The best tech bootcamps for teens

STEM education is now being provided by the commercial sector in addition to public education. This is an opportunity for companies to serve high school students in addition to adults in the workforce. The tech bootcamp industry is on a fast growth path, according to Verified Market Research, who state that the coding bootcamp industry itself “was valued at USD $399.91M in 2018 and is projected to reach USD $889.37M by 2026.” Additionally, a study conducted on the current state of the bootcamp market in 2021 found that the top employers of bootcamp students include companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and JPMorgan Chase. Read on and you’ll find some excellent bootcamp options for teenagers seeking a headstart in tech. 

1. GIS bootcamp

Geographic information systems (GIS)–have you heard of this field before? If not, it’s time to pay attention to the $18B industry that produces things like the Johns Hopkins COVID Dashboard, Google Maps, and your city’s parcel map. GIS is much more common than you think with amazing map applications in climate, renewable energy, national security, and habitat protection. Professionals use spatial data, utilizing computer tools and software to accomplish these tasks. GIS enables people to make decisions based on what’s going on where. If you have a teen who is interested in maps and data, a bootcamp offering GIS Certification online might be the perfect call. 

Bootcamp GIS is unique in this category which is amazing since this is one of the ‘Big 7’ tech growth sectors. They offer a personalized learning path, online GIS courses, and career advisement. There is a diverse range of courses, which include long term forest planning, learning Python, or setting up AWS map servers. Your teen will come away with a GIS certificate.

2. Coding bootcamps

Who hasn’t heard of coding bootcamps? These bootcamps, which focus on providing students with coding skills, are by far the most well-known on this list. There are a plethora of coding bootcamps available online because these classes are an excellent investment.  Being able to code is a skill in high demand for every vertical market. Most coding bootcamps will teach either the Java, C++, Python, or HTML/CSS coding languages–all of which have a wide range of applications and are skills many employers look for. We have compiled a few coding bootcamps available today for the younger age groups.

Codewizards HQ delivers fun and effective online coding classes for children and teenagers.

Upperline Code provides online coding classes that last from one to two weeks for teens, where students work collaboratively to build real applications.

Girls who Code is a nonprofit that serves high school girls in STEM. Their free summer immersion program teaches students computer science skills to prepare for a future in tech.

CS@SC Summer Camps is a K-12 summer camp held by USC that teaches students coding skills.

And we should mention that this past year, in August 2021, Google held a 4-week computer science introductory program for graduating high school seniors, known as the Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI). Although it’s now too late to participate, definitely keep an eye on Google’s announcements next year if your high schooler will be eligible to apply to CSSI. 

3. Robotics bootcamp

Robotics is a fascinating field that combines machine learning, artificial intelligence, and computer science in the creation of robots, both simple and complex. Many schools have robotics clubs where participants can create projects and participate in contests. Robotics is where you can see coding skills come to life inside a robot. Beyond learning computing and mathematical skills, teens can also learn the ability to collaborate and work with others in a team. A robotics bootcamp provides this experience in a brief period of time. There are a couple of robotics bootcamps to definitely check out.

VisionTech has a robotics engineering camp for teens aged 13-17.  

DataWiz’s robotics bootcamp is an 8 week program targeted towards children and younger teens (7-15+).

IDtech offers excellent options for teens looking to learn robotics, with most of their camps lasting for about one to two weeks.

4. AI bootcamp

Artificial intelligence (AI) uses computer science and machine learning to mimic the human mind in machines. Technologies like Siri or Alexa both utilize AI to carry out their functions. Despite AI and machine learning seeming to be very high level fields, there are a variety of online courses and camps available for high school students. We suggest these AI/machine learning programs or bootcamps that target high schoolers. 

Inspirit AI is holding AI intensives with MIT and Stanford graduate students in Fall and Winter 2021. 

Community AI is a non-profit that holds free AI camps where students use AI to help the community and environment. Although 2021’s AI camp slot is already complete, you can register for future camps here.

AI camp offers an AI immersion program to middle school and high school students that goes from coding to AI to tech internships.

NYU Tandon holds yearly machine learning programs during the summer. Keep an eye out for next year’s registration.

Conclusion 

The best way to prepare for a career is by starting earlier. Teenagers’ brains are like sponges, soaking up information much more easily than adults. Developing technical skillsets early can open up numerous doors for teens. To any parents out there, if your teen is passionate about technology, understand that tech bootcamps are an excellent investment that will certainly pay off when they grow up. We hope this article helps you locate a tech bootcamp that fuels your child’s passion.