Are React Bootcamps Worth It?

What is React?

React is a free and open-source front end JavaScript library for building user interfaces based on components. Maintained by Meta and a community of individual developers and companies, React employs Webpack to automatically compile React, JSX, and ES6 code while handling CSS file prefixes. Although React is a JavaScript-based UI library rather than a language, it is widely used in web development. The library first appeared in May 2013 and is now one of the most commonly used frontend libraries for web development.

Its popularity is because of many factors. Firstly, React requires less coding and offers more functionality, as opposed to JavaScript, making it easier to create dynamic applications. Secondly, React offers additional benefits like reusable components, unidirectional data flow, and a small learning curve. Finally, it can be used for the development of both web and mobile apps, thanks to a framework called React Native, and offers dedicated tools for easy debugging.

What Can You Do With React?

Once you’re an expert in React, there’s no limit to what you can create. You can create a prototype for Instagram, Twitter, or Tumblr, designing a catchy and memorable UI design that grabs your consumers’ attention. Social media is more popular than ever, with over 5 billion worldwide users spending just over two hours a day, on average, scrolling through content. Social media is now a major tool for disseminating information, from marketing and advertising to news and current affairs. Creating an app that works in tandem with these platforms, and hopefully even improves their accessibility or efficiency, can be a fulfilling endeavor. 

Or, if ecommerce is more your scene, you can make an app with features similar to the shopping cart software of Shopify, AliExpress, or Amazon, thanks to React’s performance and versatility. Components and JavaScript Libraries make it easy to re-use code snippets, reducing development and maintenance time. This ease of use makes React an ideal tool for quickly reacting to changes in customer needs.

React is also a great tool for creating a simple CMS for blogging with add-ons like upvotes, reactions, comments, and views displayed that take its design to the next level. You can increase your SEO by setting unique meta descriptions and titles, and can leverage React for server-side rendering and static-site generation, which can be enabled with a few tweaks to your code. Plus, its large community of developers continuously develops tools to accelerate the incorporation of desired features into your blog app.

From expense tracking to fitness or dating apps, the options are truly endless, thanks to React’s features like the ability to update and render just the right components when your data changes and declarative views that make your code more predictable and easier to debug.

Why Learn React in a Bootcamp?

While there are many ways to learn React, attending a bootcamp offers substantial benefits. If you’re looking to become an expert in a shorter amount of time, a bootcamp can help you reach competency in a few weeks or less. Some are only a week long, meaning you can learn everything you need to know with just five days of PTO. 

Many working adults who enroll in bootcamps are looking to switch careers, most often from a nontechnical field to a technical one. A former humanities professor may wish to transition into coding, a historian might train in cybersecurity, a psychology major may shift into user experience (UX) design, or an artist or graphic designer may move to user interface (UI) design. Bootcamps make these transitions easier, while also providing students with a chance to form connections with a network of professionals. 

Plus, many bootcamps similarly require participants to put together a portfolio showcasing their best work. These courses often walk students through how to make their portfolio as professional as possible, so you don’t have to create one all on your own. Graduates can then share this collection with prospective employers as evidence of their skills and experience.

Several other educational options are discussed below so you can properly weigh all possibilities and make the best decision for you. 

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 Self-Paced Courses

Bootcamps are typically held live either in-person or virtually. A self-paced course, also known as an on-demand course, is offered online and can be completed at the time and pace of your choosing. Self-paced courses are ideal for those with complicated schedules as they allow you more flexibility with no set class times or assignment due dates. But it’s also important to keep in mind that these courses have disadvantages too. 

Bootcamps allow for in-the-moment discourse with an expert instructor. If you’re struggling with a particular subject, you can ask questions and receive feedback instantly. In an on-demand class, you typically won’t have access to an instructor or, if you do, you will have to submit questions via email or messaging and then wait (sometimes several days) for a reply. 

Additionally, live bootcamps offer a level of accountability that many students say they need to succeed. Schedule class times and assignment due dates motivate you to stay on track. Self-paced courses require you to hold yourself accountable, which can work if you’re a focused and self-motivated individual. If you aren’t, a bootcamp may be a better fit. 

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. 

Bootcamps Compared to Free Training Options

There are free training options as well. These are typically found on sites like YouTube and consist of video tutorials, blog posts, and discussion forums. These free resources can often be the open door to a new hobby, subject, or endeavor that you wouldn’t have discovered otherwise. But, while free training sources can be beneficial, they are most beneficial when dealing with training for general soft or technical skills, like communication and problem-solving or programs like Excel®. 

Free training resources often lack the depth of knowledge that bootcamps offer. Because free online courses are developed to address general needs, the material may not be as specific as students or professionals might hope. They also lack benefits like live feedback and interaction, accountability with scheduled classes and assignment due dates, and a top-notch curriculum created by industry experts or educational professionals. It’s best to view free resources as a way to get an initial idea of what React is all about, not as the primary source of your education. Think of them as a jumping off point, just the start of your journey to becoming a React master. 

Learn React with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers in-depth courses both live online and in-person at their New York office. Their React Development Bootcamp covers everything from the basics of React and Node.js to advanced components and server deployment. You'll start with learning how to compose components, the foundations of React, and then move on to building dynamic fully functioning web applications and deploying them using AWS (Amazon Web Services). This Noble Desktop course (and many others) boasts small class sizes, one free retake, and setup assistance. If you’re interested in pursuing further education, this course counts towards three of Noble’s certificate programs: Full-Stack Web Development, Software Engineering, and JavaScript Development. 

Want to take your skills to the next level? Noble Desktop’s JavaScript Development Certificate is a longer professional training program that will teach you how to build web apps with JavaScript, one of the most popular programming languages in the world. You’ll learn to master React and Node.js, create APIs with Express.js, and work with databases with MongoDB. This course also covers additional topics like Browser Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) built into web browsers, third-party APIs, and third-party frameworks and libraries. If you’re a new developer or an existing one coming from a different background, learning JavaScript will up your game to web application development.

Similarly, the Full-Stack Web Development Certificate helps you develop the skills and knowledge to meet the growing demand for developing and maintaining web applications. This course will teach you to use programming languages like HTML/CSS and JavaScript to program memorable, interactive web pages. You’ll also use the MERN tech stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js) to add databases, APIs, AWS and other server environments, and interactivity for those web applications. Focused on a series of projects, you’ll leave this course with a portfolio of working web applications to show to potential employers. 

Finally, Noble’s Software Engineering Certificate covers HTML & CSS, JavaScript, and React, and back end development with Python, Django, and Node.js. You’ll learn HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling; the fundamentals of JavaScript; Git for version control; and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, and reorder web page content, as well as make it adapt to different size screens. The second part of the course will cover JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. You’ll also build your very own desktop application using React and deploy it using the AWS (Amazon Web Services) cloud environment. Finally, you'll master the lexical syntax of Python and quickly move to more advanced topics like dictionaries, custom functions, and sorting algorithms. You'll then progress to object-oriented programming, working with APIs, and querying databases with SQL. By the end of this course, you’ll have a portfolio of projects, a polished resume, and a professional LinkedIn profile; be prepared for common interview questions; and be armed with tips for applying to jobs.