, original project suitable for a starting portfolio. This course also prepares students for further computer science studies.

Another high-level, general-purpose programming language, Python, is used for many of the same purposes as Java. Students interested in Java for fields like web development, software engineering, or data analysis might also want to learn Python. Noble Desktop offers two live online bootcamp courses on Python, available individually or as a single combined bootcamp: Python for Data Science and Python Machine Learning. 

Noble Desktop’s Python for Data Science Bootcamp has no prerequisites and begins with an introduction to Python itself. After covering the language’s core concepts, terms, and syntax, the course addresses coding techniques through sample tasks like data collection, analysis, and visualization. This bootcamp includes lessons on several related Python libraries: NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib. The Python Machine Learning Bootcamp may be taken separately but requires prior experience coding in Python and using its NumPy and Pandas libraries. This class teaches several machine learning algorithms through examples and projects coded in Python. It also addresses the theory and practice of machine learning, including data cleanup and organization, algorithm selection, and evaluation of learning performance. Both individual bootcamps take about one week on a full-time schedule, and each includes one 1-on-1 mentoring session with an instructor. The combined Python Data Science & Machine Learning Bootcamp, which takes around three to four weeks on a full-time schedule, covers both individual bootcamps and then adds additional units on automation in Python, advanced data visualization, and interactive elements. The combined bootcamp also includes four 1-on-1 mentoring sessions. All three bootcamps come with proprietary workbooks, award students a certificate upon completion, and may be retaken once within a year.