Hi I wanted to ask how valuable a bootcamp can be and can I do that instead of a four year degree? The reason for this is because of how expensive college tuition is and I'm really worried about the return on investment. I feel like there's a lot of information that I'm learning right now that I feel like I won't really need and instead, I can use that time at a bootcamp to work on projects and learn valuable skills I can use in the work field. Would I be at a huge disadvantage by not completing my 4 year degree and are there valuable concepts that I would be really missing out on by not completing my four year degree?
I feel like there's a lot of information that I'm learning right now that I feel like I won't really need...
This is very true. The tech industry moves so fast that it's hard for academia to keep up, and there's generally been a disconnect between what universities teach and what real jobs actually require. I would say ~75% of what I learned at UCLA I have just never used at work and forgotten.
...are there valuable concepts that I would be really missing out on by not completing my four year degree?
For undergrad, I strongly believe there is no concept that you learn in school that can't be learned online and on your own. Check out this Q&A from a self-taught Meta engineer where I go through the value (or lack thereof) of the learning from a 4 year degree: "For self-taught developers - How to build my own knowledge system during work?"
That being said, I strongly believe you should do the traditional 4-year degree if you can, which I'll cover more in my next point.
Would I be at a huge disadvantage by not completing my 4 year degree...
The answer is a resounding yes. From my ample experience both working with and hiring bootcampers/university grads, here's why:
All that being said, I have a lot of respect for bootcamps: There's definitely some really good ones out there that have produced really high-quality engineers, many of whom are my friends or are in the Taro community! University isn't for everyone, so if you feel like that's the case for you, you can definitely still find a path to becoming a successful software engineer without a 4-year degree.
For the most part, once you land your first real SWE job, whether you graduated from a coding bootcamp vs a 4 year CS degree doesn't matter as much.
All else being equal, employers would prefer the person with the CS degree since it'll be more rigorous. Given the longevity of a college degree and the security it provides, it should be the default path.
However, the shortest path to a job is likely to be a bootcamp. The outcomes will be more varied, but there are plenty of talented bootcamp grads and career switchers.