Open Letter to Coding Bootcamps, Alumni, and Prospective Students
March 1, 2017

Most Bootcamp Hiring Metrics Are A Mess
Many schools are publishing job metrics that are opaque, inconsistent, or misleading. Course Report measures the industry placement average around 73% - much lower than the rates bootcamps usually publish. This hurts consumers who are unable to make a clear, apples-to-apples comparison between schools.

We Must Take Action
Bootcamps are valuable to students and society, recognized by the Obama White House for "rapidly train[ing] workers for a well-paying job, often in just a few months."  If the industry can't fix this, it's only a matter of time before the public loses trust. The fallout will impact all bootcamps, not just bad actors.

Solutions are at Hand
Fifteen bootcamps joined to create the Council for Integrity on Results Reporting (CIRR), which solves this problem.  Other schools may join, or choose another solution, but there is no excuse for the status quo.

Call to Action: Bootcamps
Commit to these guidelines for all future employment reports. Adopt CIRR, or a different standard that meets these criteria.

1. No deceptive or borderline definitions of employment.  None of the following graduate outcomes should count as “employed”: part-time jobs, short-term contracts, graduates that returned to previous jobs (with no change in title), entrepreneurs, out-of-field employment, or returning to school.
2. No deceptive or borderline exclusions from placement rates.  None of the following categories should be excluded from employment statistics: inactive job seekers, graduates not seeking employment, graduates still seeking employment as of the publication date, or graduates with unknown employment outcomes.

Call to Action: Prospective Students
Before enrolling in a bootcamp, ask them to make this commitment.  Be aware that all of the practices in this letter are in active use at many bootcamps, and that audited reports are not assurance to the contrary.  Ask for details about which of these practices, if any, are in use at a bootcamp you're applying to.  

Call to Action: Alumni
Your bootcamp's conduct is a reflection on your education.  Encourage your school to comply.  Share this letter with other alumni who may have been swept under the rug.  If your school is joining CIRR, give them kudos for being a part of the solution.

Authors: Hack Reactor, Turing School, Fullstack Academy, Thinkful, Epicodus, and Codeup

All schools following the CIRR standard are known to be in accordance with this open letter

Please sign and share to bring accountability and transparency to ALL coding bootcamps.