├── .github └── PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md ├── README.md └── hire-beware.md /.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | 2 | 3 | ## Because 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ## This PR 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | ## Issue 12 | 19 | Closes #XXXXX 20 | 21 | ## Additional Information 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | ## Pull Request Requirements 26 | 27 | - [ ] I have thoroughly read and understand [The Odin Project Contributing Guide](https://github.com/TheOdinProject/.github/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) 28 | - [ ] The title of this PR follows the `location of change: brief description of change` format, e.g. `Intro to HTML and CSS lesson: Fix link text` 29 | - [ ] The `Because` section summarizes the reason for this PR 30 | - [ ] The `This PR` section has a bullet point list describing the changes in this PR 31 | - [ ] If this PR addresses an open issue, it is linked in the `Issue` section 32 | - [ ] If applicable, I have ran the files included in this PR through a spellchecker 33 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /README.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Blog 2 | 3 | The purpose of this repo is to hold blog posts for approval before posting on our organization's blog platform(s). In addition, the [wiki](https://github.com/TheOdinProject/blog/wiki) may be used to hold the lengthy pinned posts on Discord. 4 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /hire-beware.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | **TL;DR** - There are a lot of companies like Revature that offer paid training and then contract you out as a consultant. These companies do supply a lot of jobs to entry-level programmers with little or no experience. But there are several drawbacks that need serious consideration, like the contract terms and the expenses/expectations to relocate. While these opportunities are real and not necessarily a scam, they are severely less than ideal. Do your research, ask questions, and fully understand the implications of the contract. 2 | 3 | ### Warning Signs and What To Consider 4 | 5 | People often ask questions on [The Odin Project](https://www.theodinproject.com/)'s Discord server about companies that offer free, paid training and then contract you out as consultants. Probably the most prominent company that uses this model is Revature. But there are countless other companies that employ this model and, while the details may vary, they will operate similarly. If in doubt, look up the company on Glassdoor, reddit, or any other source to see what you can find out about them. The job postings usually mention that you will be working as a consultant after their free training program. These companies manage to post job listings seemingly everywhere and are enticing because they are among the only job postings that say “entry level,” “junior,” or “no experience required.” 6 | 7 | You should already be thinking: “They will pay me to learn, and they will help me land my first tech job. What’s the catch?” 8 | 9 | ### The Free, Paid Training 10 | 11 | According to several accounts I’ve read, the pay you’ll earn during training may range between $8 to $15 per hour (USD). Like most educational opportunities, the training quality varies widely. Several accounts suggest you have little or no choice about what you’ll actually learn. You may be interested in web development and end up learning IT. And while it is typical that you do not yet sign a contract during the initial stages of training, you are at the company’s mercy. 12 | 13 | Most notably, if they decide you don’t cut it during the training for whatever reason, they will kick you out of the program and you’re back to square one. Think this doesn’t happen? [According to this Glassdoor review about FDM](http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Employee-Review-FDM-Group-RVW46807752.htm), only 3 out of 11 trainees made it all the way through the training. As far as I can tell, these trainings are virtual due to COVID, so at least if you get kicked out of the program you won’t be stuck with the travel expenses to and from the training center anymore! 14 | 15 | ### The Contract 16 | 17 | The contract length is most commonly 2 years. And the kicker? The time you spend training and waiting to be placed at a company does not count! I have read accounts where it took months for people to be placed, and that is **after** spending typically 3 months doing the training programs. Yes, you get paid during these times but usually at what is referred to as a “bench rate.” The “bench rate” tracks closely to the location’s minimum wage (similar, if not equivalent, to the paid training rate). Another kicker? They have all the control because you signed your contract already. And the cost of breaching that contract can range from $10,000 to $45,000 (USD), depending on the company and how much time remains on your contract. There’s a short end to the stick, and you’ll be holding it. 18 | 19 | I have read several accounts that claim they’ve seen people break the contract without being forced to pay the penalty, but you’ll be at their mercy. If you’re reading over a contract for one of these places, be sure to consider what happens if a major life event requires you to move or quit the job. Will you have any power or protections in the contract in this event? 20 | 21 | ### Relocation 22 | 23 | Many accounts stress the need to be ready to relocate in a moment’s notice and to have the financial means/savings to do so. While many people stay on at one location during their contract, many others will be required to relocate two or more times. The moving stipend depends on the company, but the accounts I’ve read universally suggest the stipend won’t cover your actual expenses. Plus, you’ll be stuck with any breach of rental agreements. Double plus, you have no choice as to where you will move. 24 | 25 | ### Pay and Benefits 26 | 27 | Your pay and expenses may or may not be adjusted to the cost of living. Many accounts suggest you’ll get paid the same to work in New York City as you would in Morgantown, West Virginia. Either way, your pay will be much lower than the median entry-level software engineer/developer, web developer, full stack developer/engineer, front end engineer/developer, or whatever title you gain from your training and placement. [This recent account of Revature](https://www.reddit.com/r/cscareerquestions/comments/koemre/revature_a_comprehensive_no_bs_review/) claims the first year is $45,000 per year and the second year is $55,000 per year (USD). According to [this Glassdoor query](https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/entry-level-software-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,29.htm), the average base pay for an entry level software engineer is $76,882 per year (USD). That’s a big difference. If the pay is that much worse, you can bet the benefits are equally worse. 28 | 29 | Bear in mind that you are likely making close to minimum wage for the several months before you are placed in your first position, so be sure to have the savings required to subsist and to move, when necessary, to your new job! 30 | 31 | ### The Work 32 | 33 | You could end up getting placed with a great company that buys out your contract, if your contract allows it. You could end up working in a tech stack or field that interests you. You could work with a quality team that builds real, marketable skills. But it’s also possible to get trained in a field that doesn’t interest you. And it’s also possible you hate your placement. And it’s also possible you don’t work with people that will make you better. And then you’ll recall that you’re under contract, so you’re stuck in the good or the bad or the in-between. 34 | 35 | In other words, you neither know nor control if you end up in a good, bad, or in-between placement. Thus, you won’t really know if you’ll be in a better situation at the end of your contract, a position that would allow you to be more marketable and in demand. And in case you need a reminder, this will be after closer to 2.5 years of your life due to the contract not starting until you are placed at a company. 36 | 37 | ### Upsides? 38 | 39 | **If** you make it out of the training program and into a job placement… 40 | 41 | - You will earn a salary with benefits. (But don’t forget what happens if you get fired or released from your job placement: you begin to earn the “bench rate.”) 42 | - You will have job experience to put on your resume. And no, you wouldn’t have to list Revature or FDM or (insert name of any one of these countless companies); you would list the name of the company you were placed with. (But don’t forget that you may be trained in a technology or field that you don’t want to continue working in.) 43 | 44 | Depending on your financial situation and your ability to relocate, these may be reasons enough for you to take on the aforementioned risks. 45 | 46 | ### Conclusion 47 | 48 | Companies like Revature and FDM do indeed hire a lot of entry-level developers with little or no job experience. But there are a lot of things to consider before jumping into these less-than-ideal contracts. Do your research, ask questions, and ensure you understand all the implications of joining any of these companies that offer paid training to then contract you out as a consultant. 49 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------