A Day in the Life of a Cyber Security Analyst

A recent bootcamp graduate is as likely to land a job at a top U.S. tech company as a college alumnus, a study by Switchup revealed in July. There are two key takeaways here. First, the pathways into the coveted high-tech industry are many and diverse. Second—implicitly—the researchers viewed colleges and bootcamps as antithesis to one another, so much so as to warrant a study pitting one against the other. 

While such estimates of graduate outcomes are helpful and informative, both for prospective students and the industry, the idea that bootcamps and universities are two polar opposites does not tread far enough. Opposites attract, they say, and this is exactly what has been happening with bootcamps and universities since the start of the pandemic.  

While such estimates of graduate outcomes are helpful and informative, both for prospective students and the industry, the idea that bootcamps and universities are two polar opposites does not tread far enough. Opposites attract, they say, and this is exactly what has been happening with bootcamps and universities since the start of the pandemic.  

While such estimates of graduate outcomes are helpful and informative, both for prospective students and the industry, the idea that bootcamps and universities are two polar opposites does not tread far enough. Opposites attract, they say, and this is exactly what has been happening with bootcamps and universities since the start of the pandemic.  

As the virus forced universities and colleges to reshuffle their schedules and curriculums, and even review their entire learning models, they found unlikely partners in bootcamps, intense, short programs inspired by military training. With their turnkey programs working as an additional offering by the schools for alternative career training or education, bootcamps offer universities and students distinct values that can improve graduate outcomes. Furthermore, the campus crowd is actually positioned the best to gain from the bootcamp experience.

Putting Theory into Practice

Bootcamps are popularly associated with coding, since coding bootcamps have been expanding so dramatically in recent years. Their true offering is significantly broader, however, ranging from courses in cybersecurity or DevOps to digital marketing or sales. Regardless of the subject matter, however, bootcamps tend to focus on practical skills and hands-on training, often at the expense of advanced theory—something Triplebyte showcased in a study. Bootcamps also tend to be open to people with no background in the field, and thus incorporate introductory sections into their programs.