The average age in my class was 28. People weren't ex-baristas. They were people from various backgrounds, often technical-related. I was a Math and Econ double major with a minor in applied statistics, then spent 6 years in finance doing equities trading. I was drastically more qualified than the average 22 year old with a CS degree.
Many 22 year olds with a CS degree have been coding since they were 12.
Which is part of my point. You're talking experience and capability vs. "CS". The person I responded to contrasts two styles of bootcamps, but you could replace "bootcamp" with "CS" plus some minor editing and make the statement equally valid. "CS" doesn't really mean much, just as my math degree doesn't mean much. I used it to point out that the two rubber stamps aren't very different. The only real difference is that new grads are a crapshoot on both the technical side and the employability side. You just said "many", but how do I really know if one of those people is the one I'm hiring? How do I pick out the mature 22 year old that isn't a cowboy coding know-it-all, and who will actually be able to be fill the basic employment criteria? Technical minded-ness is pretty easy to spot, and I can verify recent work experience and success much more easily than I can validate what someone learned a decade ago. I'd happily hire a technically minded person with a demonstrated work history over a new graduate for the same price. Many people that take bootcamps already have technical knowledge, but not necessarily the specific domain knowledge. I'm using my experience to demonstrate that "bootcamp" doesn't mean the person magically sprung into existence the day before their coursework, just as your example points to the same thing. We hire people, not degrees or coursework.
Uh, have something to back this up? That's a very false stereotype.
Anecdotal, from the small sample size I've seen from working in Silicon Valley.
Just curious why you went from equities trading -> software engineering? I have thought about doing the reverse in the past.
I'm a very competitive person, which is how I ended up in that career. Towards the end of my time trading I realized I was competing with my health. I have epilepsy and hadn't had a seizure in a decade at age 26. I then had a few over my last 2 years of work, which was pretty easily attributed to lack of sleep. I haven't had one since I switched. I gained more than 20 hours in my weekday, some of which is dedicated to a better sleep schedule.