My response to “As a software engineer in game development with 3 years of experience trying to switch careers to web development, does it make sense considering to attend a boot camp such as Hack Reactor or learning on my own?”

This is an older question, and there are some reasonable responses, so I will try and be unique.

I am not an expert on game development, but I know ‘software engineer’ has a broad definition in the field. From behavioral scripting all the way up to complex web platforms for supporting MMOs. The closer you are to the internet platform side of things, the more likely you can successfully jump without a bootcamp.

I have worked with people transitioning out of gaming, some of whom had been developers. In gaming, banking, and even some large tech companies, a value is placed on specialization. Thus, an individual’s learning ability can become atrophied. Even though on paper they have “XX years of software engineering experience” inside they feel their skills are too narrow to break out.

• Where do you sit on that spectrum of skills usage?
• How many hours a week can you dedicate (realistically)?
• Do you have a growth mindset or do you get discouraged easily?

The short answer is you could probably do it, without a bootcamp, but would still get quite a bit of value for doing one. The community, psychological transformation, and meta-engineering are valuable.

To anyone reading this, connect to talk about your case.

Even experienced engineers can become isolated and lose a sense of confidence about their ability to grow. Regardless of you career pay, work to maintain a growth mindset and stay connected to a community that helps you realize your dreams.

Asking yourself these types of questions?

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