2021

Bootcamp Trends Report

Exploring trends in the overall awareness and acceptance of bootcamp training programs in the U.S. among the general public and business leaders. Do these programs prepare individuals for technical jobs and careers?

Media Mentions:

Report overview

Key Findings

Bootcamp training is increasingly an option for learners who want to enter or advance in technical fields such as cybersecurity, data analysis, and software development. This report provides an overview of the awareness and perception of bootcamp programs in the context of jobs and careers. In July 2021, we collected feedback from 2,422 adults and 1,000 business leaders in the U.S

Familiarity and Connection With Bootcamps

Almost three-quarters (72%) of adults in the U.S. had heard of bootcamps, although only 8% said they knew a great deal about them.
A vast majority of business leaders (87%) had heard of bootcamps with 58% saying they had some knowledge of bootcamp programs.
Most Americans (74%) had no personal connection with bootcamps — they hadn’t enrolled in a bootcamp program or worked at one, didn’t know or work with anyone who had, and didn’t have one in their local area.

Bootcamps and Employment

Almost one-third (30%) of adults in the U.S. viewed bootcamp training as a viable alternative to a traditional college degree when it comes to preparing someone for a successful career; similarly, 33% of business leaders felt bootcamps provide a similar amount of and/or level of training as an undergraduate degree.
Forty-four percent of business leaders in the U.S. believed that bootcamp programs don’t provide as rigorous or thorough a technical training as a college degree.

The Future of Bootcamp Training

Almost half (48%) of all business leaders surveyed, and 56% of those from tech companies and organizations that hire for tech roles, said that bootcamps will play a pivotal role in meeting future workforce training needs.

Our Research Methodology

We help make sense of the latest trends through our propriety research, data analysis, and expert insights. Our Trends Reports, Survey Reports, and Data Reports explore pressing issues, such as online learning, student demographics, and the rising cost of college.

How We Collect Data

BestColleges collects data through online surveys. Some data is collected by our outreach team using platforms such as Qualtrics. We also partner with survey providers, like GLG Research and YouGov LLC, to reach broader audiences of college students, business leaders, and adults in the U.S. Partners use screening tools like RelevantID and manually review data for consistency and accuracy.

How We Find Survey Participants

Our outreach team uses BestColleges' contact mailing lists to encourage participation in relevant surveys. Our survey partners use a census-based quota sampling approach to provide a sample that represents the U.S. population through their expert and panel networks. Additional quotas are also implemented to ensure samples include gender and racial diversity.

Are Survey Participants Compensated?

Participants responding to our outreach team's survey requests are not compensated. However, some of our survey partners and their panel and expert networks do compensate participants in different ways.

Our Knowledge and Authority

Our surveys are designed by an in-house team with expertise in academic and market research, data analysis, and editing. Surveys conducted through our partners are additionally reviewed by their quantitative research experts. Since 2016, BestColleges Research has provided insights to higher education stakeholders through a variety of publications and conference presentations.

Meet the Author

Melissa A. Venable, Ph.D.

Melissa A. Venable, Ph.D., is an education advisor for BestColleges. In this role, she leads an annual survey research initiative reporting trends in online education, student demographics, and college student career planning. Melissa is an adjunct faculty member and course designer at Saint Leo University and a certified career coach with a background in career development services. She earned her doctorate in instructional technology at the University of South Florida where her research interests focused on distance education and career services for online students.