Latest / The Career Change Podcast with Fexingo: Switching Fields, Bootcamps, and Reskilling / How Bootcamp Grads Can Land Jobs at Startups
Transcript
- Lucas: If you're a bootcamp grad looking for a job, you've probably been told to apply to big tech companies or maybe a mid-size firm with a clear HR pipeline. But there's a whole category of employer that's often overlooked and actually a surprisingly good fit for career changers: early-stage startups. Luna: Yeah, I've heard that advice before but it always felt a bit vague. Like, how early stage are we talking? And why would a startup take a chance on someone who just finished a 12-week bootcamp? Lucas: Great questions. Let me start with a number that caught my eye. LinkedIn did an analysis in 2025 of hiring patterns at different company sizes. At seed-stage startups—companies with fewer than 20 employees and usually less than two years old—43% of technical hires came from nontraditional backgrounds. That means no CS degree, no prior tech job, often a bootcamp or self-taught. At Fortune 500 companies, that number was only 18%. Luna: So more than double the chance. That's a real signal. Lucas: Exactly. And the reason is pretty straightforward. Early-stage startups don't have the luxury of filtering for pedigree. They need people who can ship code tomorrow, not someone who spent four years learning algorithms they'll never use. A bootcamp grad who's built a handful of projects and is hungry to learn can be more valuable than a computer science grad who needs six months of ramp-up. Luna: I've seen that firsthand. A friend of mine finished a web development bootcamp in 2023 and couldn't get a callback from any company with more than 500 employees. Then he applied to a startup with six people on AngelList—they were building a tool for independent restaurants. He got an interview the next day. Lucas: And what happened? Luna: He got the job. Within nine months, he was leading a feature team. His title was 'junior developer' but he was essentially the frontend lead because the other developer was focused on backend. He learned more in those nine months than in two years at a bigger company might've taught him. Lucas: That's exactly the dynamic. In a startup, you're not just a cog. You get to touch the entire product. But let's be clear: that opportunity doesn't just fall into your lap. You have to approach the search differently than you would for a corporate job. So let's talk tactics. Luna: Okay, where do you start? Lucas: First, you need to find the right startups. AngelList and Crunchbase are your best friends. On AngelList, filter for companies that are pre-seed or seed stage, under 20 employees, and looking for their first few technical hires. On Crunchbase, look at companies that have raised a small round—say under $5 million—in the last 12 months. Those are hungry and likely to move fast. Luna: And you're looking for ones that are actually building, not just a pitch deck. Lucas: Right. You can usually tell from their website or GitHub. If they have a live product, even if it's buggy, that's a green flag. If they're still in stealth mode and all they have is a landing page, maybe skip them unless you're really early stage yourself. Next, tailor your portfolio. Luna: How is that different from a normal portfolio? Lucas: A startup doesn't care about polished UIs or a full-stack clone of Twitter. They want to see that you can solve problems with limited resources. So show them a project where you had to make trade-offs—maybe you used a simpler framework to ship fast, or you integrated a third-party API because building it yourself would've taken too long. That's the kind of thinking they need. Luna: So less 'look at this beautiful app' and more 'look at how I solved a real constraint'. Lucas: Exactly. And then there's the interview itself. Startup interviews are usually less about leetcode and more about practical problem-solving. You might get a take-home project that's similar to something they're actually working on. They want to see how you think, how you communicate, and whether you can handle ambiguity. Luna: I've heard that some startups even ask you to pair program with a founder during the interview. That seems intense. Lucas: It's common. And honestly, it's a good sign because you get to see what it's like to work with them. If the founder is patient and collaborative, that's a great culture fit. If they're condescending or micromanage your every keystroke, you just dodged a bullet. So treat the interview as a two-way evaluation. Luna: And that's actually a nice advantage for bootcamp grads—you're less likely to have that 'I must impress them at all costs' mentality because you're already used to being the underdog. Lucas: You know, that's a really good point. And it ties into something we talk about on this show a lot—the idea that career changers bring a different kind of confidence. You've already made a big bet on yourself by switching fields. That resilience shows in interviews. And I think that's part of why we're able to keep this show ad-free—because our listeners are that same kind of self-directed, resourceful people. Luna: Yeah, we've never run ads on these episodes and we don't plan to. It just feels right to keep the advice clean and focused on what helps you. Lucas: If that approach resonates with you and you want to support it, the simplest way is a small contribution at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No tiers, no perks, just knowing you're keeping this resource free for everyone. Totally optional, but appreciated. Luna: Alright, back to startups. You mentioned evaluating runway earlier—what should a bootcamp grad look for before joining? Lucas: Runway is crucial because if the startup runs out of money in six months, you're back on the job market. You can usually find this in their Crunchbase profile or by asking directly in the interview—it's a reasonable question. I'd look for at least 12 to 18 months of runway. Also, check if they have paying customers. If they're pre-revenue, ask about their next funding round. A startup that's already generating revenue is much less risky. Luna: And what about compensation? Startups typically pay less, right? Lucas: Cash compensation is usually lower—maybe $70,000 to $90,000 for a junior role, compared to $100,000-plus at a big tech company. But you get equity. And if the startup succeeds, that equity can be worth far more than the salary difference. However, you need to understand what you're getting. Ask about the number of shares, the current valuation, and the vesting schedule. Standard is four-year vest with a one-year cliff. Luna: So you don't get any equity until you've been there a full year. That cliff is important. Lucas: Yes, and after that, you get shares monthly. Also, find out if they have an employee stock option plan and what the strike price is. If the strike price is high relative to the current valuation, the upside might be limited. Honestly, for a first job out of bootcamp, I'd prioritize learning and experience over equity. But it's still good to know what you're getting. Luna: So the trade-off is clear: lower cash, higher risk, but faster growth and more responsibility. That's a pretty good deal if you're early in your career change. Lucas: Exactly. And one more thing: startups are more willing to hire someone who doesn't have a perfect background but shows initiative. So if you've built a project that solves a real problem—even a small one—and you can talk about it passionately, you're already ahead of most applicants. That's the kind of story that resonates with founders who are themselves taking a leap. Luna: Alright, so to sum up: use AngelList and Crunchbase to find seed-stage startups, tailor your portfolio to show resourcefulness, prepare for practical interviews, and evaluate the startup's runway and equity. That's a solid playbook. Lucas: That's it. And remember, every big company started as a startup. The people who join early often end up shaping the culture and the product. For a bootcamp grad, that's a rare opportunity to have an outsized impact from day one. Luna: And if you're listening and you've landed a startup job after a bootcamp, we'd love to hear your story. Drop us a note. We might feature it in a future episode. Lucas: Until next time, keep building.