How to Navigate Coding Bootcamp Outcomes Data

Where to Find Student Outcomes Data

Student outcomes data may be published by coding bootcamps themselves, industry councils, and/or state boards. You can use this data to evaluate the likelihood of getting a job if you attend that bootcamp. Not all data sources are created equal, though. Here are the primary places you can find outcomes data.

Council on Integrity Results Reporting

The Council on Integrity in Results Reporting (CIRR) is a nonprofit organization that was created to establish trust in the coding bootcamp industry. Their mission: to set transparent standards and collect data from bootcamps that account for 100% of students, which allows for straightforward bootcamp outcomes comparisons. Bootcamps join CIRR voluntarily, and the organization has no regulatory authority.

With multiple reports, you can get a more comprehensive picture of the bootcamp's performance over time.

You can find individual reports from CIRR member bootcamps that show how many students started the program, how many graduated, how many obtained employment in their field after graduation, what kind of employment graduates found, and starting salary information.

Some bootcamps have only submitted data once, while others submit data multiple times a year. Finding multiple reports from multiple years is a better indicator of a bootcamp's overall trustworthiness than finding just one report.

With multiple reports, you can get a more comprehensive picture of the bootcamp's performance over time. If a bootcamp only has one published report, it may have had a single high-performing year and then left CIRR because the next year's outcomes were poor.

Additionally, while report auditing is one of CIRR's standards, the most recent reports published on CIRR's website may not have been audited yet — audits are only required once per year. If you're unsure if a report on CIRR's website has been audited, reach out to the organization to double-check and obtain more information.

LinkedIn

Looking up bootcamp alumni on LinkedIn is another way to learn about student outcomes. You can see where some alumni are now and what types of jobs they've had since they graduated.

To find bootcamp graduates on LinkedIn, search for the job title you'd like to pursue after completing your bootcamp and add the bootcamp you're considering in the "bootcamps" section of the advanced search filter options.

Don't be afraid to connect with these alumni and add a note to your connection request. If you let them know that you're considering attending the bootcamp they went to and would like to hear about their experience, many of these alumni will be happy to talk to you.

However, because LinkedIn is a self-promotion tool, it's important to avoid taking the alumni experiences you discover via LinkedIn as a guaranteed outcome or representative of that bootcamp's outcomes as a whole. For instance, bootcamp participants who did not finish their program or who weren't able to find a job in tech may not list the bootcamp on their LinkedIn profile.

Key Definitions

A bootcamp's outcomes data can be skewed depending on how the bootcamp defines different keywords in its report.

For instance, how a bootcamp defines "job" can inflate its employment rates. Any of these types of employment may be included in a bootcamp's definition:

• A job in an industry that the bootcamp does not provide specific training for
• Internship positions
• Contract positions
• Freelance work
• Part-time roles

The way a bootcamp defines "job-seeker" can also change outcomes data. Bootcamps may require "job-seekers" to:

• Complete coursework for their job search
• Follow the bootcamp's career advice criteria
• Apply for a specific amount of jobs per week
• Attend networking events, demonstration days, or hiring events

Using a longer or shorter reporting period can affect outcomes data, too. For example, a longer reporting period, such as a year, could result in a higher percentage of graduates landing jobs than a shorter reporting cycle of 3-6 months. Look out for whether the bootcamp specifies if its employment rates are within a certain period after graduation, such as 60 or 180 days.

Additionally, some providers offer self-paced bootcamps, which can make graduation data difficult to compare across programs. Without a fixed course length, self-paced bootcamps cannot accurately report an on-time graduation rate that is comparable to the graduation rates of other programs that have a fixed course length.

A bootcamp may or may not let you know what definitions it uses. If you find self-reported bootcamp data online that lack definitions or get confused about the definitions you see, reach out to the bootcamp directly with your questions.

Calculating Your Likelihood of Finding a Job

Another important thing to note is that a bootcamp's employment rate is usually determined based on the number of students who graduated. If you want a more accurate representation of your chances of both graduating and finding a job after completing a bootcamp, you'll need to multiply the bootcamp's graduation rate by its job placement rate.

You may find that this percentage is quite a bit lower than the advertised employment rate, depending on how many students successfully complete the program. Calculating this number can be a better way to use outcomes data to help you decide between your top bootcamp programs.

Of course, whatever rate you calculate isn't a guarantee — whether you are actually able to graduate and find a tech job depends on a variety of factors.