The Best Coding Bootcamps in San Francisco
Whether you are already a resident of San Francisco or simply planning to move there, it is no secret this city is one of the best places to learn how to start your career in tech. With the abundance of tech companies, full-immersion bootcamps, and coding courses available, you’ll have plenty of luck with your job search in the tech hub of Silicon Valley.
But what should you do to increase your odds of good job placement? Well, that’s where we come in. By enrolling in a few coding courses in San Francisco, you can greatly improve your employability. So, if you are looking for all of the best bootcamps offering full and part-time courses, this guide is for you.
The San Francisco Tech Scene and Job Market
It is common knowledge that San Francisco is known as one of, if not the biggest, tech hubs in the world. So, it is no surprise to hear that while the job market can be competitive, it is chock-full of opportunities.
Even in the ongoing COVID-19 situation, San Francisco has been able to continuously fill the best tech positions and unemployment in the Silicon Valley area remains relatively low.
With some of the biggest companies almost constantly hiring tech positions, there is no doubt you will find a job suitable for your strengths and interests. Whether you want to work for Google, Airbnb, Netflix, or some of the smaller, local businesses, San Francisco is the place to go for a job in tech.
There is competition for coveted positions with these big companies, but if you are dedicated, skilled, and do your research about the positions you apply for, you should have no trouble landing your dream job.
Tech Salaries in San Francisco
Although 2020 was a difficult year for many industries and workforces, the tech industry in San Francisco remained strong. Despite a decrease in job openings compared to previous years, San Francisco continues to have a significantly high average salary for tech employees.
On average, in San Francisco and the Silicon Valley area, most tech workers earn between $145,000 and $155,000 per year. Compared to the nationwide average of $122,840 per year, the salary in San Francisco is extremely high. So, for those who want to pursue well-paid jobs in tech, this is the city to go to.
The Top 8 San Francisco Coding Bootcamps in 2021
San Franciso is the tech hub of the United States and there is no better place to get your tech education through a coding bootcamp. Read on to explore a list of the best coding bootcamps the city has to offer below.
Courses Offered | Immersive Software Engineering |
Program Types | Full-Time 16-weeks, Full-Time 24 weeks, online, onsite |
Cost | $17,000 to $28,000 for 16-week program, $20,000 to $31,000 for 24-week program |
Financing Options | Deferred Payment, Upfront Payment, Hybrid Option, Monthly Financing |
Scholarships Available | Access Scholarship |
The App Academy has two locations, one in New York City and the other in San Francisco. Both locations offer the same courses, but the one in San Francisco is ideal for those living or moving there, or simply searching for the best tech job market.
Through this coding bootcamp, you can enroll in one of the many variants of the immersive software engineering course. You can choose between an online or onsite program, and whether you want to go for 16 or 24 weeks.
Pricing is dependent upon how you intend to pay. For the 16-week program, it costs $17,000 if you pay in a lump sum upfront, $23,000 in their hybrid plan, or up to $28,000 if you opt for deferred payments. Whichever path you choose, you can apply for the Access Scholarship and potentially earn $5,000 toward your tuition.
Courses Offered | Software Engineering, Data Science, Cyber Security Analytics, Cyber Security Engineering |
Program Types | Full-Time Immersive Onsite, Full-Time Online, Part-Time Online |
Cost | $18,000 for Onsite, $15,500 for Online |
Financing Options | Upfront Payment, Private Loans |
Scholarships | Access Scholarship, NexTech Scholarship, NCWIT’s Alabama and Michigan Digital Skills Initiative |
Although Flatiron School has quite a few locations, it is still considered one of the best coding bootcamps you can attend in San Francisco. Whether you enroll in the software engineering, data science, cyber security analytics, or cyber security engineering program, you are sure to receive the best education possible.
Offered in both full-time and part-time programs, onsite and online, you can choose the program best suited for you. The onsite programs cost $18,000 while the online programs are less expensive and cost $15,500. You can choose to do an upfront payment or take out private loans for any program option.
There are also a few scholarships you can apply for. The Access Scholarship is for women, underrepresented minorities, people with disabilities, veterans, and members of the LGBTQ community. The NexTech Scholarship is meant for the same groups of people, or you could apply for the NCWIT Alabama and Michigan Digital Skills Initiative if you are a woman living in Alabama or Michigan.
Courses Offered | Data Analytics, Data Science, Digital Marketing, Front-End Web Development, JavaScript Development, Product Management, Python Programming, React Development, Software Engineering, User Experience Design, Visual Design |
Program Types | Full-Time Immersive, Part-Time Immersive, Part-Time, Online, On-Demand |
Cost | $15,950 for Full-Time Immersive, $14,950 for Part-Time Immersive, $2800 to $3950 for Part-Time, $950 for On-Demand |
Financing Options | Upfront Payment, Income Share Agreement, Private Loans, Payment Installments, G.I. Bill |
Scholarships | See Her Excel, Social Impact Programs, Skills Checkpoint Contribution Matching |
General Assembly is well-known for its various coding courses offered at different locations. The San Francisco location offers all of the same programs as any other location, and in any format you can think of.
Depending on the program you choose, you will end up paying anywhere between $950 to $15,590 in tuition, although there are many options to pay. You can do an upfront payment, an ISA, take out loans, set up a payment installment plan, and even use the GI Bill. You can also apply to one of the scholarships or social impact programs designed to help underrepresented students in STEM fields.
Courses Offered | Software Engineering, Bootcamp Prep, Python 101 |
Program Types | Full-Time Online, Full-Time Onsite, Part-Time Online, Part-Time Onsite |
Cost | $249 for Prep Course and Python 101, $12,900 for Online, $14,900 for Onsite |
Financing Options | Upfront Payment, Deferred Payments, Private Loans |
Scholarships | Hackbright Phenomenal Woman Scholarship, Quip Diversity Scholarship |
Hackbright Academy is a women-only bootcamp, and offers courses in software engineering, bootcamp prep, and Python 101. All of these courses can be taken online or onsite, and are flexible in pacing, meaning they can be full-time or part-time.
To enroll in the Bootcamp Prep or Python 101 course, you’ll owe Hackbright Academy $249 per course. For the online versions of the software engineering course, you’ll end up paying $12,900, and for the onsite version, it costs $14,900.
Each of these courses can be paid for via an upfront payment of the entire tuition, deferred payments, or private loans. You can also try applying for one of the scholarships offered at this progressive bootcamp.
To qualify for the Hackbright Phenomenal Woman Scholarship, you will simply need to provide examples of your tech work. For the Quip Diversity Scholarship, you need to be part of a group typically underrepresented in the STEM fields.
Courses Offered | Immersive Software Engineering |
Program Types | Full-Time Onsite, Full-Time Remote, Part-Time Remote |
Cost | $17,980 |
Financing Options | Upfront Payment, Income Share Agreement, Private Loans |
Scholarships | Galvanize Scholarship, We Stand Together Scholarship |
Hack Reactor offers one course in immersive software engineering and the course is offered in different ways. You can enroll in either an onsite or remote full-time program, and if you prefer a part-time program, you can enroll in the remote part-time option.
Regardless of which program you choose to enroll in, the cost of tuition remains the same at $17,980. This can be paid through an upfront payment of the entire amount, an income share agreement plan, in which you pay back the tuition with a percentage of your income upon employment, or you can work with Hack Reactor’s loan partners and take out personal loans.
All of the payment options can be used alongside one of the scholarships offered for this bootcamp. Available for anyone to apply to is the Galvanize Scholarship, which covers the entire cost of tuition for the program. You can apply for the We Stand Together Scholarship if you identify as black or African American, and have the entire cost of tuition covered.
Courses Offered | Software Engineering |
Program Types | Full-Time Onsite |
Cost | $85,000 |
Financing Options | Upfront Payment, Deferred Payments |
Scholarships | N/A |
If you are interested in a school actually founded in San Francisco, look no further. Holberton School was founded in Silicon Valley in 2016 with the goal of offering education to those who are less likely to have educational opportunities.
While Holberton School only offers a software engineering course, there are many different specializations you can choose from to customize your program during the two-year course. These include machine learning, AR/VR, full stack web development, and low-level algorithms. All of the specializations are included in the $85,000 tuition cost.
Courses Offered | Web Development Fundamentals, Front End Web and Mobile Development, Full Stack Web and Mobile Development |
Program Types | Full-Time Onsite, Full-Time Online, Part-Time Onsite, Part-Time Online |
Cost | $349 for Web Development Fundamentals, $1,480 for Front-End Web and Mobile Development, $1,880 for Fullstack Web and Mobile Development |
Financing Options | Upfront Payment, Fair Student Agreement |
Scholarships | Warrior Rising Scholarship Fund, ReSkill America Scholarship Fund, High School Graduates Scholarship Fund, “Nu You” Scholarship Fund |
Nucamp is a popular coding bootcamp, offering three courses to choose from. The three courses are designed to be taken in succession, from Web Development Fundamentals to Front End Web and Mobile Development, and ending with Full Stack Web and Mobile Development. However, they do not have to be taken in any order, and it is possible to skip the first one or two courses.
The programs cost $349, $1,480, and $1,880 respectively. The tuition can be paid via an upfront payment of the entire amount, or by agreeing to Nucamp’s Fair Student Agreement (FSA) financial plan. The FSA allows students to make interest-free monthly payments until the tuition is completely paid.
There are also a few scholarships you can apply for to keep tuition costs down. The Warrior Rising Scholarship Fund is a $50,000 fund offering assistance to veterans. The ReSkill America, High School Graduates, and “Nu You” funds are all $50,000 funds too but meant for those impacted by COVID-19, high school students, and those not eligible for student loans.
Courses Offered | Immersive Software Engineering |
Program Types | Full-Time Onsite (currently remote due to COVID-19) |
Cost | $24,000 |
Financing Options | Upfront Payment, Income Share Agreement, Private Loans, Deferred Payments |
Scholarships | N/A |
Rithm School offers yet another great immersive software engineering course in the San Francisco area. This bootcamp only offers one program, which is a full-time, onsite program. However, at the time of publication, this program is being offered remotely due to COVID-19 precautions.
This program is offered for $24,000, and there are a few different ways tuition can be paid. You can pay the full amount upfront, or you can look into an income share agreement (ISA), in which you pay off the tuition cost from your income after getting a job. Or, you can opt for taking out private loans or simply deferring the tuition payments.
What Is a Coding Bootcamp?
Coding bootcamps are schools designed for intensive study of software development or a similar subject. A coding bootcamp education is great for those who know exactly what they want to do and who want to avoid the filler classes required for a college degree.
Most tech companies recognize coding bootcamps as a valid and more impressive education than universities, and will often browse through popular bootcamps’ alumni to look for job candidates. If you weren’t sold on a coding bootcamp before, the ease of finding a job as a bootcamp alumni should help convince you.
Is a San Francisco Coding Bootcamp Right for You?
While coding bootcamps aren’t the right move for everyone, it could be for you. If you plan to live in or work in San Francisco and are pursuing a career in tech, a coding bootcamp will make finding employment much easier, and is worth the investment.