I was accepted into Fullstack Academy, a NYC bootcamp that is one of the schools this article is about. I'm currently a programming intern at Thinkful, an ed-te

I was accepted into Fullstack Academy, a NYC bootcamp that is one of the schools this article is about. I'm currently a programming intern at Thinkful, an ed-tech startup in NY. > The bootcamp model gives you an "intensive" course good enough so that you're able to build a shitty web app, and then they hopefully place you in a job needing a code monkey. Everyone writes shitty code when they first start. Building shitty web apps is better than building no web apps, which is what most beginners do. Bootcamps force you to build stuff early, and building is the best way to learn. Your 5th web app won't be so shitty. > Personally I'm against charging to teach others how to code. If people come to the profession with drive and passion, I believe it should be free. I wasn't charged when I first asked how to code. This is an idealistic fantasy. Sure, learning to code for free is better than learning to code for $12k. But human labor is scarce and people don't work for free. > I also think good programming is a journey, not something that can be consumed and digested in a compacted 12-week course. Agree. I see bootcamps as the third step on a journey to becoming an entry-level developer. The 1st phase is with online resources like CodeAcademy and CodeSchool, the 2nd with mentor-led part-time courses like Thinkful, and the 3rd with bootcamps or apprenticeships. The 4th phase is all the learning you should be doing on the job ;-)