Ask who counts as placed.

By asking what's inside it. Ask for the starting cohort size, the graduation rate, the survey response rate, how "placed" is defined (part-time? contract? non-technical? jobs you found yourself?), how long after graduation the count is taken, the median rather than average salary, and whether an independent third party verified it. Dropouts and non-responders are often excluded entirely, which turns a mediocre result into a striking one.

Usually double the tuition. For a four-month full-time course followed by a six-month search, giving up 2,600 a month means 26,000 of lost income on top of 14,000 of tuition — 40,000 in total, and 32,000 of cash you need just to survive the period. If the salary you're hoping for is only slightly above your current one, the payback stretches into decades.

They're still debt. Work out the total repayable at realistic salaries, check the payment cap and maximum number of payments, what counts as qualifying income, what happens if you take a non-technical job or leave early, and whether the obligation survives if the school closes. These agreements have attracted regulatory scrutiny, and the total repaid can substantially exceed the sticker price.

Sometimes, but be clear-eyed. Entry-level technical hiring has been far harder in recent years than when bootcamps became popular, several providers have faced regulatory action over misleading claims, and some closed abruptly mid-cohort. What you're buying is structure, feedback and accountability — not a guarantee. The comparison tool weights keeping your income heavily, because running out of money mid-search is the most common way this goes wrong.

Finish a substantial amount of free introductory material first — plenty of people discover they don't enjoy the work, and finding that out for free is much cheaper. Then email three schools for their full methodology, find two recent graduates the school didn't choose for you, check local junior job ads in your own market, and set a walk-away number. A school worth attending will still be worth attending next cohort.