I went to a traditional in-person bootcamp (not Lambda School), and I believe it accelerated me into a job ~4 months earlier than what I could have done on my own. The bootcamp had several key advantages over self study:
- Easier to put in 40-60 hours per week in a structured environment vs having the discipline to do that at home week after week
- Less time wasted on figuring out what topics you need to study in the first place
- Daily access to a senior engineer that you can ask questions to
- Good advice on how to land the first job
In my case I think those benefits were absolutely worth $20k+. Yes, I could have gotten the same result on my own given more time to study, but every job and promotion I've had since then would have come a few months later.
- Easier to put in 40-60 hours per week in a structured environment vs having the discipline to do that at home week after week - Less time wasted on figuring out what topics you need to study in the first place - Daily access to a senior engineer that you can ask questions to - Good advice on how to land the first job
In my case I think those benefits were absolutely worth $20k+. Yes, I could have gotten the same result on my own given more time to study, but every job and promotion I've had since then would have come a few months later.