I never went a coding bootcamp but I work for an employer who has hired a few people from one in the Minneapolis area. In my opinion, they seem quite capable as

I never went a coding bootcamp but I work for an employer who has hired a few people from one in the Minneapolis area. In my opinion, they seem quite capable as programmers even if they have no formal education. I think a formal education is fine if you can afford it but honestly, how many jobs really need a full four year degree as a requirement? I think degrees as a gatekeeping mechanism are being abused especially in entry level programming positions which I genuinely believe can be done by anyone who's literate and curious (I even think a HS diploma can be considered optional if they can read, write, and do arithmetic reasonably).