The considerable skill gap in the digital industry has opened up many opportunities for those looking to build a career in the tech field. For this reason, digital training and coding boot camps have become extremely popular in the last few years. 

More and more individuals are enrolling in these boot camps to acquire the in-demand skills that will make them valuable in the eyes of employers. However, there still seem to be a lot of doubts around. 

Coding Bootcamp enthusiasts are often drawn to these 3-4 month extensive courses, lured by the prospect of a hefty paycheck early in their career. 

While that is fine, prospective Bootcamp students also need to understand that they will need to put in a lot of hard work before, during, and after the Bootcamp course to land a good job. 

ThriveDX is one of the nation’s top coding Bootcamps, offering various programs to help people get certified in various skills. However, ThriveDX accepts the best students into their programs and wants students to have the best chance at success. 

ThriveDX and other Bootcamps want students to understand the time commitment and rigorous coursework involved in Bootcamp and help them prepare as best as they can. 

This article will discuss what you need to do before joining a ThriveDX Bootcamp or any other online coding Bootcamp course. In other words, how to prepare yourself once you have committed to joining a boot camp. 

What Is a Coding Bootcamp and What Kind of Prep Work You Need for Joining One

Coding boot camps are typically 14-16 weeks of intensive training programs teaching in-demand coding skills in cybersecurity training, software development, web development, digital marketing, and data science & analytics. 

These Bootcamp courses have come up due mainly to the rapidly-changing tech environment where continuous reskilling and upskilling have become mandatory. 

To cite but one example, it is reported that since the breakout of the pandemic, there has been a whopping 300% increase in cybercrimes. 

The increase in cybercrime has understandably forced companies to seek appropriately skilled cybersecurity professionals who can answer their present demands and help protect all valuable and sensitive company data. 

And since companies require these professionals urgently, they cannot always afford to wait for the tech university graduates (pursuing full-time 4-year courses). 

That is one thing, but the number of people coming out of full-time tech courses from universities is far too small compared to the surging demand for professionals in all the new and emerging tech roles. 

And this soaring industry demand has given rise to a high number of coding Bootcamps operating all over the country. 

Moreover, since a high percentage of boot camp graduates can land employment after their courses, this has helped coding boot camps gain popularity among starters and those looking to reskill, upskill, or shift their careers. 

Prep Work for Joining a Coding Bootcamp

A picture of a person preparing for her coding course with ThriveDX.

1. Complete the Pre-Work

Major coding Bootcamps offer enrolled students a set of 30 to 40 hours of pre-requisite work. And one must complete this pre-work in time. 

Keep in mind that boot camps are intensive courses, meaning that from day one of the course, you’ll be required to digest a lot of information, and unless you’re adequately prepared for the grind, it’ll be challenging to keep pace with the course. 

It is highly recommended that you don’t stop at finishing the pre-work but continue learning using all the free resources you can find online. 

Some of these great (but often overlooked) resources include guides to using GitHub, how to use Stack Overflow, and using Google Chrome’s Console. 

2. Set Up a Strong Online Presence

Employers today always prefer candidates with a strong and active online presence, no matter what position they are applying to and in what industry. 

The same is true for boot camp grads. Don’t forget that you’ll compete with your classmates and other boot camp pass outs for that developer or cybersecurity position. 

And one way to score extra marks for yourself is to keep your online presence up-to-date and give it a professional look. 

This means becoming active on platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn, continuous sharing and networking, etc. However, the recommended thing is that you run an independent blog. You can have your website or open a blog at places like Medium and others. 

Maintaining an active blog comes with many benefits. Firstly, it will act as an impetus to learn new things since you’ll need to keep posting updates and create new content. 

And once you start with your Bootcamp training, creating new posts will become easier as you’ll learn a lot of new stuff daily. 

Further, running a blog on the subject of your training also means that you’ll feel like paying extra attention to whatever you are learning. This is because your blog will put you under the scrutiny of others, and you’ll be wary of posting something wrong or incorrect. 

You will also receive valuable feedback from other bloggers and will be able to network and expand your connections. And finally, when you are applying for a position, the presence of a well-maintained and active blog will indeed reflect brightly on your CV and will give you that extra edge over your competitors.   

3.  Set Up Your Home Dev Environment

Once you join a full-stack cybersecurity training or web development program, you’ll work with many different tools and applications. 

So setting up your computer or laptop for this task beforehand is highly recommended. It will take some time, and you may need to tweak more than a few things after you’ve completed the task. 

This is why ThriveDX suggests that one should not leave this task for later. Once your Bootcamp training starts, you need to get going with everything you are learning. 

An already set up and tested dev environment will help you avoid disruptions and wasted time. 

ThriveDX Bootcamp Programs

ThriveDX, founded by highly experienced former Israeli Defense Force (IDF) cybersecurity personnel, is regarded as one of the best coding schools in the country. 

Currently, the school offers five different trading Bootcamps in Software Development, Data Science & Analytics, UI/UX Design, Digital Marketing, and Cybersecurity Training. 

It is important to note that all these courses come in ThriveDX’s Bootcamp versions of 16 weeks and a more extended and thorough version consisting of 10 months/400 hours of training. 

Bootcamp versions are well-rounded programs with a top-of-the-line technical curriculum complemented by hands-on practical skills training. 

ThriveDX partners with elite tech universities nationwide to build their top-notch and relevant curriculum. At the same time, ThriveDX works closely with top tech companies to train its students in the most in-demand skills.