The hype is fading for coding "boot camps," for-profit U.S. schools
offering graduates entry into the lucrative world of software development.
Closures are up in a field now jammed with programs promising to teach students in just weeks the skills needed to get hired as professional coders. So far this year, at least eight schools have shut down or announced plans to close in 2017, according to the review website Course Report.
Two pioneers in the sector, San Francisco’s Dev Bootcamp and The Iron Yard of Greenville, South Carolina, announced in July that they are being shut down by their corporate parents.
Fed by growing demand for coders and more than $250 million in venture funding, boot camps have mushroomed in recent years. Average tuition is just over $11,000 for a 14-week course, but can climb as high as $24,000 for longer programs, according to Course Report.
The training is aimed mainly at professionals looking to switch careers as well as students lacking the money or interest in attending a four-year college.
