Hi, I’m planning on taking a coding bootcamp soon. I’m down to code chrysalis and le wagon as my two options. CC has a foundation course that’s shorter and much cheaper than immersive but doesn’t seem to get the career support from immersive which seems valuable .Has anyone taken the foundation course and been able to benefit or get a job from it? Or do I need to choose one of the more expensive bootcamps that are more immersive like CC’s immersive course or le wagon? How does le wagon compare to cc as a beginner? I’m a beginner who’s learned some JavaScript, css, and html. I know bootcamps aren’t as valuable as a computer science degree but that’s just not feasible for me. Im not looking for a high paying job, I just enjoy the coding I’ve learned so far and want out of English teaching. Any experiences or advice with any of these bootcamps would be much appreciated. Thank you
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I’ve read in several different sources that coding bootcamps are a bit of a scam, all the information is available for free and any questions you could possibly have, have been asked and answered on stack exchange many times over.
Check out free coding courses online; there’s a lot of them!
I saw my wife go through the foundations course at CC first hand and I was very impressed. By the time she completed it, she had a very good grasp of JavaScript and as someone who has been out of the hands on the tech side of things for a while, I was surprised to learn a few new concepts as well.
Regarding the other comment I saw in this thread – it is true that you can self learn the same material for free online (for example the Odin Project looks good), but in my opinion the strengths/advantages of a good bootcamp are the peer group you are a part of, the availability and assistance of the teachers involved, and the fixed structure to keep you on track. I cannot speak for Le Wagon, but I can say that one consistent benefit with CC is their job search and placement assistance, which has been very solid and has a good reputation especially for people in Japan looking to get their foot in the door career-wise.
In any case, wishing you the best of luck on the education and career change journey!
I work in tech for an investment bank. I’ve heard good things about Le Wagon and I’ve also seen them out doing hanami and group activities so I think they have a good social scene too.
As mentioned in this [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/up9np4/comment/i8jni71/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) there are a lot of threads with people talking about it.
Personally I went through code chrysalis and it was a good experience for me, but it’s not for everyone (And it’s expensive). I got a job paying 4 million yen after finishing the program (Took about 2 months, got 4 offers all around this salary – I also speak business level Japanese). Worked for a year to get some actual experience then switched companies, now making around 10 million yen. Others from my cohorts who did well have pretty similar experiences.
I have visited both coding bootcamps just to get a sense of their atmosphere, although my information my be inaccurate.
I heard that CC requires you to pass a coding test, which is a positive aspect as it can improve the percentage of graduates who find jobs after completing the camp. Ive heard that CC might have better connections for graduates, although I cannot confirm this. The classroom is located in the basement, which unfortunately means there are no windows. However, the instructors were excellent, and the demo for the graduate students was somewhat impressive (though I have personal opinions on the tech stacks they chose i.e. firebase, which I think causes more problems than it solves). The demo ideas were interesting and involved team collaboration, simulating a work environment. I also met some graduates who found jobs in Tokyo through the program.
Le Wagon was also a great experience. The tables there are made of compressed plywood, which could be a little scratchy on your arms. The classroom is on the 2nd floor, so it benefits from having windows. The instructors at Le Wagon were excellent, and I had the chance to meet some people who graduated and found jobs through the program.
Before considering my opinion, let me share a bit about myself. My tech stack includes Next.js, Prisma, and PostgreSQL, and I’m likely to use popular libraries like React Hook Forms and Tailwind CSS.
If you’re evaluating these bootcamps, it’s essential to consider your current tech stack knowledge and level. Opting for a more immersive bootcamp might not matter if the material goes beyond your abilities.
In addition to contacting each company directly, I recommend joining the Tokyodev Discord community or attending meetups in Tokyo. Feel free to DM me as there’s a lot more information to provide for a comprehensive answer.
I did the CC foundations course. It is not close to enough to get a job. Currently doing TOP and will also look into CS50 to try and get any job that gets me out of teaching.
You didn’t mention if you speak Japanese? Personally, I think that’s the deciding factor on if these courses are worth it as the vast majority of low paying programming jobs will require you to be business conversational. You can then slog it out for a few years with abysmal pay and try to land something better.
As for if these courses are worth it? They are very expensive and as with anything in life, you’ll get out what you put in.
Just buy Udemy courses when it’s on sale.