More computer programmers are self-taught rather than graduates of
coding "bootcamps" or industry certification programs run by big tech
companies, according to recent survey results by
Stack Overflow, one of
the largest coder communities on the Internet.
These statistics were
posted as part of the 2016 edition of the website's annual survey. Stack
Overflow is a forum with more than 4 million registered users where
developers can ask and give coding advice. The survey was completed by
more than 50,000 developers from 178 countries. It provides a glimpse
into the current landscape of one of today's most in-demand careers.
A
whopping 69 percent of the developers reported that they were totally
or partially self-taught, with 13 percent saying they were completely
self-taught. This is compared to 6.5 percent who completed a full-time
bootcamp program, 7 percent who did an industry certification program
and 43 percent who have either a B.S. or B.A. in Computer Science.
Twenty-five
percent took some sort of online course, either independently or to
supplement other training. Participants were able to select multiple
education levels, so some of those who marked self-taught also indicated
they had taken an online course as part of their self-teaching method. A
total of 31 percent of the developers have received no formal college
or university training and have learned to code through bootcamps,
industry certification programs, or taught themselves, Stack Overflow
confirmed with The Washington Post.
Tech recruiter Dave Fecak
isn't surprised at the prevalence of self-taught developers. "If you
have access to a computer and a connection, you can take and consume
hundreds of free courses and videos, download free development tools,
build apps and make them available to the general public in an online
store, and share your code with employers," he said. "Access to the
tools required to become self-taught has never been better."
The
data suggests that educational alternatives to a computer science
bachelor's degree are still burgeoning. Those who indicated that they
were self-taught shot up from 41 percent last year to 69 percent now
through online coding courses or other means.
People increasingly
have been turning to online courses and MOOCs (massive open online
course). Those who marked "online course" increased from 17 percent to
25 percent from 2015 to 2016, according to the survey. Examples of such
learning methods include those offered by Codecademy or Stanford
Engineering Everywhere, which offer free coding instruction that can be
completed on one's own time. There are also paid online courses, such as
TreeHouse ($25 or roughly Rs. 1,500 a month).
Bootcamps have also seen an increase in
usage. Stats in that category have nearly doubled from last year's
survey, which had graduates at 3 percent. The unaccredited, for-profit
programs have seen huge spikes in enrollment in the last year, and
traditional four-year colleges and universities are starting to pair
with these companies or adopt bootcamp-style programs themselves.
Bachelor of Science degrees in computer science, meanwhile, decreased
from 2015 to 2016 by about 3 percent.
When it comes to salaries,
however, bootcampers came in comparatively higher at around $112,493 (roughly Rs. 74,39,162).
Those with a four-year B.S. or B.A. degree in computer science averaged
at $108,143 (roughly Rs. 71,51,496) and those who are self-trained at $103,801 (roughly Rs. 68,64,360).
Fecak is
surprised that graduates of bootcamps are reportedly earning more than
those with four-year degrees in computer science. He's guessing it has
to do with bootcamps' proximity to urban centers, where salaries are
higher due to cost of living, as well as recruiting tactics of these
bootcamps.
"Many bootcamps also earn placement fees by placing
their graduates with employers just like an agency recruiter or
headhunter will, and those employers are usually in relatively close
proximity to the bootcamp. Sometimes those employers visit the bootcamp
before graduation to start the recruiting process and network with
students," he said.
But one thing to note from the survey
regarding salary and education is that the highest paying developers
were the most educated: PhD's and master's in C.S. were at the top of
the list.
The survey also showed that Android is the most
in-demand language. Javascript is the most used language for both front
and back-end developers, and Rust is the most loved while Visual Basic
is the most dreaded by developers.
© 2016 The Washington Post
Google Adds New Features to Gemini Code Assist, Integrates Gemini 2.5 Pro Capabilities16 June 2025
Search
