Why Investing in Yourself is a Smart Choice


With current inflation levels at a 40-year high, spending money on yourself might feel more like draining cash than an investment in yourself. This situation could be even more tricky for those looking forward to advancing their skills or following a new career path.

When it comes to education and learning new skills, investing in yourself is undoubtedly a smart choice! Today, you can start seeing a return on your investment and earn more money through a fulfilling career without pursuing a traditional education.

Technology is taking every industry by storm, and there is a huge demand for individuals with essential competencies to close the digital skills gap around the world. At the University of Wisconsin—Madison, our Digital Skills Bootcamps provide you with all the tools you’ll need to successfully launch your exciting new career as an evolved professional.

Are you looking for a career change, eyeing a promotion or professional advancement, or wish to increase your earning potential? It’s time to strengthen your expertise and start learning in-demand skills.

These continuing education programs are excellent for adult learners to stay on top of developing trends and get ahead professionally. Investing in a bootcamp program can increase your income potential in as little as one year.

Illustration of people with individual skills collaborating virtually and working from anywhere.

Skills-Based Hiring is on the Rise

With rising costs and pandemic fatigue impacting every aspect of your lives, you are not alone in seeking a new career path that is fulfilling, gives flexibility, offers a better quality of life, plus increases your income potential. The situation calls for upgrading your talents by learning future-ready skills that will make hiring managers and employers invest in you!

The increasing trend in inflation has triggered many education institutions to hike their tuition fees and other costs of services. This can mean that full-time traditional education or a degree might not be a feasible option for many.

Moreover, if you are a working adult or have personal responsibilities that make it impossible to commit to full-time classes, pursuing online bootcamps can be your best bet!

Accelerated, part-time programs like the Digital Skills Bootcamps offered by the University of Wisconsin—Madison combine traditional education with practical experiences by providing in-depth training led by industry experts. Upon program completion, learners will be job-ready to showcase their skills and present a professional resume and portfolio in just 10 months!

In case you are hesitating about stepping your foot into a male-dominated tech field, you can discover how to build your community of women in tech in Wisconsin and find other helpful resources to build your network.

With the ever-growing demand for digital skills training to prepare the workforce for digital markets, several companies are looking to hire people who display real-world applications of their skills, forgoing the need for a traditional educational background in those fields.

Illustration of a person looking at a vast menu of benefits of investing in UW—Madison Digital Skills Bootcamps.

Get the Most Out of Our Bootcamps! 

It is beyond doubt that accelerated bootcamps provide the most favorable solution for people who wish to upskill or change careers—without spending on traditional degrees and waiting for more than a year to begin a new career path.

Here’s why the University of Wisconsin—Madison Digital Skills Bootcamps are worth your investment:

Prior Tech Experience or Degree NOT Required

Our beginner-friendly bootcamps are designed for individuals with all skill levels and backgrounds. You don’t need to be a tech geek or a digital wizard to begin your journey on a digital skills career path!

Whether you are currently working in a digital field or feel utterly clueless about the up-and-coming tech trends, you can grow from novice to a ready-to-hire professional in less than a year.

Comprehensive Career Support

Every person has different goals and motivations that drive them to advance in their career path. Our Digital Skills Bootcamps provide you with an extensive career support system to guide you in your journey to success. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of our bootcamps is the step-by-step personalized career guidance, and job placement assistance learners get from our career service experts.

Our career coaches are here to help you with your questions about your future career and acquaint you with the industry and its job market. While our instructors train you with in-demand skills, our student success team assists you in understanding what career path would suit you the best and help you narrow down what companies would be the best fit for your goals. All this value and more at absolutely no additional costs!

Our bootcamp career coaches work together with every learner to build your resume, optimize your LinkedIn profile, improve your interviewing skills, and provide additional resources to help you prepare for your interviews.

We are here to help you work through any career concerns you may have during the entire process. Many learners feel that having someone to make them stay accountable and keep them motivated and on track, adds considerable value to the bootcamp experience.

Additionally, we provide you further value through our bootcamps by providing you with networking opportunities, including introductions to our industry partners and our bootcamp alumni network.

The Value of Career Services

If you look for mentorship and career placement professionals outside the bootcamp, you will be required to pay $125 per session, and a professional resume writer can cost you up to $700.

That means you could end up spending hundreds or even thousands just preparing to enter a new job position. Plus, of course, the stress of searching for qualified and reliable professionals to guide you. And not to mention how lengthy and tedious that process could be.

Vector illustration of an individual with a money bag in hand displaying increased return on investment and profits.

Your ROI When You Invest in Your Career

Your ROI or return on investment is the potential profitability of your investment. We understand that going back to school and making financial commitments can feel overwhelming for many. When you invest in yourself, and in your education, you will be delighted with greater returns in the near future.

Investing in your career is similar to buying a home or adding funds to your retirement account in large amounts upfront. It is investing in yourself in the present to generate substantially more returns than your initial investment.

Let’s say, with your current skill-set you are qualified for a job position where you are earning $50,000 annually. While a few organizations do offer additional benefits like 401(k), not all companies provide major benefits at this pay scale. Moreover, not every industry or job profile gets the opportunity to work remotely.

While you may be satisfied with your colleagues, work environment, or certain job responsibilities, there could be a constant battle between monetary commitments and a healthy work-life balance.

So what makes a Digital Skills Bootcamp the best next move for you? Our comprehensive training programs offer personalized career coaching throughout the program and prepare you with in-demand skills that give you a competitive edge to be eligible for higher-than-average paying jobs*. With a career in the digital field, you may also get opportunities to work in a remote or hybrid work environment, better job benefits, personal time, and a much more fulfilling work experience.

*Salaries vary based on a number of factors, including position, location, experience level, skills, as well as work, and personal history.

While your expected salary after completing a digital skills bootcamp program depends upon the discipline, job position, and industry trends, here are some examples to give you an idea about the ROI when you invest in your career:

Average annual salaries for digital skills careers:

  • Information Security Analysts: $102,600
  • Data Scientists: $108,660
  • Computer and Information Technology occupations: $97,430

That’s a pretty solid ROI given that the average annual salary for all occupations in the United States combined is $51,168.

4 Steps To Finance Your Career

Investing in your education is a big step, and we want to help you embark on your professional development with convenient payment and financing options. Here’s how you can get started:

Step 1: Set your career goals in line with what you wish to achieve.

Step 2: Select the Bootcamp that resonates with those career aspirations.

Step 3: Try our 30-hour Introductory Course to gauge if the bootcamp is a good fit for you.

Step 4: Choose your payment options when you’re ready to commit to the full program.

Pay in Full 0% InterestPersonal Financing
After completing the Introductory Course, pay tuition in full prior to starting your first class.Monthly installments with no interest. Available to all learners.Students may qualify for private education loans with lenders like Sallie Mae or Climb. You may also be eligible for UW—Madison employee and military/veteran discounts.

Our bootcamp programs do not qualify for federal financial assistance. If you need more information on your payment options, call (608) 733-6400 to speak with our admissions advisors, who will walk you through your options so you can make the best decision for your future.

A person looking through a telescope and stepping up for future career possibilities.

Time to Get the Ball Rolling

There is no better spending than investing in yourself! Once you start believing in yourself to advance in your career, the only next step is to fully commit yourself to your career goals.

If you are still feeling uncertain or need help deciding what digital skills career is the best choice for you, find the inspiration you need to take the next step with these FREE self-paced mini-course. It delivers an overview of essential concepts and potential career paths to help you discover if a career in that discipline is the right choice for you!

Cybersecurity Mini-Course

When you feel ready to get started with one of our accelerated 10-month programs or wish to learn more about the enrollment process, tuition, payment options, and course curriculum visit us online or call (608) 733-6400 to speak with one of our admissions advisors.

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