Questions to Ask a Bootcamp Before You Pay the Deposit

Marketing pages are designed to make you feel excited. They show success stories, list impressive technologies, and use words like "world-class" and "industry-leading." That is marketing doing its job. It is not information. It is persuasion.

The questions below are designed to get past the persuasion and into the substance. They are the questions that a thoughtful buyer asks, and they are the questions that separate programs that deliver from programs that just market well.

Here is the key insight: a program that is genuinely good welcomes scrutiny. If the curriculum is strong, they are happy to share it. If alumni outcomes are solid, they are eager to connect you with graduates. If the refund policy is fair, they put it in writing without hesitation. Resistance to these questions is itself an answer. It tells you that the program is less confident in its substance than in its marketing.

Do not feel awkward about asking. You are about to spend KES 50,000 to KES 200,000 and invest months of your life. That justifies thorough due diligence. Any program that makes you feel bad for asking questions is a program that does not respect you as a customer.

These questions tell you whether the program teaches what the 2026 market actually requires.

1. "Can I see the complete week-by-week syllabus?"

This is the most important single question. A good program has a detailed syllabus and is proud to show it. A bad program gives you a landing page with technology logos and vague descriptions. If they cannot or will not share a specific breakdown of what is taught each week, either the curriculum does not exist in a structured form or they know it would not hold up to scrutiny. Either way, you should not be paying for it.

2. "When was the curriculum last updated, and what specifically changed?"

Good answer: "We updated in early 2026. We added AI-assisted development with Claude and Copilot, moved from Create React App to Next.js, and added a TypeScript module." Bad answer: "We update regularly." One is specific and verifiable. The other is a non-answer that could mean anything, including nothing.

3. "Does the program include AI-assisted development tools?"

In 2026, this is a baseline requirement. Professional developers use AI tools daily. A bootcamp that bans AI tools or ignores them is not preparing you for how the industry works today. If the answer is no, ask why. "We focus on fundamentals first" is understandable for the first few weeks. "We do not think AI is relevant" in 2026 is a disqualifying answer.

4. "Do students deploy projects to live URLs during the program?"

Deployment is part of the job. If every project runs only on localhost and never gets deployed, you are missing a critical skill. Good programs have students deploy projects from early in the curriculum, not just as a final capstone exercise. Ask how many projects are deployed and what platforms they use.

5. "What do students build by graduation? Can I see examples?"

Ask to see portfolio projects from recent graduates. Are they simple todo apps and calculators, or are they full-stack applications with authentication, databases, and real functionality? The complexity and variety of graduate projects tell you exactly what the curriculum produces. If the school cannot show you graduate work, ask why.

The curriculum is only as good as the person delivering it. These questions help you evaluate the people who will actually teach you.

6. "Who will be teaching, and what is their professional background?"

You want instructors who have built real software professionally, not just people who have taught coding. The difference shows up in the examples they use, the debugging strategies they teach, and the industry practices they bake into the curriculum. Ask for specific names and backgrounds. If the program does not know who will teach your cohort, that is a planning issue worth noting.

7. "What is the student-to-instructor ratio?"

A class of 15 with one dedicated instructor is fundamentally different from a class of 60 with two instructors and a few teaching assistants. Lower ratios mean more personalized feedback and more attention to your specific struggles. Anything above 25:1 starts to reduce the quality of individual attention significantly. Ask for the actual number, not just "small class sizes."

8. "Does the program include individual code reviews?"

Code review is where learning actually happens. Someone looks at your specific code and tells you what to improve. This is different from a general lecture about best practices. If the program only does group code reviews or automated grading, you are getting less value. Ask how often individual reviews happen and who does them.

9. "Can I attend a free trial session or workshop?"

Many bootcamps offer free intro sessions, workshops, or trial classes. Take advantage of these. They let you experience the teaching style firsthand. Pay attention to whether the instructor explains things clearly, handles questions patiently, and creates an environment where confusion is welcome. If the free session feels like a 90-minute sales pitch with a "limited time discount" at the end, that tells you where the program's priorities are.

This is where the rubber meets the road. These questions reveal whether the program actually produces working developers.

10. "Can I speak with two or three recent graduates?"

Not the ones on the testimonials page. Regular graduates who can give you an unfiltered view. A program confident in its outcomes will connect you gladly. A program that refuses, deflects, or says "privacy policy prevents us" is telling you something. Graduates with good experiences are usually happy to talk about them. Ask the graduates: "What did you wish the program had covered? How long after graduation did you get a tech role? Would you do it again?"

11. "What does your job support include, specifically?"

"Career support" can mean anything from a full-time career coach who reviews your CV, runs mock interviews, and introduces you to employers, to a Telegram group where they occasionally post job links. The word "support" without specifics is marketing. Ask: Do you review CVs? Do you do mock interviews? Do you have hiring partner relationships? Do you track outcomes? For how long after graduation does support continue? Get specifics.

12. "Of your last three cohorts, how long did it typically take graduates to land their first tech role?"

This is better than asking for a "placement rate" (which can be defined however the school wants). A specific question about recent cohorts requires specific knowledge of recent outcomes. If the answer is vague ("it really depends on the person"), that may be honest, but it might also mean they do not track this data closely. Programs that care about outcomes measure them.

13. "Do you guarantee job placement?"

This is a trick question. The correct answer is "no." No honest program guarantees employment because outcomes depend on the student's effort, the job market, their communication skills, and many other factors the bootcamp cannot control. If a program says "yes, we guarantee placement," ask for the legal terms. You will often find the guarantee is defined so loosely (e.g., "placement includes freelance gigs and internships") that it means almost nothing. A program that says "we do not guarantee jobs, but here is what we do to support you" is being honest with you.

These questions protect your financial interest. Ask them before transferring any money.

14. "What is the total cost, including all fees?"

Some programs quote tuition but add registration fees, materials fees, exam fees, or "graduation package" costs on top. Ask for the complete, all-inclusive number. "The tuition is KES 80,000 but there is a KES 10,000 registration fee and a KES 5,000 exam fee" makes the real cost KES 95,000. Get the total in writing.

15. "Do you offer instalment payments, and what are the terms?"

If you cannot pay the full amount upfront, ask about instalments. How many payments? Over what period? Are there additional fees for paying in instalments? What happens if you miss a payment date? Is there a grace period? Match the payment schedule to your income cycle. If you get paid at the end of the month but instalments are due mid-month, you will be constantly behind.

16. "What is the refund policy?"

Get this in writing. Ask specifically: What happens if I withdraw after week 1? After week 4? After week 8? Is there a pro-rated refund or is it all-or-nothing? What about if the school cancels a cohort or changes the schedule significantly? A clear, written refund policy is a sign of professionalism. A verbal promise that they will "work something out" is not a policy. It is a hope.

17. "What happens if I need to pause and resume later?"

Life happens. A family emergency, a health issue, or a work crisis might force you to step away temporarily. Ask whether the program allows you to pause and join a later cohort. Is there a fee for this? Is there a time limit? Some programs allow one pause with no penalty. Others require you to re-enrol and pay again. Knowing this in advance protects you if the unexpected happens.

18. "What equipment and internet speed do I need?"

This sounds minor but can be a real obstacle. Some programs require specific operating systems, minimum RAM, or reliable internet speeds. If the program is live online, you need stable, consistent internet. If it requires running resource-intensive development tools (like Docker or heavy IDEs), a low-spec laptop might not be enough. Ask for minimum requirements so you are not surprised on day one.

The answers you get are important. But how the program responds is equally telling. Here are patterns to watch for.

Openness and specificity are good signs. A program that answers quickly, with specific details, and without defensiveness is probably confident in what it offers. "Our last cohort had 22 students, and the student-to-instructor ratio was 11:1" is a concrete, verifiable answer. That kind of specificity suggests the program tracks its own data and is comfortable sharing it.

Deflection is a warning sign. "That is a great question, but let me tell you about our unique methodology" means they are steering you away from something. "We do not share that information publicly" for basic questions like the syllabus or refund policy is a red flag. These are not trade secrets. They are basic facts a paying customer should know.

Pressure is a dealbreaker. "This price is only available today." "We only have three spots left in this cohort." "I would hate for you to miss this opportunity." These are sales tactics, not educational conversations. A good program wants students who have done their research and are confident in their choice. A program that tries to rush your decision is optimizing for deposits, not for student success.

Honesty about limitations is a green flag. If a program says "our alumni network is still growing" or "we do not offer in-person sessions yet," that candour is a positive sign. Every program has weaknesses. The ones that acknowledge them are more trustworthy than the ones that pretend to be perfect.

Take notes during your conversations. Compare answers across programs. The programs that give you the clearest, most specific, and most honest answers are usually the ones that deliver the clearest, most specific, and most honest education.

Here are all 18 questions in a quick-reference list. Copy this, use it when you are evaluating any bootcamp, and fill in the answers for each program you are considering.

Curriculum:

1. Can I see the complete week-by-week syllabus?
2. When was the curriculum last updated, and what specifically changed?
3. Does the program include AI-assisted development tools?
4. Do students deploy projects to live URLs during the program?
5. What do students build by graduation? Can I see examples?

Instructors:

6. Who will be teaching, and what is their professional background?
7. What is the student-to-instructor ratio?
8. Does the program include individual code reviews?
9. Can I attend a free trial session or workshop?

Outcomes:

10. Can I speak with two or three recent graduates?
11. What does your job support include, specifically?
12. Of your last three cohorts, how long did graduates typically take to land a tech role?
13. Do you guarantee job placement?

Money and Logistics:

14. What is the total cost, including all fees?
15. Do you offer instalment payments, and what are the terms?
16. What is the refund policy?
17. What happens if I need to pause and resume later?
18. What equipment and internet speed do I need?

Every question on this list is reasonable. Every program should be able to answer them. If a school makes you feel like you are being difficult for asking, that school is not ready for your money.