Tech recruiting: self-taught learning or formal training?

Continuous learning throughout your career is key to staying sharp. That's especially true for recruiters and even more so in the tech world, which is moving so fast.

Data scientist, cloud engineer, VR developer — these are all roles that didn't exist a few years ago and are now central to companies' growth strategies.

With these new roles, an entire ecosystem is emerging, with its own language, codes, and values. Recruiters can't afford to ignore it if they want to stay relevant in their offerings.

That's why training is central to tech recruiters. But it raises an unavoidable question: should you favor self-taught learning or follow a formal training program?

We put this article together to shed some light on the pros and cons of each option so you can finally answer this never-ending question!

Self-taught learning: pros vs. cons

Energizing flexibility

Self-taught learning unquestionably brings a lot of freedom. You pick the topics that interest you and tackle them at your own pace.

No need to wait for bootcamp registrations to open or a training cohort to start: you can start whenever you want. Right after this article, for example!

A fully personalized journey

In that sense, controlling the pace of your learning ensures you follow a truly personalized path.

Depending on your goals and interests, you can dig deeper into certain topics or, on the contrary, decide to just skim others. No more endless courses or talks whose value-add falls short of what you're looking for.

This is particularly appealing in tech, which spans a huge variety of subjects. Unlike training programs that stay very generalist, you'll be able to build expertise on a specific theme (cloud, Web3, AI, etc.).

Building resourcefulness and hands-on experimentation

Outside the framework of a carefully designed program, you'll have to find the right learning resources on your own. That forces you to explore and experiment for yourself. A skill and a tangible learning experience that can serve you well later on.

Saving money

It's hard to talk about the pros of being self-taught without mentioning this: choosing a self-taught path over paid training will save you money. Money you can put toward your future projects!

Motivation and discipline that need to be unwavering

Alone, with no follow-up or support**,** it can be tough to find the motivation for consistent learning. Once the initial excitement wears off, you may go through a period of doubt about whether your initiative is really worth it and whether you'll succeed.

That's why having strong support around you matters. Make sure your circle is prepared to back you up during those moments of doubt.

Limited resources and skills

Without a teacher or qualified professional by your side, no surprise: the range of knowledge and know-how you'll acquire will likely be narrower than what a program led by experts would offer.

What's more, the physical resources (software, documentation, etc.) at your disposal will be more limited. That can have a knock-on effect on the overall value of your learning and on what you'll be able to apply in real situations.

In tech, it can be especially valuable to have hands-on visibility into the tools engineers actually use. Yet those tools can be hard to access on your own.

Following a training program: pros vs. cons

Official recognition

A training program offers official recognition of a particular skill. It allows you to be recognized by your peers and to build credibility and legitimacy in your environment.

Access to domain experts

Some knowledge is hard to come by, and conversations with experts remain the only way to truly learn.

That's especially true for the tech sector. With technologies, knowledge, and tools constantly evolving, not everything is documented online. Only a seasoned professional can share that expertise with you.

Building a network

Training programs are a perfect opportunity to meet your peers and well-known professionals in the field. Given how important networking is in any career, this is a golden opportunity.

Understanding broad trends in tech

In the context of training programs, you'll get to interact with many people who reflect your industry. Through them you'll understand the main challenges they face and the trends they're seeing.

Invaluable insight for getting a complete view of your industry: understanding its stakes and what's coming next.

Valuable support and follow-up

Following a program is the guarantee that you'll have backup and a sympathetic ear throughout your learning. Extremely useful when motivation dips or doubts creep in.

A meaningful financial investment

Programs, especially prestigious ones featuring well-known experts, can be expensive. Choosing a program shouldn't be taken lightly. You'll need to make sure it actually matches your needs by carefully studying the curriculum.

That said, the return on investment can far outweigh the upfront cost.

It's also worth noting that there are various funding options you can look into on our website.

A rigid format

With a training program, there's no flexibility on schedule! You'll need to fit a predefined timetable. Make sure you don't have other professional or personal obligations during the training period.

You'll also have little say in the topics covered by those leading the program. Hence, again, the importance of carefully reviewing the curriculum.

Which option fits your profile best?

Given the pros and cons laid out above, it's relatively easy to figure out which option to favor based on your profile.

If you recognize yourself in any of the following:

• You have many personal and professional obligations that prevent you from freeing up several days
• You can't afford to spend more than $500 on your learning
• Your company can't fund your training
• You need to learn at your own pace
• You aren't afraid of learning alone and you're disciplined and consistent even without external oversight or follow-up

Then self-taught learning seems better suited to your situation.

If you recognize yourself in any of the following:

• You need a structured framework to learn
• You're able to invest more than $500 on your learning, or your company can fund your training
• You can free yourself from your professional and personal obligations for a few days
• You want official recognition of the skills you acquire to bolster your credibility
• You want to grow your network
• You want to train on a highly specialized topic with few resources online

Then following a formal training program seems better suited to your situation.

If you're interested in following a tech recruiting training program, check out the Bluecoders Academy program: alongside experts, train for 5 days on tech culture, sourcing in 2023, effective closing techniques, and every aspect of tech recruiting while growing your network!

How to learn on your own?

First, you need to identify clearly what you want to learn. That means lining up your interests, your aspirations, and the realities of your work: high-growth markets, career outlook, and so on.

In tech, it can make sense to focus on a small number of themes or technologies.

Then identify the resources that will help you build skills on the chosen topic(s). Ask yourself which format suits you best: books, MOOCs, videos, conferences? A mix of all of the above?

Since you don't have anyone tracking your progress, it's important to set up a learning plan with short-, medium-, and long-term objectives. Make sure that plan isn't too ambitious! Nothing kills motivation like feeling you're not progressing fast enough.

How to find the right training program?

A simple online search is enough to see that the offering for training in tech recruiting is plentiful. Choosing can be tricky, especially since quality varies significantly.

A good reflex is to look at reviews from people who have already completed the program. If you know people who've done it, even better — quiz them for an honest opinion.

At Bluecoders Academy we've designed a Tech Recruiter Specialist program that won over 96% of attendees, with more than 152 recruiters trained in a single year!

It can also be worth looking at the speakers' backgrounds. You'll quickly see whether they're true subject-matter experts. If some of their talks are available online, form your own opinion of their teaching style.

Bluecoders Academy's program brings together a range of experts: CTOs, CHROs, founders, and tech recruiters — we've selected the best speakers.

What do recruiters value most?

Both approaches have their merits. Self-taught learning has the upside of proving a candidate's drive and their ability to work independently, off the beaten path. Through their experimentation, these candidates often have practical know-how that's highly valuable.

That said, formal training lets you acquire a broader range of skills and offers the assurance that the learning was guided by subject-matter experts. Recruiters thus have stronger guarantees about what was actually learned.