Enter your numbers for both paths. Bootcamps train for specific fields (mainly tech/coding roles) — this tool defaults to a computer-science-track comparison so both sides target the same kind of job; swap in your own field's numbers for other majors or trades. We project each year's earnings, cost, and loan payments over your career, then account for the time value of money.
⚠ Estimates only, not financial advice — see the note below the results for details. US only for now.
Each line already includes every adjustment above it — this isn't a list to add up. Compare using the bottom line only.
Estimates only, not financial advice. Uses 2026 federal tax brackets plus an approximate state rate. Both paths finance their program cost with a loan; interest capitalizes until the program ends and is then repaid on a standard fixed term, starting the year after completion. The bootcamp/trade path models program length in months (rather than whole years), since these programs are usually much shorter than a year — income blends training-period and post-program pay within the year the program finishes. Stage 4 converts each year's net cash flow to its future value at your investment return rate, so the final number reflects not just how much each path pays, but when.
College vs Bootcamp/Trade School projects both paths year by year over your chosen career horizon, then runs the totals through four stages to estimate which one leaves you with more real wealth.
College sums any income during the program (often $0 for full-time study) plus your post-graduation salary with raises, for the years after you finish. Bootcamp/trade does the same, but because these programs are usually just months long, most of your first year already counts as working income.
Each year's earnings are taxed using current federal brackets plus an approximate state rate for your city, then summed across the horizon.
Tuition, fees, and living costs (college) or program tuition (bootcamp/trade) are financed with a loan. Interest accrues during the program and capitalizes at completion, then the balance is repaid on a standard fixed term starting the year after you finish. Those loan payments are subtracted from the years they're actually paid.
A dollar earned in year one can compound for the rest of the horizon; a dollar earned in year four (or year ten) can't. We convert each year's net cash flow to its future value at your investment return rate, so the final number reflects not just how much each path pays, but when the money actually arrives.
No. College vs Bootcamp/Trade School gives a directional estimate to help you think through a decision, not a substitute for a financial advisor or career counselor. Real outcomes depend heavily on your field, school, program quality, and local job market in ways a general calculator can't capture.
We currently support a set of major US cities for the state tax approximation. Use the "View supported cities" button at the top of the page for the full list. This calculator is US-only for now.
A four-year college program means four years of little or no income plus tuition and loan interest, while a several-month bootcamp or trade program gets you earning almost immediately. Extra years of compounding income can outweigh a higher eventual salary — which is exactly the tradeoff this tool is built to show. A large enough salary gap, or a long enough career horizon, can still tip the balance back toward college.
$25,850/year combines the College Board's 2025-26 average published tuition and fees for a public four-year in-state institution ($11,950) with average room and board ($13,900). The $76,251 starting salary comes from NACE's Class of 2025 starting salary survey for computer science graduates — matched to the same field bootcamp graduates enter, rather than an all-majors average, since bootcamps train specifically for tech roles. The 6.52% loan rate is the official federal Direct Loan rate for undergraduates for loans first disbursed between July 1, 2026 and June 30, 2027.
$14,142 and a roughly 14-week (about 3.5-month) program length reflect Course Report's 2025-26 industry data across hundreds of coding bootcamps. $69,000 reflects Course Report's reported average first-job salary for bootcamp graduates. For a trade school instead of a coding bootcamp, typical costs run $5,000-$20,000 for programs of 6-18 months, with starting salaries varying widely by trade — edit the fields to match your specific program.
Yes, enormously — this is the single biggest limitation of any generic version of this comparison. Bootcamps exist almost entirely for tech roles, so this tool's college-side default ($76,251) is a computer-science starting salary, matched to the same field, rather than an all-majors average. A different major (nursing, business, engineering, education) or a different trade program has no fixed relationship to these numbers — some fields start well above $76,251, others well below. Always replace the salary and raise fields with figures specific to the actual field and program you're evaluating; don't treat this tool's defaults as a general "is college worth it" answer.
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Rate data: 2026