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What is Coding?

The word coding stems from the Latin word codex, which means a book of laws. The word got passed into Middle English, where it became code, which originally meant a set of laws as well (consider the Code of Hammurabi). Somewhere along the line, the sense of something cryptographic got attached to the word (we say that the Zimmermann Telegram was written in code, for example), and, from there, the term began to be used for the semi-arcane languages that humans use to talk to computers. Coding, in the information technology sense, is the writing out of a set of instructions for a computer to execute.

The problem is that computers only speak binary code, and humans only speak messy languages like English, in which words like code can mean multiple things. The vast gorge between these two linguistic extremes was bridged by developing languages that could be understood both by computers and humans. Writing in these languages is termed coding, and code is what accounts for anything any digital device does, be it tracking your errant dog or ordering gum arabic crystals from Amazon. There are some two hundred computer languages, all with different capabilities, and, fear not, not all in regular use today. Among the languages you will encounter if you decide you want to learn to code are JavaScript, Python, Java, C# (pronounced C-sharp, not C-hashtag), F#, and Ruby. Each of these has its own syntax and vocabulary, and learning them isn’t all that different from learning a new human language, with one important exception: you don’t have to worry about getting the accent right.

Why Become Certified in Coding?

We live in a world that some would say is on the brink of being taken over by digital devices. That may be fanciful, but there is no question that we depend on computers and even more on our mobile phones in a way that would be incomprehensible even to a time traveler from 25 years ago. If you want to determine whether a recipe for a 20 x 30 cm baking dish will fit in an American 9” x 13” pan (it will) or renew your dog’s license, you’re more likely than not going to use a computer to do it. It’s immensely convenient, but, even while it can seem that your phone is an all-knowing magic mirror, the reality is that it can only do what it does because someone wrote a whole mess of code. According to no less a figure than Steve Jobs, everyone ought to learn to program a computer. Given the prevalence of computers in nearly all of our daily lives, he may have been right.

Like Rome, you can’t make a coder in a single day. Indeed, the standard route to becoming a coder or a software developer is to get a bachelor’s of computer science degree. There’s a lot of knowledge to absorb, and four years isn’t too little time in which to do it. Nevertheless, you can become a competent coder in a shorter stretch of time by attending one of the many what are called bootcamps that teach you computer languages in months instead of years. Also known as certificate programs, these courses are offered either by specialized IT schools or by universities that offer them as part of extension or other not-for-credit divisions. Certificates of completion are issued at the end of these classes. They’re diplomas in all but name.

Four-year college educations take at least four years (more if you’re pursuing your degree part-time) and can be extremely costly by the time you’re done. There are still plenty of good reasons to go to college, but if your goal is to open the door to new professional opportunities, a bootcamp may serve you well. You can learn a lot more than bonjour, au revoir, and l’addition s’il vous plait by working on a language for a few months. You can even learn two (or three) languages in the course of an intensive bootcamp that will require upwards of 60 hours of work a week for something like 16 weeks. You might not achieve complete mastery of the languages in that time, but you will have learned enough to qualify for an entry-level job in a new, exciting, and remunerative field.

What You’ll Learn While Becoming Coding Certified

If you have decided that you’re interested in a career as a coder, and you’ve decided that a certificate program is the best way to make that happen, you’re next going to have to select the language(s) you wish to learn. In the same way that you’d learn Russian so you can read Dostoevsky in the original, or that you’d learn Tagalog because you’re doing a lot of business in the Philippines, you learn different computer languages because you have different purposes in mind. If you want to be a Front End Developer, you need one set of languages. If you want to be a Back End Developer, a different set of languages is necessary, and, if you want to be a Data Scientist, you’ll need yet another group of languages to get your career started. Few coders (if any) know only one language, and proficiency in more than one language is obviously a highly sought-after job skill. You should nonetheless begin by taking small bites and tackle one language at a time. Along the way, you’ll also develop some soft skills that are highly necessary for a career in coding.

CSS and JavaScript

This trio of languages is where most coders begin their studies. HTML and CSS are, in fact, so simple as not to be considered full-fledged languages in some quarters. Websites are all built out of HTML and CSS code, to which JavaScript is added to make the site interactive, dynamic, and, in general, more interesting. Website bells and whistles are, however, only the tip of the JavaScript iceberg, and the language can be used to create apps, build games, and even make Internet of Things (IoT) interfaces. If you can interact with your smart toaster, that’s probably because it’s powered by JavaScript. JavaScript is so versatile (and relatively learner-friendly) that some bootcamps make it the main focus of their curricula.

Python

The most popular of computer languages today is the brainchild of developer Guido van Rossum, who began working on it in the late 1980s. Named not for the big scary voracious snakes, but, instead, for the British comedy troupe Monty Python, the language is, however, not as funny as the Spam and Eggs sketch. Guided by principles such as “beautiful is better than ugly” and “sparse is better than dense,” Python is relatively easy to learn. It is a language that is capable of a great deal, including complex mathematical calculations, which explains why it is so prevalent in the data science world. But it can be used for game design, back end development, and task automation as well. As it’s easy to pick up and can do so many things, Python features prominently in the syllabi of many coding bootcamps and certificate programs.

Java

Although their fates aren’t polar opposites, the rise of Python has definitely been accompanied by a decline in the popularity of another language, Java. Like Python, Java is high-level (that is to say that it resembles human languages to a degree) and object-oriented (that is to say that it’s modular in the manner of sofas that can be taken apart without recourse to a chainsaw. Strangely, however, Java is looked upon as an “old” language when it’s really of more recent date than Python. Java isn’t going to suffer the fate of the obsolete COBOL anytime soon, however: too many programs in use today were written in the language, including such essentials of modern existence as the Android operating system, the Citi banking app, and Minecraft. Java is considered one of the easier-to-learn languages, but don’t expect it to help with learning JavaScript. The languages have next to nothing to do with each other besides the first four letters of their names. Java was all the rage when JavaScript was released, and the developers of the latter pretty much stole the coffee-infused name of the former to give their new scripting language some legitimacy.

C, C++ and C#

Somewhere lying neglected in the pile of obsolete digital languages are A and B. They may be dead, but their successor C has evidenced greater longevity. It was first used by programmers in 1972 and is still in use today. Although A and B explain the name C, there is no C+ to explain the name of C’s closest descendant, C++. First used in 1983, it was an update of the high-level C that introduced object-oriented programming, but also made it into a middle-level language. Another member of the C family, C#, was introduced in 2000; it is both object-oriented and high-level. These languages are closer than Croatian is to Palauan, but nowhere nearly as close as Croatian is to Serbian. They need to be studied individually, and there is some disagreement as to the order in which they should be learned. Putting aside the legacy C as a lesser priority, the battling realities are that C# is easier to learn, but that learning C# first can cause you to miss some of the possibilities inherent in C++. While some coding experts actually do suggest learning C++ as a first language (the theory there is that you should jump in at the deep end), most bootcamps and certificate languages put it last on the syllabus, if they include it at all.

Problem Solving

Learning computer languages isn’t all there is to a course in coding. Because Python and JavaScript are concrete realities, they are considered hard skills. By a combination of osmosis and discipline, you’ll simultaneously acquire a range of soft skills that will serve you well in life as well as on the job market. One of these is problem solving: coding by definition is an exercise in solving problems. Coders are told to make the computer do something, and their job is to figure out how. Debugging is a further exercise in problem solving, as you try to determine which line out of the potentially millions of lines of code a program entails is causing your app to malfunction. You’ll also find that your capacity for logical thinking will increase as your coding abilities develop. Don’t underestimate these soft skills, and remember to add them to your resume when the time comes.

Coding Industries in NJ

New Jersey has long been at the forefront of technological innovation. Most famously, Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, the moving picture, and the first commercially practicable lightbulb in the Garden State. Other significant innovations created by New Jerseyans include the bar code, the corticosteroid drug prednisone, and M&Ms. New Jersey is also the birthplace of Monopoly, the original version of which used street names from Atlantic City. The first cellular telephone call, although placed from Manhattan, was placed to Bell Labs in New Jersey in 1973, so New Jersey even had a hand in that world-changing technological moment.

Currently, New Jersey is home to numerous tech giants. Amazon’s Audible (talking book) division is headquartered in Newark, while AT&T and Verizon have significant presences in New Jersey as well. Verizon has a corporate campus in Basking Ridge that employs 6,000 workers, while AT&T keeps its Global Network Operations Center in Bedminster. Panasonic’s North American operations are headquartered in Newark, while Samsung’s United States headquarters are in Ridgefield Park. Major players in the tech game have found New Jersey very attractive, resulting in a large number of jobs for skilled tech workers.

New Jersey’s tech scene isn’t limited to megacompanies. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority has created an ecosystem that is favorable to startups, ranging from incubators, accelerators, and co-working spaces to a number of schemes designed to encourage tech development through tax credits and other financial incentives. Among the companies blossoming in the Garden State are such things as BlockFi, which applies blockchain technology to managing clients’ cryptocurrency assets; OpenLegacy, which allows companies to retain their legacy computer networks while remaining technologically current; or UVeye, which provides automated inspection systems for a wide variety of industries. Almost unique to New Jersey is its thriving sports betting business, which has actually surpassed Nevada’s in recent years, and has also led to significant tech job creation as online betting takes up an ever-larger part of the sports book pie.

All told, there are more than 5,000 information technology companies in New Jersey. Although one might assume that the tech scene in New York City attracts New Jerseans by the bucketful, the interesting reality is that it takes less time to get from Manhattan to Newark via PATH than it does to get to Wall Street from Midtown. As New Jersey’s tech scene continues to develop, there will probably be more and more reverse commuters to a state that has much to offer – financial incentives, space to move around, and a markedly lower cost of living than on the other side of the Hudson – to tech companies, giants, startups and sports books alike.

Coding Careers in NJ

The second-highest concentration of information and communications technology workers in the country is to be found in New Jersey. According to figures from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics collected by the Department of Labor, more than 158,000 workers are employed in computer and mathematical operations capacities. Within that rubric, the OEWS breaks down roles for coders into three categories: Web Developers, Software Developers, and Computer Programmers. Web Developers, whose duties include developing and implementing websites and applications, account for some 2000 workers in New Jersey, and earn an annual mean salary of $88,000. Computer Programmers, who are as close as a Bureau of Labor Statistics category gets to straight-up coders, number over 6700 in the state, and earn a mean salary of approximately $112,000 per annum. A further encouraging statistic for Computer Programmers in New Jersey is the location quotient of 1.83. This number shows the density of workers in a given field in a given region as compared to a national average placed at 1. There is, therefore, a substantial concentration of Computer Programmers in the Garden State, which is as good an indicator as any that the state is a good destination for coders.

Finally, Software Developers, who can be further subdivided into back end, front end, or full stack, account for the largest number of people in the coding professions in New Jersey, with a total of almost 55,000 people engaged in searching, designing, and developing network software. The annual mean salary for Software Developers is just over $128,000, and the location quotient for the profession is 1.29. These numbers continue to paint a rosy picture for the sector in the state.

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification

Certificate and certification sound alike and share a common linguistic root, but, in the contemporary business world, they are radically different concepts. Certificates come from bootcamps and other intensive programs that do not count for college credit, but which, rather, are designed to get people prepared for and into the workforce as quickly as possible. Certificates are to these programs as diplomas are to degree programs. They both bear witness to the completion of a course of study. Certifications are a wholly different ballgame, and are earned by taking an examination designed to test your knowledge of a particular technology. A good example in the coding field is the certifications offered by the C++ Institute for all of the C languages.

Certificates and certifications both play a role in the advancement of a career, but, as a general rule, they play their roles at different times. Certificates are essential for people seeking entry-level jobs who don’t hold college computer science degrees: they’re the way hiring directors (and their army of evil application-scanning bots) know that you have the background required for the role for which you are applying. Certifications usually don’t come into play until further down the road, for people seeking advanced-level positions. A certification is a credential that attests to a body of knowledge that’s learned as much at school as from work experience, and is more in the line of something hiring directors look for when it comes to filling higher-level roles.

Top Coding Certificate Programs in NJ

If a four-year degree in computer science isn’t in the cards for you (and there are many good reasons why it might not be), you can still learn to code by attending a certificate program or a bootcamp. There are three different teaching modalities where these are concerned: live and in person, live and online, and online on demand. Each of these has advantages and defects, many of which depend on you and how you fare best when it comes to learning. As the bootcamp industry evolves, it is shifting more and more to an online format, so that finding live in-person classes can be very difficult even in the largest cities. New Jersey has the geographical advantage of being located close to New York City, where in-person classes are plentiful. You’ll have to brave public transportation and Manhattan traffic to get there, but, if you do wish to learn in person, you do have that option from many parts of the Garden State.

Noble Desktop: Software Engineering Certificate

Noble Desktop has been teaching coding and design since 1990, with classes both at its Midtown Manhattan campus and live online. Their flagship coding offering is a Software Engineering Certificate program that is designed to make entry-level full stack developers out of raw beginners. The course runs full-time for 20 weeks and is priced at $10,995. The school makes a number of payment plans available. The curriculum is divided into three units: the first covers front end development with HTML and CSS, the second is devoted to JavaScript and React for the construction of user interfaces, and the third covers Python with the Django framework for back end development.

As students advance through the hands-on curriculum, they develop several individual portfolio projects that they can use to show to prospective employers. The program also includes multiple 1-to-1 mentoring sessions. These can be used for academic assistance as well as job search preparation, including advice on resumes, LinkedIn profiles, and mock interviews. Similarly included is a partial or full free retake option that, within a year of the completion of the program, allows students to take the course a second time. This can make for an effective refresher, or, given the intensive pace of the class, give students a chance to absorb material they might have missed the first time around.

Flatiron School: Software Engineering Bootcamp

Flatiron School was founded in 2012 so that people can acquire 21st-century skills and use them to begin careers in IT. Its primary coding offering is the Software Engineering Bootcamp. Its curriculum covers Python, JavaScript, React.js, and Flask, with an emphasis on how AI can be used to facilitate many coding tasks. The fifteen-week program is full-time (40 hours per week, not counting homework assignments) and is priced at $17,900. A number of payment plans is available. Students applying to the program participate in an interview and must pass a critical thinking assessment. The class begins with 60-80 hours of on-demand pre-work in which students learn how to program a web page employing HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. When the class meetings begin in earnest, they can be taken at Flatiron’s Manhattan location, right across the street from the Battery. The modern campus plays host to all manner of on-campus events, ranging from peer networking to alumni panels to chances to unwind at such things as karaoke nights. If you don’t want to make the journey into the City, the class is also available online, which means it can be taken (without braving NJ Transit or PATH) from anywhere in the state, from Newark to Trenton to Ocean City. The course may also be taken part-time in a self-paced format that allows you to study when you can. Part-time students can attend optional live lectures and employ Slack to establish connections with their teachers and classmates.

Instruction is hands-on: students are active participants in class, rather than passive listeners. The schedule provides for lab sessions for further practice coding, group projects, and an individual final project. A career services team, including a 1-to-1 career coach, is at the disposal of all students, and can help with resumes, LinkedIn profiles, interview coaching, and developing a professional network. Career services remain available to students for six months following graduation.

Rutgers University/edX: Rutgers Coding Bootcamp

Rutgers University’s coding bootcamp is offered in conjunction with edX, a firm that partners with institutions of higher learning to create non-degree programs in in-demand workplace skills. The Rutgers Coding Bootcamp runs full-time for 12 weeks or part-time for 24 weeks, and begins with the trinity of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, before moving along to Node.js, MongoDB, and MySQL to enable students to create full-stack applications with what they’ve learned. Additional on-demand lessons are available, giving students the opportunity to study Java, Python, C#, and Amazon Web Services. The price of the course is $12,745 (full-time) or $11,245 (part-time), and both payment plans and scholarships are available. The bootcamp is not open admission: students must go through an interview and a critical thinking assessment as part of the application process. Although Rutgers is located in New Brunswick, this program is only available online, meaning you can attend the class from any comfortable space you can find.

The program assigns its students a Student Success Manager to provide assistance with both academic and non-academic matters. Students use Slack to keep in contact with their instructors and classmates. As regards career services, an entire team is in place to provide students with resume, profile, and portfolio reviews, as well as personalized interview coaching. The team remains at students’ disposal for up to 90 days following completion of the course.

Coding Dojo: Software Development Coding Bootcamp

Coding Dojo has for ten years been an online arm of Colorado Technical University and teaches a three-stack curriculum that is predicated on the theory that students become better coders by learning multiple languages, and carrying over the truism from human languages that the more of them you know, the easier it is to learn new ones. The program requires all students to learn Python and JavaScript, and then gives them the choice to accompany those with either Java or C#. Everyone also spends time learning HTML, CSS, and GitHub. There are two part-time versions of the class in addition to the 16-week full-time program with its estimated 70 to 90 hours of work per week. The first calls for some 30 to 40 hours of work per week and can be completed in as few as 18 and as many as 34 weeks. The second part-time option teaches only Python but requires only 10 to 15 hours of weekly study. Tuition is from $9,995 to $16,995, and a selection of payment options is available. All instruction takes place in a virtual classroom.

The career services at Coding Dojo remain available to students throughout their lifetimes. They include resume and LinkedIn profile optimization, GitHub portfolio development, job-search assistance, and, most importantly, 1-to-1 sessions with a dedicated career manager. The latter’s duties include interview coaching and even help with salary negotiations.

Tech Elevator: Java or C# Bootcamp

Established in 2015, Tech Elevator offers coding bootcamps lasting 14 weeks (full-time) or 30 weeks (part-time). Classes may be attended live in person in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh, but that’s as close to New Jersey as they get. The school also offers its programs entirely online, meaning you can take your Tech Elevator class anywhere the internet reaches, be it in New Jersey or Jersey in the Channel Islands. All students learn HTML, CSS, basic JavaScript, and SQL, but the main focus of the program is either Java or C#, depending on which track the student selects. Emphasis is placed on approaching coding with the mindset of a developer, with the result that students graduate capable of creating entire applications on their own. Tuition comes out to $16,500, which even includes a laptop on which to take the class. Scholarships and financing are available for eligible students. The application process includes an aptitude test.

All students participate in Tech Elevator’s trademarked Pathway Program. Beginning shortly after the start of the course, the program prepares students for the job market step by step. Highlights of the process are resume building, mock interviews, introductions to potential employers, and other advice on networking. The Pathway Program also encompasses a number of 1-to-1 coaching sessions.

Elizabeth Gleesing

Elizabeth Gleesing is a university instructor and content writer at Noble Desktop. She earned her PhD in English from Syracuse University in 2023 with research focusing on how documentaries incorporate digital and new media technologies. Her research into artificial intelligence, data analysis, and emerging technologies informs her content writing as she frequently works on articles related to careers in data science, data analytics, AI, and related software.Elizabeth also has over ten years of experience teaching undergraduates in universities and colleges in New York and Washington state and won the Syracuse University English department’s Elson Teaching Award in 2019. Her experience in instruction allows her to coherently explain difficult topics to a variety of audiences.

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Key Insights

Learn More About NJ Coding Certificates

What is Coding?

Why Become Certified in Coding?

What You’ll Learn While Becoming Coding Certified

CSS and JavaScript

Python

Java

C, C++ and C#

Problem Solving

Coding Industries in NJ

Coding Careers in NJ

Should You Pursue a Certificate or Certification

Top Coding Certificate Programs in NJ

Flatiron School: Software Engineering Bootcamp

Rutgers University/edX: Rutgers Coding Bootcamp

Coding Dojo: Software Development Coding Bootcamp

Tech Elevator: Java or C# Bootcamp

NJ Coding Courses by School

Software Engineering Bootcamp (Online)

Data Science Bootcamp (Online)

Full-Time Software Engineering Immersive (Online)

Coding Bootcamp

Data Science Bootcamp

Java Programming Summer Bootcamp

Python Data Science & Machine Learning Summer Program

Computer Science Summer Program

Full-Stack Developer Summer Program

NJ Coding Corporate & Onsite Training Noble Desktop

Coding Training Locations in or Near NJ

NJ Careers & Salaries Related to Coding

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NJ Coding
Corporate & Onsite Training