Bootcamp Grads Have Feelings, Too

Presented at RubyConf 2016 in Cincinnati.

You’re a bootcamp student. You’re so excited to become a developer! Amidst your excitement about this new industry, you hear everyone say that bootcamps are a blemish on the community, that they’re a waste of time and money. “Maybe I’ve made a huge mistake,” you think. “I don’t know how I’ll fit in here."

But you can make this community better! In this session, you’ll learn about the varied experiences of bootcamp students and grads, how exclusionary behavior can end up stunting our community as a whole, and what you can to do make a more inclusive environment for everyone of all skill levels.

Transcript

1. Bootcamp Grads Have Feelings, Too Megan Tiu RubyConf 2016
2. Hi there Software Engineer at CallRail Communications Coordinator at Rails Girls Atlanta @megantiu on Twitter megantiu on GitHub my name is Megan Tiu I am:
4. The Bootcamp Stigma
5. What is The Bootcamp Stigma? Negative feelings toward bootcamp students and graduates, or bootcampers, as a group because they are/were involved with a bootcamp.
6. I’m here to tell you a story
7. Kaya
9. Why else might we seek out bootcamps?
10. Why might you seek out a bootcamp? • Change careers • Start a business • Learn a new skillset • See if a hobby might be a viable career • Learn what coding is all about
11. Not all bootcampers want to be developers.
12. There’s an over-generalization afoot.
13. Why do we have this stigma?
15. “Save your money, it’s not worth it.”
16. “You’ll never learn enough from a bootcamp to have a real career."
17. “You should just teach yourself.”
18. ¯\_(ϑ)_/¯
19. What happens when we refuse to acknowledge alternative education paths?
20. The Pipeline Problem
21. “There are groups underrepresented in tech because of schools and early-stage education.”
22. %
23. “The Pipeline Problem” • On average, bootcamps 1/4 of the cost of a CS degree 1 • 20% of bootcampers are Latinx, over 6.8% of CS students 2 1. http://bit.ly/2fsPhxL 2. http://bit.ly/1MOD38j
24. Women make up 36% of bootcamp students, but only 14.1% of CS students http://bit.ly/1MOD38j
25. Imagine how many people are deterred by this type of thinking at the beginning of their journey
26. How does the Bootcamp Stigma manifest?
27. &
28. How does the Bootcamp Stigma manifest? • Bootcamp horror stories • “We interviewed someone from a bootcamp once…” • Job listings + interviewing • “Entry-level position: CS degree required” • “Okay, now implement a hash table on the whiteboard.” • Exclusionary discourse • “Bootcampers just don’t know.”
29. #NotAllBootcampers
30. How does the Bootcamp Stigma manifest? • Bootcamp horror stories • “We interviewed someone from a bootcamp once…” • Job listings + interviewing • “Entry-level position: CS degree required” • “Okay, now implement a hash table on the whiteboard.” • Exclusionary discourse • “Bootcampers just don’t know.”
31. Antiquated hiring processes weed out those that did not learn the specific principles and theories behind them
32. How does the Bootcamp Stigma manifest? • Bootcamp horror stories • “We interviewed someone from a bootcamp once…” • Job listings + interviewing • “Entry-level position: CS degree required” • “Okay, now implement a hash table on the whiteboard.” • Exclusionary discourse • “Bootcampers just don’t know.”
33. What are the costs of this ignorance?
34. The real costs of the Bootcamp Stigma • Impostor syndrome • A community divided • A homogenous industry
35. It’s our responsibility to make a change
36. Why should we change? Why does this matter?
37. Why should we change? Bootcampers are valuable. • Encourage mindfulness • Question your codebase • Energize the team • Diversity of opinion
39. Why should we change? • We can create better, more well-rounded teams • Bootcampers contribute to longer lasting, engaged communities • Bootcampers are the future of this industry
40. What can we do?
41. How can we make bootcampers feel welcome?
42. How can we make our communities more inclusive?
43. What can we do? • Leave your preconceived notions at the door • Level the playing ground • Bridge the gap with community • Improve community communication and perception
44. Leave your preconceived notions at the door
45. Don’t expect the world of recent bootcamp grads
46. Don't underestimate bootcampers
47. Leveling the playing ground
48. Equalizing strategies • More apprenticeships! • Practical over theoretical coding tests • Actually hire bootcampers
49. Bridging the skill gap with community
51. How can we make this achievable?
52. What can we achieve on a smaller scale?
53. Equal distribution of labor
54. Employer assistance
55. Community communication and perception
57. Keep yourself in check Check your bias and think about how what you say will affect others.
58. Keep your peers in check If you see something, say something.
59. What’s Kaya up to now?
60. Wrapping Up
61. Takeaways • Bootcampers have feelings. No one’s immune to hate. • No two bootcampers have have the same goals or knowledge. • Bootcamps are more accessible paths that are friendlier to people from underrepresented groups. • Bootcampers: you deserve to be here. You belong here.
62. It’s on us and it’s time to get to work.
63. Thank you! Software Engineer at CallRail Communications Coordinator at Rails Girls Atlanta @megantiu on Twitter megantiu on GitHub Again, I’m Megan Tiu I am: