Is a bootcamp worth it for a recent math grad?

Question

I recently graduated with a degree in computational math. I took about 8-9 computer science courses. The most notable are probably C++, operating systems, and algorithms. I started the major late -- end of my second year. That meant that I had to take summer classes to graduate on time and didn't have an internship until my Junior year summer. The internship was good, but it wasn't at a big, reputable company. Now, I am looking for jobs. I have had reasonable success, but haven't landed anything yet. I've applied to a few hundred positions, but I've only been interviewed by 6. Of those, I've made it to the onsite 3 times now. I made it through one and got axed by the manager, didn't pass another, and have the third coming up. I also currently have a job, but I really want to leave it because my manager essentially lied to, telling me it was a software engineering role when really all I do is excel all day.I am wondering whether you think it is worth it to try a bootcamp if this next onsite doesn't go my way? I'm desperate to leave my job, but I've heard mixed things about bootcamps.

PaulHoule · Accepted Answer

A few hundred applications leading to 6 interviews is not "reasonable success" unless you were in a field where jobs are super-hard to get (say tenure track professor) or we were in a recession.
You need to debug your job hunt. Conventional wisdom is that you need to think only about the stage you are getting stuck: that is, if you ratio of applications to interviews is bad (it is) you need to improve your resume, CV, cover letters, who you apply to, etc.
The level of success you're describing in the interview process is not abysmal but I can tell you are worried about it and would say you also need to work on "presentation of self".
Most of the bootcamps out there are: (i) applications programming in Javascript or (ii) data science with Python. These don't work miracles but they might fill in a gap if there really is a gap.
What kind of jobs are you looking for?

andymoe · Answer

1. Y&rsquo;all should always tell us your location when asking for job advice here (and probably make it easy to contact you - email in HN about field) 2. Math degree and a little experience should be enough in the current US market but again don&rsquo;t know your location. Personally would not do a boot camp in your situation. Give it another couple months of applying with a focus on places where you know folks. If you don&rsquo;t know folks in the industry solve that problem.