> Strong disadvantage to individuals who are new to the area when getting a job; most people got jobs through personal connections/networking
This is key. The people I know who found good jobs after attending a boot camp had worked at startups in non-technical roles, and they were able to rely on connections with their friends in the engineering department. They got hired back at the same startup as junior developers. They are good at their jobs, but there are other boot camp grads who are just as good who never would have been considered if they had applied for a job without a personal connection at the company.
The tech industry is really not that different than other industries: personal connections are at least as important as skills, experience, and credentials.
This is key. The people I know who found good jobs after attending a boot camp had worked at startups in non-technical roles, and they were able to rely on connections with their friends in the engineering department. They got hired back at the same startup as junior developers. They are good at their jobs, but there are other boot camp grads who are just as good who never would have been considered if they had applied for a job without a personal connection at the company.
The tech industry is really not that different than other industries: personal connections are at least as important as skills, experience, and credentials.