Are Web Development Bootcamps Worth It?

If you’re considering learning web development skills to become a professional Web Developer you have several options available to you. Certificate programs and bootcamps are the more popular choices. Many students prefer bootcamps because they are more intensive, accelerated, and have less of a time investment. Bootcamps also tend to focus more on teaching job-ready and in-demand skills so that students are better prepared to compete in the job market after completing the course. While bootcamps aren’t the best option for everyone, they are worth it for those who have a clear plan of gaining a solid entry point into web development. Those who are unsure of whether or not web development is the right path for them, may not find a web development bootcamp worthwhile.

What is Web Development?

Web development is the art of building and maintaining websites or web applications using different coding languages and technical design. It allows users to access data from a database upon request and check out using an online payment system. Without web development, you wouldn’t be able to access this resource to help you decide if a web development bootcamp is worthwhile. Web development is typically broken down into three categories: front end, back end, and full stack development. Each category contributes to a different part of a website’s operations.

Front end web development works with the website's client side. This is the part of the website that site visitors can see, and it includes elements like sliders, banners, text, and other visual information. The opposite of that is back end web development. It is concerned with the website's server side, and it powers a website or web application’s functions behind the scenes with databases, logic, servers, and other technology. Full stack web development, however, is a fusion of front end and back end development that takes a more holistic approach to web development, taking on both the inner workings of a website and its presentation layer. 

What Can You Do with Web Development?

Web development is a field that helps shape the Internet and how people interact with it. With this skill under your belt, you’ll enable others to more efficiently navigate websites, perform tasks with them, and leverage the versatility and functionality of web applications. Whatever industry you find yourself drawn to, you will find a use for web development there. The Internet has become a staple for modern living, and almost every organization has a website or an online presence. And because there is such value in having an online presence, there is value in web development, which plays a major role in creating and maintaining an online presence. 

Should you choose to acquire this in-demand skill, you’ll be able to create a site’s code, connect it to servers, and maintain its accessibility. Web development involves integrating emerging tools and methodologies that drive more secure, accessible, and efficient web experiences. It allows you to provide a platform for artists, researchers, medical professionals, educators, and governments to communicate, grow, offer value, and provide solutions to their users and audience with coding languages like HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, Python, and Java. Web development is what’s underneath ecommerce, social media, and digital marketing, and it’s a big part of engaging audiences and building brand loyalty and brand recognition.

Although you won’t be designing the website or application, you will be taking the mockup or prototype that a Web Designer delivers to you and coding it so that it becomes a fully functional and user-friendly website. This will require attention to detail, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking. Because Web Designers aren’t always knowledgeable in coding, they don’t understand what it involves to take a design from a prototype to a functional website. Some of their designs won’t work as-is, and you’ll have to translate their vision into something functional.

Why Choose a Web Development Bootcamp?

Bootcamps are a fast and intensive way to learn practical skills that will get you well on your way to becoming a web development professional. Enrolling in a web development bootcamp has many advantages that allow you to create the career that you want. Generally, bootcamps are designed to be career-focused, teaching students relevant, job-ready skills and in demand in weeks to months, and they often provide career support. If you’re unsure of whether a web development bootcamp is right for you, consider what you already know, how quickly you retain information, how much of a time investment you are willing to make, and what you want to achieve. Take a look at how a web development bootcamp stacks up to other web development learning options.

Bootcamps vs. College

The vast majority of Web Developers began their careers in college as a computer science major at a four-year college. To earn their degree, they took a broad range of classes related to and not related to web development that are designed to encourage critical thinking and problem-solving. Classes include coding, techniques, computer science history, and many other technical skills that can be used in computer science and web development. These degree programs allow students to get years of practice with hands-on experiences and dedicated support. Depending on the path a student chooses to take, a degree program could take more than four years to complete. 

College provides immersive and in-depth instruction that isn’t found anywhere else, but it’s very costly and not time-efficient. You’ll have to cover a lot of off-topic information to earn a degree and begin your career in web development, but you will have a bit more versatility in your career due to the other skills you learn. College degrees also have restrictive scheduling that can delay your degree. Those who are looking to make a career change don’t typically find enrolling in college a feasible option. Another drawback to college is that you have to apply (usually for a fee) and be accepted. Application processes can be very competitive, which means applying does not guarantee your acceptance. 

In a bootcamp, there’s usually a more flexible schedule that packs a lot of information specific to web development into one course that is more cost-efficient than college and less of a commitment. While bootcamps can be expensive, they are but a small fraction of the cost of a college education. Bootcamps don’t spend a lot of time on theory and history, opting instead for a lot of hands-on learning experiences and practice with coding, web development tools, and techniques like frameworks, libraries, GitHub, and Bootstrap. 

One of the biggest drawbacks to a web development bootcamp is that you may not get as much practice in areas due to the accelerated pace. While the brevity of a bootcamp is appreciated, it may not leave students feeling comfortable with skills like JavaScript coding when only a few days are spent covering the concept. While hands-on training is a core part of any bootcamp, the accelerated pace means that some students will need a significant amount of practice beyond the course to get to a professional level of web development and become confident in their ability. Even with this disadvantage, bootcamps are still one of the best choices for those who are unable to set out for a college degree.

Bootcamps vs. Self-Paced Courses 

Self-paced or on-demand courses are created for the student with an unpredictable or very tight schedule. They offer students the flexibility to learn at their own pace through a series of recorded lectures. Self-paced courses do not provide a live instructor. However, some programs offer live question-and-answer sessions, discussion boards, or a support call center. Self-paced programs allow students who are unable to enroll in a regularly scheduled course to still learn web development skills in the time they have available to them.

Self-paced courses are a great option in comparison to bootcamps because they are more cost-effective. With fewer overhead costs than a live instructor course, they tend to cost significantly less than a bootcamp. Some self-paced courses will charge a subscription fee, while others charge a flat rate for a finite access period to a library of courses and resources. Without instructor-to-student interfacing, those who enroll in a self-paced program have to be self-starters and dedicated to the learning process. It’s easy to get distracted and procrastinate with this learning format because of the lack of interaction and the self-reliance that’s imposed. 

Some of the disadvantages of self-paced learning include the lack of real-time feedback and questions, accountability, and peer interaction. You won’t have guided hands-on practice in the way that you would with a live instructor, and you may not be learning with the most current versions of software or web development techniques. However, some courses strive to update regularly so that their students are up-to-date on web development knowledge, tools, and techniques. Students who thrive in social learning settings miss the peer-to-peer interactions and the ability to forge relationships, but when the objective is to secure an entry point into web development, self-paced learning offers that to those who don’t have other options. 

It’s important to understand that self-paced courses require dedication. It’s easy not to keep up with, which is why many students fail to complete these courses. Also keep in mind that while these courses are a great stop-gap, they are not the best way to build a web development career. Most students will need much more guided hands-on and practical training to succeed in the field and develop professional-level skills that employers look for. They tend to be more useful for upskilling and gaining foundational knowledge. 

Bootcamps vs. Free Online Resources

Anyone interested in web development, but unable or ready to commit to dedicated learning should consider leveraging free online resources. There are free seminars, blogs, tutorials, courses, and videos available to anyone with an Internet connection. Typically, you’ll find short videos or articles that are dedicated to a single topic when taking advantage of free training resources. You can find these resources on YouTube and first-party app developers like Bootstrap, Git, and WordPress. These are wonderful resources for hobby projects and for those who are looking to explore and experiment on their own. Free online courses are also short courses that can often be completed in a day or two. They tend to focus on one topic and don’t typically get into advanced techniques and features.

Some of the drawbacks to free resources include not always having access to up-to-date and accurate information, a lack of guided learning, and an inability to have questions answered satisfactorily. If you’ve enrolled in a free course, you may have access to feedback or communication with an instructor, but this is not always guaranteed. Students will only get so far with free options and will need to enroll in a bootcamp or other program to gain professional-level skills that will support them into the future. The saying goes, “You get what you pay for,” and this certainly stands true for free web development learning resources.

Bootcamps are better suited to those who are certain that web development is the right career for them, while free online resources are more advantageous to those who want to find out if web development is a good fit. Free training is not going to help you get into web development if you haven’t already taken any courses. You’ll need guided practice and lots of hands-on experience to acquire professional-level web development skills. Use free resources as an introduction for better results.

Learn Web Development Skills with Noble Desktop

Once you’ve decided that a web development bootcamp is worth it, Noble Desktop has a variety of courses and programs that can help you get into a new career. If you’re looking for in-depth, professional training that will get you job-ready in a matter of months, consider enrolling in this 420-hour Full Stack Web Development Certificate bootcamp. It’s a beginner-friendly program with a project-based curriculum that teaches you how to code websites from scratch while helping you build a professional portfolio to demonstrate your knowledge and skills. This course covers HTML, CSS, JavaScript, front end development, back end development, Bootstrap, and MongoDB. 

For a shorter program that can fast-track your career in back end web development, check out this Python Developer Certificate. You’ll learn how to code with Python to begin a career in software engineering, Python development, or back end development. This 90-hour bootcamp will take you from beginner to professional in a relatively short time, while also helping you build your professional portfolio. You’ll learn how to use the web framework Django for back end programming and Python programming fundamentals. Enrolling in this bootcamp requires that you already know the basics of HTML and CSS.

If you want to get a feel for web development, Web Development with HTML & CSS is a great entry point. It’s a three-day hands-on course designed to help students with no background in web development or coding start building websites from scratch. You’ll learn how to markup and style content, create professional-level, multi-page websites, and use browser development tools. This is a simple introduction that can get you started coding websites, but if your goal is to become a web development professional, advanced training from Noble Desktop will be necessary.