
Ask HN: Is there a real career in being a coding bootcamp instructor? - aspiringteacher
What does the typical career path for instructors look like? Can it be a stepping stone to different careers in academia?
======
sosilkj
I can't speak much to being a bootcamp instructor, but I'll attempt to address
your last question. A bootcamp is not an accredted, degree-granting
institution -- it's not part of academia in the typical sense, so, if by
'careers in academia', you mean teaching at the university/college level,
you're sort of comparing apples and oranges; pursuing experience outside of
academia will not be the best use of your time/resources in that case.

Teaching at the college level means either attaining a tenure-stream position,
or adjuncting. Tenure-stream requires a terminal degree (normally a PhD) and
such roles are difficult to get; on the other hand, one can sometimes adjunct
with a master's (or possibly even a bachelor's) but there is zero job
security, and your'e still competing against all the people who do have PhDs
but failed to get a tenure-track role. Nobody 'wants' to be a full-time
adjunct, if that makes sense.

Either way, you'd gain teaching experience by taking on teaching
fellowships/assistantships while pursuing your master's / doctorate. That's
not to say bootcamp instructoring would be useless, but it's hard to say how
valuable it would be.

If you have a genunine desire to teach, my two cents is to keep your day job
(I'm guessing you are currently a software developer) and find a way to teach
part-time -- part-time adjuncting, after-school tutoring, etc etc. It can be
very fulfilling, but I wouldn't stake my financial future on it.

