Returnships and apprenticeships

Updated · techinterview.org

bootcamp directory

Returnships and apprenticeships: paid-to-learn routes into tech

This category covers programs where you are paid, or at least not charged, to learn on the job: corporate software engineering apprenticeships, returnships for people coming back after a career break, and nonprofit bootcamps that are tuition-free and sometimes pay a stipend. It suits career changers without a computer science degree, people re-entering after caregiving or military service, and anyone who cannot afford to pay a bootcamp upfront.

24 programs16 enrolling
An interview loop: screen, onsite rounds, debriefscreencodingdesignbehav.debriefoffer4 to 6 rounds, one debrief

This directory takes no lead fees or placement payments from any program. Where a program runs an affiliate scheme we say so on its page and mark the link. Facts carry a badge: verified means we read it on a primary source on the date shown, reported means a third party said it, unknown means nobody we trust has published it.

Status ledger

  • paused Airbnb Connect: On 2026-10-08 the page says applications are currently closed, lists 'Application Window: April' and an approximately 5-month program, and shows alumni stories from the 2020 and 2021 cohorts; no 2027 window is posted.
  • paused Capital One Developer Academy (CODA): On 2026-10-08 the CODA program URLs (/coda, /coda-program, /students-and-grads/developer-academy) return 404 or redirect to the careers home page, and CODA is absent from Capital One's full-time programs list; the only CODA content is a blog post last archived on 2025-07-10. No closure notice was found.
  • pivoted Flatiron School (Data Science bootcamp, now AI & Data Science certificate): Flatiron no longer sells a standalone Data Science bootcamp (the course URL returns 404 on 2026-10-08); data content now sits in a part-time 'AI & Data Science' certificate at $14,900 and in work-integrated AI Engineering apprenticeship programs.
  • closed JPMorgan Tech Connect: The program page returned 404 on 2026-10-08 on both the new jpmorganchase.com path and the old careers.jpmorgan.com path; the Wayback Machine last captured it live on 2026-04-15. JPMorgan has not published a closure notice that we found.
  • paused LinkedIn REACH Apprenticeship: On 2026-10-08 the page reads 'No longer accepting applications for the April 2026 cohort. Please check back in mid 2026 for hiring information for the next cohort'; no new window had been posted.
  • paused Microsoft Leap: On 2026-10-08 all five Leap pathways (Cloud, Data, Design, Engineering, Product/Program Management) display 'Not currently accepting applications'; the FAQ says application dates are announced only on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
  • paused Resilient Coders: On 2026-10-08 the apply page says 'Applications for our next fellowship cohort are not open yet' with an interest form referencing a Fall 2026 program, while the homepage still advertises a cohort starting 'August 11th' from 2025.
  • closed Twilio Hatch: The Hatch page was captured live by the Wayback Machine through December 2024; from January 2025 captures show the URL redirecting, and on 2026-10-08 it redirects to twilio.org with no Hatch content or application.

How to choose

Start with the money: confirm who pays you, how much, and from which date, because several programs are unpaid for months before a stipend begins. Then check the dates. Corporate apprenticeships run one small cohort a year and most pages stay live between windows, so a live page is not an open application. Ask what happens at the end: a returnship or apprenticeship with no published conversion rate is a paid trial, not a job offer. For nonprofit bootcamps, ask for outcomes for your specific track and campus, not the organization-wide number. Ignore testimonials and logo walls. The common mistake is treating a free program as low-risk; the real cost is the months of income you give up, so compare that against the stipend and the program's placement evidence.

claims that do not hold up

Headline conversion and salary figures in this category rarely come with a cohort, date or sample size. Path Forward's 'more than 80 percent of returners convert' is a sector-wide statement with no methodology; Resilient Coders' '$98,000 average' and Marcy Lab's '$103,500 median' have no cohort year or response rate attached. Code Platoon's own pages give two different placement rates and two different medians, and its latest CIRR entry reads TBD. 'Paid apprenticeship' can also mean a staffing-vendor contract rather than employment by the brand on the page.

Programs

ProgramStatusTuitionFinancingOutcomesPrep depthChecked
Ada Developers Academyenrollingfreefreeself-reported 12026-10-08
Airbnb Connectpausedfreefree, employerno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Apprentienrollingfreeemployer, freeself-reportedn/a2026-10-08
Capital One Developer Academy (CODA)pausedfreefree, employerno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Citadel Securities student programs (Trading Invitational, Quant Invitational, Ignite, Datathon, Terminal, Discover)enrollingfreefreeno outcomes published 22026-10-08
Code Platoonenrollingover $20kupfront, installments, scholarshipcirr-audited 22026-10-08
Flatiron School (Cyber Engineering)enrollingover $20kupfront, installments, loanno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Flatiron School (Data Science bootcamp, now AI & Data Science certificate)pivotedover $20kupfront, loan, installmentsno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Goldman Sachs engineering campus programs (New Analyst, Summer Analyst, Possibilities Series, EMEA Engineering Degree Apprenticeship)enrollingfreefree, employerno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Goldman Sachs Returnshipenrollingfreeemployer, freeno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Jane Street student programs (INSIGHT, FOCUS, IN FOCUS, AMP, WiSE, Bridge, Preview)enrollingfreefreeno outcomes published 22026-10-08
JPMorgan Tech Connectclosedfreefree, employerno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
JPMorganChase ReEntry Programenrollingfreeemployer, freeno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
LinkedIn REACH Apprenticeshippausedfreefree, employerno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Microsoft Leappausedfreefree, employerself-reportedn/a2026-10-08
Optiver student programs (FutureFocus, Career Kickstarter)enrollingfreefreeno outcomes published 22026-10-08
Path Forwardenrollingfreefree, employerself-reportedn/a2026-10-08
Per Scholasenrollingfreefreeself-reportedn/a2026-10-08
Per Scholas AWS re/Startenrollingfreefreeself-reported 22026-10-08
Pursuitenrollingfreeisa, deferredself-reportedn/a2026-10-08
Resilient Coderspausedfreefreeself-reportedn/a2026-10-08
The Marcy Lab Schoolenrollingfreefreeself-reported 22026-10-08
Twilio Hatchclosedfreeemployer, freeno outcomes publishedn/a2026-10-08
Year Up Unitedenrollingfreefreeself-reportedn/a2026-10-08

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