In Hired’s most recent report on the state of the software engineering hiring market, its CEO wrote:
“People in the tech industry are incredibly resilient, resourceful, and creative. We know it’s been tough for many but confidence remains. Software development remains a top career choice, and there are a lot of industries that need these skills, not just big tech companies.”
We couldn’t agree more – and in fact, we know this to be true. Our graduates are getting hired at companies across industries, representing the modern reality that most companies are now tech companies. Many have or are looking to build, their own tech teams focused on developing, maintaining, and improving software and products to reach their goals and meet user demand.
Graduates of our coding bootcamps are finding jobs at traditional tech companies, to be sure, but mostly, they’re getting hired in sectors with growing tech demand including healthcare, financial services, retail, and many others.
However (and this is understandable), during a time of economic uncertainty and amidst news of Big Tech layoffs, many are wondering: Are beginner bootcamp graduates, in particular, landing jobs? Are those without prior tech experience able to get the attention of hiring managers?
The answer is yes, according to Crew Spence, Galvanize Director of Career Services. In this article, we’ll explore his answer as we dig into where our beginner grads are working and what we’re seeing in terms of hiring trends in software engineering.
Recent beginner program grads working in healthcare, finance, & other sectors
The following is a partial list of where some of our recent Beginner Coding Bootcamp graduates have landed jobs. You’ll notice that healthcare, banking and financial services, business management software, and retail are well represented. Companies in these sectors are growing their teams to build the digital tools and resources they provide to their customers and users.
- Healthcare: BEKHealth, Health Union, Injoy Health Education, Joan Health, STC Health, VICTR, Angle Health, Centene
- Banking & Financial Services: Capital One, Liberty Mutual, Wells Fargo, Discover, Moonstone Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Enova International, Vanguard
- Business Management Software: Thryv, Two Fish Creative, Superhuman Labs, Cognite, NomiSo
- Retail: Starbucks, Anheuser Busch, GoPuff, 1-800-Flowers, Reynolds & Reynolds, Motomentum
- Data & Cyber Security: Futerex Inc., Tozny, Onapsis
- Travel: Airbnb
- Spacecraft: United Launch Alliance
- Consultancy: Perficient
- Logistics: OpenTug
- Nonprofit: Queen City Robotics Alliance
A look at two beginner program grads & their paths to new careers
Victoria Ziegler graduated from our Beginner Full-Time Coding Bootcamp before landing her current role at BEKHealth. In a recent interview with Course Report, she discussed her career change from medicine to software engineering and touched on her job search process.
“With our preparation and the amount of experience we gained from the…bootcamp, I felt I was qualified for entry-level or junior-level roles, so I primarily sought those,” she said.
She’s now a Software Engineer at BEKHealth, where the focus is on clinical research data and analysis. She credits the bootcamp’s Career Services team with helping her land the job after graduation.
“I loved my Career Service Manager. Having this 1:1 support was crucial to my finding a job so fast. He kept me accountable,” she said. “Once I actually found my job, he helped me with the interview process and negotiation…My early career success was due to having this individualized support.”
Of course, that early career success also stems from Victoria’s hard work and ability to persevere through a challenging program. Our curriculum and course structure aim to set her, and all graduates, up for job-seeking and on-the-job success.
For beginner bootcamp graduate Cise Babatasi, who now works as a Software Engineer at business management software company Thryv, success comes from the mindset she was able to cultivate during the program.
“I learned a lot about how to think like a programmer and how to approach complex problems in a logical and systematic way,” she said. “I also gained a lot of experience working in a team environment and collaborating with others to solve problems.”
She notes that while the job search process was not easy, she felt prepared for it upon graduation.
“[Career Services] emphasized the need to be persistent and not to get discouraged by rejections or silence from potential employers. I took this advice to heart and made sure to consistently apply and outreach to people, even when it felt discouraging,” she said.
This persistent mindset is vital in the job search, according to Crew Spence. In a recent interview with Course Report, he said:
“We’re showing students that it’s in their best interest to be out there, getting in front of people, and applying. Part of the reason for the delay in hiring is that some people don’t feel confident enough to apply. We work with students a lot on their mindset.”
Helping grads make important connections
During our 10+ years of bootcamp experience, there have been many economic ups and downs. Through it all, we’ve learned that no matter the state of the market, many employers are looking for software engineers who have knowledge of modern software engineering technologies. They want people on their teams who have a fundamental understanding of how software engineers build tools, no matter their level of prior professional tech experience.
This sets the stage for our beginner bootcamp graduates, who finish the program with modern, foundational knowledge and skills, trained to work autonomously, work in teams, and learn on the go.
In addition to ensuring our grads are prepared for the market they’re entering, we partner with companies large and small to match our graduates with open roles. We don’t charge employer partners to work with us, because, according to Crew, “We just want to try to make the connection and do what’s right for the student.”
An added benefit of working with hiring partners is that graduates sometimes get to work together on their new professional teams. That’s what Cise has experienced at Thryv.
“One of the things that’s been really cool about working at Thryv is the number of Hack Reactor alums on staff. It’s been awesome to connect with them and share our experiences from the program,” she said. “I’ve had the opportunity to work on a variety of different tasks and with different people, which has been really exciting. I love the dynamic of our team and the collaborative nature of our work.”
Victoria, Cise, and many other beginner graduates are working across industries as software engineers, and we’re proud to be part of their journeys. For others looking to launch new careers, we’re here to teach, support, and help you land your first software engineering job as you navigate the always-evolving hiring market.
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Learn more about our beginner coding bootcamps and about our career services and graduate outcomes.
