Google is launching a 'coding bootcamp' that gives you a crash course in how to be an Android developer - for $13,500
Flickr/etnykGoogle is getting into the "coding bootcamp" game by partnering with established player General Assembly on a course designed to churn out Android developers.
The bootcamp was designed by Google's own developer training team, runs 12 weeks, and will cost $13,500, according to Bloomberg. That's within the average cost of other coding bootcamps, which usually charge between $10,000 and $15,000. Google's bootcamp will be housed in General Assembly's offices in San Francisco or New York, and not on Google's campus.
"Android is growing, and because there aren't nearly enough developers trained for that system, it's causing a bottleneck for the platform," Jake Schwartz, General Assembly's CEO, told Bloomberg.
Excess demand for developers has fueled an entire industry of "coding bootcamps," programs that promise a crash course in computer programming and the strong likelihood of landing a high-paying job at the end.
President Obama has called them a ticket to the middle class, and some graduates come away with Cinderella stories of success. One bootcamper went from working at Chick-fil-A to snagging a computer programming job that paid him $90,000 a year.
The more prestigious bootcamps boast 98% placement rates or higher, with exit salaries near $100,000 - though there is no standard definition of what a good "placement" means in the industry.
General Assembly is a force in this market. Besides the Android course, it offers full-time classes in product management, user experience, and web development. And General Assembly claims "99% placement rate in [your] field of study" after graduation.
Google and General Assembly already have a few high-quality job placements lined up for their students. VICE Media will hire an "apprentice" immediately when the program concludes, according to Bloomberg. And General Assembly has vowed to use its network to place students at prestigious locations, such as data company Karma, Bloomberg reports.
"They're getting a job," Google's Peter Lubber said of the students.
Researchers at Course Report found that 66% of bootcamp graduates reported being employed in a full-time job that required the skills they learned at bootcamp. And they also found that as students continue to search for jobs, their chances of placement rise. 89% of students are placed 120 days after graduation, according to a survey of around 700 people.
That said, Google comes with a big name and pedigree, and General Assembly is one of the top names in the field. This means placements for this Android development course could be far above the industry average.
The class will start early next year, but you can apply now at General Assembly's website.