San Francisco-based developer Shereef Bishay wants people to know that anyone can learn to code — all it takes is ten weeks and $12,000. Bishay has launched Developer Bootcamp, a training program that teaches Ruby skills to beginners.
For Bishay’s first class of 20, 30 recruiters showed up to do interviews on the last day of class, and 15 students got jobs with an average starting salary of $79,000. For this summer, his second class is full with 40 students, and he’s taking applications for a fall session.
Bishay will refund $5,000 of the tuition fee for students who get a job with a firm that pays him a recruitment fee. Still, some wonder whether the $12,000 price tag is too steep. Other programs like Codecademy and Boston Startup School will teach similar skills for free.
