
NY AG fines Flatiron School coding bootcamp for using fake employment statistics - poliscientist
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/manhattan/flatiron-coding-school-pay-375g-making-false-claims-article-1.3561462
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biocomputation
I've never been a fan of bootcamps because it seems like a lot of them refuse
to follow the law with respect to licensing, and because I think they tend to
make outlandish claims. These companies can afford the licensing costs, and I
think the state has a valid interest in regulating any company that calls
itself a school.

The lack of concern about licensing, along with the way these companies play
fast loose with their employment statistics makes the whole industry seem very
fly-by-night. It's really too bad because I really like the idea of a company
that trains people who are interested in programming just enough to get their
foot in the door somewhere.

American companies should do more to train American workers, and I feel like a
$15k fee all but ensures that the student has some skin in the game. Might
this make them viable candidates for apprenticeships at American tech
companies?

I realize that on the job training is portable, but there has to be a way to
work that out. Not only that, but that on the job training is as portable for
programmers who come in with a CS degree as it is for programmers who come in
from a bootcamp.

Many companies have a college credit benefit that has to be paid back if the
employee leaves the company within a certain time. Wouldn't it be okay to have
something like an apprentice position, where the salary was lower for 3 years,
say half the usual as an incentive for the company, but the apprentice
programmer would get real world experience, plus something good on their
resume?

After three years, the programmer could stay or leave, but both parties would
have most of their their benefit at that point. If the programmer stayed, they
would start at the bottom of the pay scale. The company could fire at any
time, but it wouldn't be in their interests to do so unless there were serious
problems.

It's not perfect, but it could be a huge boon to tech companies and
apprentices alike. Yes, some people would shake out, but that happens whether
someone has a CS degree or not.

Anyone care to throw some darts at these ideas?

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lithos
So took any type of employment for counting an alumni as employed, but then
only counted full time employees for average pay. Which broke the law since
that's not proper reporting, along with licensing laws.

