By Kaitlin Bloom for Galvanize
Bootcamp graduates are adaptable, capable, and gritty, making them highly attractive to employers in today’s competitive job market.
That was the message delivered loud and clear by an experienced engineer turned hiring manager during a recent event hosted online by Galvanize’s Denver and Boulder Campuses.
“We definitely love bootcamp grads quite a bit,” said Minh Pham, a previous hiring and engineer Manager at Ibotta who now helps entry-level and junior developers with career development.
Bootcamps graduates are known to be professional, mature, and intentional about their work, according to Pham speaking from his own experience and conversations with other hiring managers.
“Bootcamp grads are awesome because they have very diverse backgrounds,” Pham said. “In today’s world, that is becoming such a premium quality to have.”
Pham said employers appreciate bootcamp graduates’ unique life experiences and their intentional choice to become a software engineer.
“That general desire, that general amount of push there that you gave yourselves, really makes a difference,” Pham said. “It means that you are also the type of person that when a difficult situation comes up you’re going to be the one to push through that as well.
Bootcamp graduates show up ready to add value to a team and company immediately”, Pham said.
Pham broke down the top common traits that he sees in bootcamp graduates and what makes them extremely valuable to have on a team.
Diverse Backgrounds
Diverse backgrounds produce diverse thoughts and perspectives, which in turn leads to more unique ideas and innovation. These graduates typically come from career pivots and bring a wide range of perspectives to the table that helps their teams succeed. According to Pham, these graduates often demonstrate a variety of helpful skills that they acquired from their previous careers and experiences.
Professional and Mature
Pham emphasized that most students that participate in bootcamps are second career individuals, who already know what it’s like to be an adult in a working world.
“Professionalism and maturity is huge! You know how to show up and not be a jerk at work. These things are surprisingly really nice to not have to worry about in potential candidates”.
You are able to show up to your first job as a software engineer or data scientist and already know how to manage responsibility, structure your work day, and function well on a team.
Intentional and Capable
“You chose to go into a bootcamp. You chose to be a software developer.”
Pham said bootcamp graduates chose to endure a specifically challenging educational route with laser focus on achieving their goal of becoming a software developer or data scientist. For this reason, he believes bootcamp grads are especially intentional, in both their career and their overall life goals.
Adaptable and GRITTY
Bootcamp graduates also tend to be highly adaptable and are especially gritty. Bootcamp programs cover a vast range of topics and students are expected to not only keep up but also persevere through struggles. That general desire to learn and succeed really makes a difference. It means you’re also the type of person that when a tough situation comes up that you will push through it.
This is a great early indicator of a lot of really attractive qualities. Bootcamps are hard, and if someone voluntarily puts themselves through such a challenging program it’s safe to assume that they’re tough, determined, and gritty.
Check out more events hosted by Galvanize here.
