I was the lead instructor for MakerSquare's first cohort, and I've also taught shorter, on-site courses for clients like Comcast (Lord forgive me), Huffington Post, and LinkedIn. I'm also exclusively self-taught, no CS degree. Here's my take.
You need to know your own learning style to make the decision on the investment. I'm pretty obsessive and learn things better on my own working towards a goal than I do in a classroom environment. (I was homeschooled, so whether I thrived in a homeschool environment because my brain works this way, or my brain works this way because I was homeschooled, or some of both, I'm not sure.) This plays out into my real life, too—my wife has found if she sends me follow-up emails on some things, I'm better able to act on it, as I have a lot of trouble retaining auditory information. (She is very gracious.)
But many people thrive in a classroom environment, and for them, a coding school and the energy of being in a room with 30 people driven towards a common goal makes starting the journey a lot easier. So, analyze your own learning style from the past, and weigh this into your decision.
Another angle to consider is that being in a program with MakerSquare is like getting into YC: it buys you access to a lot of wicked intelligent people who you might not get to rub shoulders with otherwise. I know some really, really smart developers in Austin. Many of them mentor MakerSquare students, and the students are privileged to have access to their time and expertise. If I could go back to when I first started learning and pay $20K to have these guys mentor me, I would do it in a heartbeat. But if you go this route, make a conscious effort to seek out their help and learn from them.
Finally, if cost is a major concern, I would look at Austin's MakerSquare program. Cost of living is lower than say SF, tuition is lower (I think, haven't cost compared in a while), and our community is very welcoming to motivated beginner developers.
Good luck! I'm nj@third.io if you want to ask me more questions offline. :)
You need to know your own learning style to make the decision on the investment. I'm pretty obsessive and learn things better on my own working towards a goal than I do in a classroom environment. (I was homeschooled, so whether I thrived in a homeschool environment because my brain works this way, or my brain works this way because I was homeschooled, or some of both, I'm not sure.) This plays out into my real life, too—my wife has found if she sends me follow-up emails on some things, I'm better able to act on it, as I have a lot of trouble retaining auditory information. (She is very gracious.)
But many people thrive in a classroom environment, and for them, a coding school and the energy of being in a room with 30 people driven towards a common goal makes starting the journey a lot easier. So, analyze your own learning style from the past, and weigh this into your decision.
Another angle to consider is that being in a program with MakerSquare is like getting into YC: it buys you access to a lot of wicked intelligent people who you might not get to rub shoulders with otherwise. I know some really, really smart developers in Austin. Many of them mentor MakerSquare students, and the students are privileged to have access to their time and expertise. If I could go back to when I first started learning and pay $20K to have these guys mentor me, I would do it in a heartbeat. But if you go this route, make a conscious effort to seek out their help and learn from them.
Finally, if cost is a major concern, I would look at Austin's MakerSquare program. Cost of living is lower than say SF, tuition is lower (I think, haven't cost compared in a while), and our community is very welcoming to motivated beginner developers.
Good luck! I'm nj@third.io if you want to ask me more questions offline. :)