Bootcamp Success Formula: industry insights from InterviewBoost

The market and demand for Coding Bootcamps continues to rise as more learners turn to online learning and non-university based alternatives to master coding skills and prepare for coding interviews. These bootcamps empower you to learn at an effective pace without the limitations of in-person or classroom instruction.

Bootcamps have made it possible for developers of all skill levels and lifestyles to successfully pass through the pipeline and land great tech jobs. Though bootcamps are quite popular, less is known about them across the industry. What is the process like? And how is one successful in a bootcamp?

That’s why we’ve spoken with Vahid Esmaeelzadeh, the CEO of InterviewBoost, a successful bootcamp that prepares developers of all levels for coding interviews at top companies. Vahid talked to us about their bootcamp success formula and gave us some industry insights into what makes coding bootcamps successful.

Today we will discuss:

• InterviewBoost’s bootcamp success formula
• Bootcamp partnerships that focus on coding patterns
• The future of coding bootcamps
• Wrapping up and further readings

InterviewBoost’s bootcamp success formula

InterviewBoost is an online coding bootcamp experience designed to help developers crack the coding interview at top tech companies such as Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook. They’re learning experience lasts anywhere from one to four months with lessons taught by computer science professors and experienced engineers currently employed at top-tier companies.

As these instructors will attest, coding bootcamps are a unique learning experience with a more narrow focus than a computer science degree; therefore, they require a different approach to coding questions. In fact, InterviewBoost operates according to a unique success formula that we want to share with you today. InterviewBoost boasts that if you follow this coding bootcamp formula, you will have a 98.66% chance of receiving a job offer. So, what is the magic formula?

1. Pass a coding bootcamp

The first step in the formula is simple: educate yourself with a computer science bootcamp. Companies only want to hire developers who can prove they have the skills. InterviewBoost claims that after completing a reliable bootcamp, your chance of getting an offer increases to 66%. Bootcamps focus on the newest technical skills that are most relevant to software developers’ everyday life, making bootcamp graduates ready for hands-on work. Students learn the newest programming languages, such as Ruby, Python, JavaScript; web development frameworks like Ruby-on-Rails, Django, ExpressJS; and GitHub, and more, graduating with more real-world experience.

2. Practice mock interviews

Mock interviews are a chance to practice interviewing in a relaxed, low-stakes environment. InterviewBoost believes that mock interviews are an important part of the bootcamp success formula because they increase confidence and communication skills. Keep in mind that mock interviews should include both coding and behavioral interview practice to be successful. What you put into a mock interview is what you will get out of it!

3. Set multiple real interviews in a short period of time

According to InterviewBoost, it’s now important to set at least four interviews after completing your bootcamp and practicing mock interviews. This way, the knowledge is most fresh and accessible. InterviewBoost explains that if you set at four interviews, you will have a 98.66% chance of receiving a job offer. Setting real-world stakes after your bootcamp and reaching out to multiple potential employers is a great way to move quickly through the career pipeline and land a great job.

Consult for compensation negotiations

InterviewBoost makes it clear that getting a job is not the last stage of the career process. The last part of the coding bootcamp formula, in fact, encourages consultations for compensation negotiations. After receiving offers, the next step is to get reliable consultation on how to negotiate a salary and benefits, a stage in the interview process that is often overlooked. InterviewBoost doesn’t just encourage consultation as part of the success formula; they actually have this stage baked into their coding bootcamp process. That way, you not only prepare for interviews and practice questions, but you actually learn how to negotiate for the salary you deserve. This is a skill that will follow you in any future career endeavor!

Bootcamp partnerships that focus on coding patterns

Okay, so now that we know a bit more about InterviewBoost’s coding bootcamp success formula, let’s talk a bit more about coding bootcamps themselves. When we talked to InterviewBoost, Vahid made it clear that coding bootcamps offer a unique opportunity to learn more than just complex theory or rote memory answers. Instead, bootcamps encourage developers to learn according to coding patterns. Many developers try to study for interviews by solving hundreds of problems and end up wasting time. Instead, as Vahid explained, learning the patterns of coding questions empowers you to answer any question that comes your way.

Coding patterns may just be the key to cracking coding interviews. InterviewBoost focuses their coding bootcamp on coding patterns, empowering their learners to solve dozens of problems with simple, pattern-based strategies. Vahid told us that “learning the problem-solving patterns is crucial for having a structured mind that works extremely fast. It is the struggling-free way to pass the coding interviews at top-tier companies”.

InterviewBoost has turned to Educative to help them teach coding interview patterns. Educative has a special focus on interview prep and has developed course material specifically for teaching coding patterns. InterviewBoost has found great success with Educative’s famous course Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions. They now use this resource in their coding bootcamps and advocate the course is the definitive resource on this topic.

Curious about coding interview patterns? Take a look at senior software engineer and CEO of Educative Fahim ul Haq’s article [14 Patterns to Ace Any Coding Interview Question.

InterviewBoost has had great success teaching coding interview patterns with Educative. Vahid told us that “the first coding bootcamp of InterviewBoost was so successful (first quarter of 2020) that 80% of the bootcamp students got job offers from top-tier companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, and IBM. And, we were able to teach all the problem-solving patterns in 64 hours. Our students’ feedback was amazing, explaining the impact of problem-solving patterns they learned during the coding bootcamp”.

The future of coding bootcamps

Success stories like InterviewBoost are an encouraging sign for the future of bootcamps, especially during the COVID lockdowns when online, accessible education has become so important to folks around the world. The market for coding bootcamps is on the rise, with an estimated growth of 49% as they expand globally and accrue new partnerships. Coding bootcamps seem to be an important part of tech’s future. InterviewBoost also plans to increase their size to accommodate growth goals. Vahid told us that they “will increase the number of our teachers and coding bootcamp offers per quarter”.

To meet bootcamp goals, companies like InterviewBoost turn to Educative for support in instructive resources. One of the biggest needs for coding bootcamps is diverse instructional guides, particularly in the form of online learning environments. Vahid explained that at InterviewBoost “there are lots of students who are not in the level of our coding bootcamps, so we will add basic classes that cover data structures and programming languages to prepare these beginner-level students”.

And that’s where Educative helps, Vahid told us: “there are solid courses in different levels for data structures and various programming languages on Educative. We encourage our students to study the related courses to prepare for coding bootcamps. The courses developed by Educative are used to accelerate the teaching pace of our teachers at these levels”.

Combining the expertise of online platforms like Educative with the instructional power and organization of companies like InterviewBoost is a powerful way to change the tech world and empower eager developers to succeed in their fields.

Wrapping up and further readings

With an increase in coding bootcamps, a stronger need for instruction on coding patterns, and a demand for online learning, companies like InterviewBoost are making it possible for developers around the world to successfully move through the tech pipeline. Access to coding interview prep should be accessible for all, even if you don’t have a degree in computer science. At Educative, we are proud to work alongside companies like InterviewBoost to do just that.

Continue reading about career and bootcamps

• Educative + CodeBreakers: how Educative aids coding accelerators
• Write a Perfect Software Development Resume: tips and examples
• Land a job in tech: career advice for recent college graduates

Curious about what Educative can do for your coding bootcamp?