Our verified outcomes
$92,500median starting salary
Derry figures above are verified (see methodology). Competitor columns use widely-reported industry data, not our claims about them (bootcamp pricing per Course Report; university cost and duration per U.S. NCES and the College Board; MOOC completion rates per Reich & Ruipérez-Valiente, Science 2019, and Jordan, IRRODL 2015).
Where Derry isn't the obvious choice — and what we do about it
No course is right for everyone. Here are the honest trade-offs and how each is handled.
“It costs more than a $20 MOOC or free videos.”
True — but those have single-digit completion rates and no mentor or job support, so most people pay $20 and learn nothing employable. Start small with the low-cost Foundations Sprint (its fee is credited toward tuition), spread the rest over a 50% deposit + weekly plan, or use our access discounts (veterans, disabled, unemployed, first responders and more). Weigh it against the real number: the salary you forgo for every month you stay put usually dwarfs the tuition.
“It asks for a real time commitment across the year.”
Yes — about 10–15 hours a week. That commitment is the point: it is why our completion and readiness are high where self-paced courses stall. We make it sustainable with a weekly planner, pace control (accelerated, standard or extended, and pause), recorded classes, offline study, and a mentor who notices when you drift and pulls you back before you fall behind.
“It is not a university degree.”
Correct — and for the roles we train, that is often an advantage. You finish in months, not years, at a fraction of the cost, with the exact certifications employers screen for, a portfolio-grade capstone they can test-drive, and a verifiable certificate. Hiring managers in these fields increasingly hire on demonstrated skill and a strong project over a diploma — and you graduate without the debt.
“We are a focused, growing school — not a household name yet.”
Fair — so we compete on proof instead of fame: audited outcomes published as we verify them (no invented statistics), named faculty with real track records, third-party reviews, a six-month job-support guarantee, and a genuine alumni network. We would rather earn your trust with evidence than borrow it from a logo.
“Live classes run on a schedule and timezone.”
Classes are scheduled mostly in the afternoon and evening so they fit around work or study, every session is recorded, and the app works offline and syncs later — so a clash never locks you out, while you still get the retention edge of live, scheduled teaching over purely on-demand video. You can also see the timetable before you apply and check the overlap with your timezone.
“You still have to do the work — we cannot do it for you.”
Absolutely true, and we would distrust anyone who claimed otherwise. What we remove is every excuse that stops capable people finishing: a set schedule, a person who notices, real stakes, and a system that tells you exactly what to do next. Motivation is unreliable; structure is not, and structure is what we sell.
“It is online, not a room you walk into.”
By design. Online means you learn from senior practitioners you could never reach locally, keep your current job while you train, and revisit any class on demand — with live cohorts, weekly 1:1s and an active community so it never feels solitary. For most career-changers that access beats a commute to a nearer, weaker classroom.
“You might already be doing well in tech.”
Then you may not need us — and we will say so on your 10-minute call rather than take your money. Derry is built for career-changers and for people with a specific capability gap to close (into AI, cloud or security). If a cheaper, narrower resource fits you better, we will point you to it.
“You need a paid job this month.”
We are an honest year-long build, not an overnight fix, so if you need income immediately a short certificate or contract work may serve you better first — and we will tell you that. If you can invest a year, you get a durable career rather than a stopgap; the Foundations Sprint is a low-commitment way to test the water in the meantime.
“We only run ten tracks.”
If the exact niche you want is outside cybersecurity, cloud, data, AI and the software/SRE roles we teach, we are not your best option — and we will tell you plainly instead of forcing a poor fit. The ten tracks are deliberately the highest-paid, highest-demand routes, taught deeply, rather than a shallow catalogue of everything.
