Coding bootcamps have become increasingly popular in recent years. They offer a great opportunity to gain valuable technology skills that can ultimately lead to a job in web development. However, factors such as language specialty, tuition, and time commitment that vary between programs can make the decision process difficult to navigate.

To help ease the stress, we’ve compiled a list of seven important questions to ask when choosing a coding bootcamp, and how Momentum would answer each one.

1. What Technologies Do You Teach and Why?

Coding bootcamps usually specialize in a few languages throughout their program, so knowing what these are and whether they will be useful to you is an important first step in learning how to choose a coding bootcamp. If you know for certain that you want to learn a specific programming language, for example Python, check to make sure it is actually a part of the curriculum – because that is not a guarantee. There may also be certain skills that are more in demand in your area, and others that are less attractive to employers. Do your potential bootcamps reflect these trends?

At Momentum, we use our relationships with employers across the country to develop a relevant curriculum that sets students up for success throughout the recruitment process. Our immersive program is organized into four 4-week phases to make for easier retainment. The first phase features front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The second focuses on back-end development with Python and Django. In the third phase, students choose to specialize in either front-end of back-end development and dive into an advanced study of their chosen specialization. Phase 4 is team-based and an opportunity to use Agile development methodologies to build final projects.

2. What Qualifications Do Your Instructors Have?

This one seems obvious, but nonetheless it’s crucial in knowing how to choose a coding bootcamp. Your instructors are the people who you will be learning from for several months, so take the time to make sure they are qualified. Questions such as “What are the instructors’ backgrounds,” and “what are their teaching styles” will help you gain an understanding of the program and the skills you will walk away with.

All instructors at Momentum have industry experience, meaning they have worked in web development themselves before transitioning to teaching it. This means they know what skills are actually useful in the workforce and have put them to use in real-world settings. This also means they were once in your position – both as a student learning to code and as a prospective employee searching for a job. Some of our instructors even have teaching experience, another important quality for a coding instructor. Knowing the code is one thing, but knowing how to teach it is another. Momentum instructors bring a combination of web development and teaching experience that makes them great at what they do.