Web design is an increasingly popular career choice in tech. These professionals, sometimes known as web developers, build websites and online applications. If you want to work as a web designer, you can gain the skillset you need through a comprehensive web design bootcamp.
Web designers often come from a formal education background and have a history in college and university. However, a college degree isn’t a blanket requirement in the field, so you’ll find plenty of self-taught web developers along with web designers from bootcamp programs.
In this article, we will cover the top web design bootcamps, what to expect from one of these programs, and what kind of job you can get after you graduate. Check out the article below to find the best bootcamp programs that best suits you.







Why Choose a Web Design Bootcamp?
When it comes to considering a coding bootcamp vs college education, bootcamps offer a number of advantages for web designers over traditional education. Web design bootcamps usually last around six months, which (unlike college) can prepare you for a web design or web development career in less than a year. Plus, bootcamps for web designers focus only on relevant topics, ensuring that time spent in the program directly prepares you for a career in tech.
Web design bootcamps are a proven way to land a web development job. Many bootcamps boast high job placement rates, impressive alumni salaries, and multi-year data to demonstrate success. Additionally, even the top web design bootcamps can be markedly less costly than college.
Bootcamps offer structure and peer-support networks that simply aren’t available to people who decide to teach themselves. Peer groups help keep students accountable, and instructors are available to help solve complex coding problems. With the success rates of bootcamps, many have established themselves as top web design programs.
What to Expect from a Web Design Bootcamp
Most web design bootcamps begin by covering basic coding concepts and some hands-on activities with simple markup or scripting languages like HTML and JavaScript. After learning the basics, students move on to more complex projects using high-level coding languages like Python.
Students also learn CSS and sometimes querying languages in bootcamps for web design. The skills you will learn in a web design bootcamp also include soft skills. For example, during the intermediate period of the program, students often engage in peer projects to build vital teamwork skills.
The final phase of the program is often reserved for the main project. In a web design focused bootcamp, students often build entire sites or web applications from scratch, sometimes to demonstrate their skills and host their job portfolio. Job placement services and career counseling occur during this stage, and students begin searching for opportunities and networking.
How to Choose a Web Design Bootcamp
When you are selecting a web design bootcamp, there are a variety of factors you should consider to make sure you choose the best program for you. For example, if you have a busy work schedule during the week, you can take a web design bootcamp online that offers flexible class times. Among the best online bootcamps for web design, you’ll find General Assembly and Kenzie Academy. Learn more about how to choose a web design bootcamp below.
Consider the Web Design Skills You Want to Learn
Every web design bootcamp program is unique, and some may offer certain skills that you are more interested in mastering. For example, if you want to work as a web designer for a magazine, you might want to find a bootcamp that covers various content management systems.
For example, in the UX bootcamp offered by Kenzie Academy, students will learn to work with Figma. However, in web development bootcamp from NuCamp, students will gain experience working with Visual Studio Code.
Consider the Duration of the Program
Though bootcamps programs are significantly shorter than traditional degree programs, you still may want to consider the length of your desired program carefully. Web design bootcamps can range in duration from several weeks to upwards of six months. As such, you need to ask yourself whether you are ready to commit six months to learning web design skills or whether you just want to master the basics.
You have many choices when it comes to the length of a bootcamp program. CareerFoundry’s UX bootcamp lasts six months, while the DevMountain bootcamp runs for only four months. In addition, the Kenzie Academy program mentioned above lasts for nine months.
Consider the Amount of Time You Can Commit
Though this point may seem similar to the length of a program, time commitments that are required by bootcamp can vary widely. For example, a full-time bootcamp may require you to attend 40 hours of class per week and then expect you to complete assignments on top of that. On the other hand, part-time web design bootcamps may only require 10 to 15 hours of class time per week, with fewer homework assignments as well.
The part-time UX bootcamp from Devmountain requires 11 hours of class time per week. On the other hand, the full-time program from Thinkful requires 50 hours of time each week, and the part-time program takes 20 to 25 hours of time weekly.
How Much Do Web Design Bootcamps Cost?
As with the length and content of programs, web design bootcamps also differ greatly in cost. For example, DevMountain’s UX Design bootcamp costs $9,900, and Thinkful’s costs $12,150. However, the front end development program from NuCamp costs just $1,925. In addition, there are many different ways to finance or pay for your bootcamp education.
How to Pay for Web Design Bootcamps
If you are trying to figure out how to pay for a coding bootcamp, there are several options you can pursue. Many bootcamp programs provide students with a range of payment options, including payment plans and education loans. Some also offer scholarships to help ease the burden of tuition. Further, bootcamp students can take advantage of income share agreements and job guarantees,
For example, students that enroll in a Thinkful bootcamp have payment options such as monthly payment plans, deferred tuition, and a living expenses loan. All of these options can help make it easier for students to cover the cost of a Thinkful bootcamp program.
Web Design Bootcamp vs Web Design Course
Though bootcamps and web design courses are both solid alternatives to a college education, they do have some key differences. While they do provide valuable lessons, even the best web design courses do not offer the same level of support that a bootcamp does. In addition, to a robust curriculum, web design bootcamps also provide career coaching, mentoring, and networking opportunities.
Web design courses are best for getting a base of knowledge in the field. However, if you want to become a professional web designer, then it is better to opt for a bootcamp program over a web design course. By joining a bootcamp, you will learn in-demand skills, get hands-on experience, and receive educational and career support.
Best Web Designer Jobs for Bootcamp Grads
There are many different jobs that web design bootcamps can prepare you for. Whether you want to land freelance web designer jobs or full-time positions, these are some of the best web designer jobs you can get.
- Front end developer. The coding skills that web designers learn are the same coding skills that front end developers depend on. As such working as a front end developer is a natural career path that allows professionals to earn an average salary of $78,274, according to PayScale.
- User experience designer. Though it is a separate positions, user experience design is a significant aspect of web design. UX design professionals earn $76,279 on average, as per PayScale data.
- User interface designer. UI designers work on improving the functionality of websites and, as such, they share some of the game goals as web designers. As reported by PayScale, UI designers earn an average of $66,540 yearly.
- Web developer. Web developers often carry out web design tasks. However, the role is more coding-focused. The job of a web developer is to build and maintain the technical aspects of websites. Web developers earn $61,016 on average, according to PayScale.
- Content strategist. These professionals create and implement a strategy for an organization’s content. This includes planning, developing, and analyzing content for websites, social media platforms, advertising channels, and more. According to PayScale data, content strategists earn an average salary of $64,781 annually.
Web Designer Job Outlook
Web design and development is a rapidly growing field. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicts that the field will grow 23 percent in the next decade or so. Compared to all other US career fields, 23 percent is much higher than the average of seven percent job growth.
Web Designer Salary
Web development and design isn’t just an interesting field to work in. It’s a lucrative one too. According to BLS, the national average web developer salary is just shy of $80,000 per year. Of course, the amount you are able to earn as a web designer is affected by factors such as your location, years of experience, and employer.
Should You Enroll in a Web Design Bootcamp?
If you’re looking to make a career change to web design, a web design bootcamp can help you build technical skills and go from beginner to professional in just a few months. In addition, the top web design programs also connect you to future employers and help you develop a portfolio of projects.
If you are asking yourself whether you should enroll in a coding bootcamp, think about what your goals are. Do you just want to have a better understanding of how websites function or do you want to work as a professional web designer? If your answer is the latter, then a web design bootcamp can help you reach your career goals.