So you want to send yourself to a coding bootcamp to either change your career or boost your current one with the latest coding knowledge. You’ve done a considerable amount of research on this, so you’re pretty sure a bootcamp is the way to do it.
How do you know which type of coding works best for you?
The following article explores 3 of the options you have for pursuing coding as a specialism in tech:
- Data Science
- Cyber Security
- Web Development
1. Data Science Bootcamp
Everyone from big high street grocery stores and luxury retail brands to banking firms collect and use unfathomable amounts of data to extract insights and make daily decisions. From customers, yes, but also from their internal employees (Source 1).
Data science is the study of this ‘big data’ that is collected. A Data Scientist uses this data to identify trends, extract insights and predict future outcomes.
What would I learn in a Data Science Bootcamp?
Of course, different bootcamps will focus differing amounts on the various topics that fall under the data science umbrella, and the depth of these topics will depend on the format of course you choose to study.
With this in mind, it is best to look at every bootcamp’s unique planned outcomes and curriculum if there are any specialised topics you are particularly interested in.
No matter what data science bootcamp you sign up for, the following topics are likely to be touched on:
- SQL - A programming language used for extracting data from large databases.
- Data Analytics - Working out what the figures and facts drawn from large datasets mean in context.
- Data Visualization - How to present the above two concepts in a way that someone without data science training can understand.
What does a job in Data Science look like?
Data science jobs vary in size, scope and experience. Like most other positions, specific responsibilities and the type of data you’re looking at will change depending on the sector and company.
Some jobs you look into applying for as a data science bootcamp graduate include:
- Junior Data Scientist - use data to identify trends, extract insights and predict future outcomes.
- Data Engineer - Responsible for designing, maintaining, and optimising data infrastructure for data collection, management, transformation, and access.
- Machine Learning Engineer - Responsible for creating programmes and algorithms that enable machines to act without being directed, such as curating a news feed of your interests.
- Decision Scientist - Decision science is uniquely concerned with making the best choices based on available information instead of finding new information or new ways of understanding it.
2. Cyber Security Bootcamp
What is Cyber Security?
Cyber Security professionals defend sensitive company data, which belongs to its customers and employees, from people who should not have access to it. This can happen through a variety of strategies.
What would I learn on a Cyber Security Bootcamp?
Depending on the curriculum of the specific course provider, you can expect to be studying any of the following:
- Blue Teaming - Defensive security professionals responsible for conducting risk assessments through identifying threats and weaknesses that could be exploited after obtaining company data.
- Red Teaming - Offensive security professionals are responsible for ethical hacking. They are experts in attacking systems and breaking into defences.
- Python programming - Python is a beneficial programming language for Cyber Security specialists because it can perform many required functions.
What does a job in Cyber Security look like?
Roles within Cyber Security, like with all professions, vary in scope and income depending on location, industry and employer. Graduates from Cyber Security bootcamps enjoy high demand and great employment opportunities, with an almost 80% employment rate within six months (Source 2).
Some job titles you can expect to apply for as a Cyber Security bootcamp graduate include:
- Information Security Analyst- Responsible for setting standards and maintaining computer networks while protecting the company from cyber-attacks
- Software Security Engineer - Responsible for performing ongoing security testing and code review to improve software security.
- Security Architect - Responsible for advising IT analysts, security administrators, and security engineers to coordinate effective security protocols
- Penetration Tester - Responsible for examining target websites or systems for weaknesses, including open services, application security issues, and open source vulnerabilities.
3. Web Development Bootcamp
What is Web Development?
Web Development is the building and maintenance of websites. It can be either what the end user sees (front-end), the behind-the-scenes technical action taken as a response to the end user that they may not directly see (back-end), or both together (full-stack).
What would I learn on a Web Development Bootcamp?
Again, specific topics and focuses are likely to change between bootcamps - so if there is something specific you are looking for, we suggest you ask the bootcamp provider directly - but here is generally what you can expect to find:
- Introduction to networks - A group of two or more devices that can communicate. HTML, CSS and Javascript - Programming languages most frequently used in creating and maintaining a website.
- Front-end Web Development - What the end user (visitor) of a website, online application or service sees and interacts with.
- **Back-end Web Development **- Involves working on the unseen processes on a website but ensuring everything works as it should.
What does a job in Web Development look like?
With a position in web development, you can expect to spend most of your time coding for online publishing. There are several different routes available for you to do this beyond the front-end and back-end nature of the role (as mentioned above):
- Web development and design (both front end and back end)
- Application development - Responsible for writing software programs for use across mobile operating systems.
- Development with a focus in a specific coding language - Different languages (such as Java, C++, Python or Ruby on Rails) being adopted for different tasks or favoured by different companies as a whole means that becoming a specialist is a particular language or generalist in all of them could affect the types of roles you apply to.
Be sure to look into what else the coding language you have chosen to learn Web Development can do. You may find yourself well on your way to employment in these areas too.
Need some Direction?
If you need help deciding which subject is right for you, try taking the short quiz “Which Bootcamp is For You?” to help point you in the right direction.
Once you’ve decided which subject you want to learn, use this helpful Bootcamp Directory to review what options are available to you. You can filter by location, learning schedule and funding option.
Sources:
- Big Data is going to be worth $229.4 billion by 2025. (Strategic Tech Investor, 2021)
- Springboard, (November, 2022)
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