At Code for Boston we used to say we’re not a good place to learn to code, but we can be a good place to go from having done a bootcamp to coding on a team. This worked well for a long time, but no longer seems to.

• Bootcamps have reduced or even eliminated backend development from their curriculums.
• Novice and even intermediate developers struggle to switch programming languages.
• Bootcamps have gotten better at holding students hands, but this means graduates are less used to learning independently.

The result is many software developers showing up to Code for Boston are looking for a learning environment more than a collaborative building environment.

Why This Matters

When the focus on project intake and partners is promising to build a product, that need is different from teaching newer developers to code. People show-up thinking they might be able to get lots of free teaching and learning resources and then become frustrated when they discover experienced software engineers are not the best at teaching software engineering. This leads to heavy volunteer churn in projects.