The Dangers of Salesforce Career Bootcamps: Overhyped Promises and Hidden Risks

Career bootcamps within the Salesforce ecosystem and the broader technology landscape have always been shrouded in controversy. What started as a guided program to help non-tech folk train up and land a high-paying job has turned into the wild west of overhyped promises, questionable job stats, and aggressive marketing tactics. 

In this article, we’ll explore the rise of these Salesforce career programs, unpack the truth behind their promises, and examine why they may be doing more harm than good.

The Rise of Bootcamps (And Their Controversy) 

Original coding bootcamps started popping up around 2012 – a time when tech companies were experiencing explosive growth and struggling to find enough qualified developers. These included Dev Bootcamp, General Assembly, and Hack Reactor, which are generally regarded as the pioneers.

Over the following decade or so, the tech job market was red-hot, and some of these bootcamps played a vital role in upskilling job seekers from non-tech backgrounds, as well as underrepresented folks who didn’t fit the standard tech mold. 

Despite the good that online bootcamps have contributed to many individuals and the sector as a whole, a group of bad actor bootcamps have long been entangled in controversy due to the gap between their marketing and reality. Some programs lean heavily on emotionally charged messaging such as career freedom, financial security, and a brighter future. 

Recent controversies include Bloomtech, a web development training provider that was fined $64,235 in penalties for misrepresenting its finance product to help students pay for tuition, as well as exaggerating the company’s ability to help them land a job. Flatiron School was fined $89,000 for using high-pressure enrollment tactics and failing to provide proper disclosures about the program.

Vox covered this back in 2022 with an article entitled “Actually, maybe don’t learn to code”, with the main points of controversy being:

• Overpromising and Under-delivering 
• Lack of Regulation
• Misleading Job Placement Statistics
• Targeting Vulnerable Populations 

Bootcamp Warning Signs

Salesforce bootcamps can take many forms – helping you land that initial job, cross-skilling in another discipline, such as development for admins, or learning a specific product, such as Agentforce. 

Not all Salesforce bootcamps are inherently bad or scams. Many of them provide a service that can genuinely train you up and pass on skills or lessons that will help you in your career. The problems lie in the way some of them market, and who they market to.

1. Selective Marketing

By their very nature, entry-level bootcamps target people outside the Salesforce ecosystem. People who are searching for a better life and career by switching to a career in technology. Therefore, these individuals have next to no knowledge of the Salesforce ecosystem, the resources available, or any background information to verify claims. 

Instead of offering an unbiased view on the state of the job market or the best available options for training up, these bootcamps are incentivized to offer one option – their program. 

In an ecosystem like Salesforce’s, where there are numerous free options available to network with peers, resources to train, and communities to get unbiased information, new entrants to the ecosystem may not be receiving the best advice. 

One program offers an answer to whether there are any alternative ways to land a job, citing that there are only Facebook, LinkedIn groups, and Trailhead – but I wouldn’t bother with these, as they are confusing. 

2. Unsubstantiated Claims

Bootcamps only work in reality if there is an actual demand present. As soon as that demand is gone, it’s hard to justify paying thousands for the same course. 

Whilst many claims may have been true at one point in time, they quickly become outdated as the market changes, and the companies behind these would actually be doing their own business a disservice if they updated them to reflect reality.

Some of these claims on well-known Salesforce bootcamps marketing include calling Salesforce Admins “The most sought after CRM professionals in the market”, guaranteeing you will land a job faster, and end up with a higher salary than people who don’t use the bootcamp.  

Another Agentforce-focused Bootcamp claims that after taking the course, companies will be hunting you down to hire you. 

3. Pressure Tactics

Bootcamps often rely on emotionally charged marketing around changing your life, showing you potential future salary expectations, and creating an air of scarcity around joining. 

Shockingly, one Salesforce bootcamp included a “real” email from a prospect who didn’t get to join the bootcamp in time, as they wanted to talk it over with their spouse to encourage others to make a snap decision and spend thousands of dollars in the process. 

This is exactly what happened with “Prompt Engineering” when ChatGPT first surfaced. Various influencers created high-priced courses, along with some FOMO marketing designed to make people feel they are about to miss out on the AI gold rush. Now, Prompt Engineering is even questioned as a relevant skill since AI has developed.

4. Outdated Success Stories

One of the biggest marketing tools bootcamps have at their disposal is success stories – selective interviews with successful job seekers to promote the bootcamp, and show how it can work for you. 

The problem with this approach is that the majority of these success stories are from many years ago and are no longer relevant in the current day. The Salesforce job market has changed dramatically in recent years, and these stories are no longer a true reflection of landing a role today. 

5. No References or Community

The most reputable Salesforce bootcamps and learning programs have very active public communities. Programs like Supermums, RadWomen Code, and Veterans Programs, such as Merivis, all have active communities with current and past members who are easy to connect with. 

If you can’t find someone who will speak positively about their bootcamp experience in recent times, then you should be cautious about proceeding. 

The Reality of the Salesforce Job Market

The actual status quo of the current Salesforce job market is not the rosiest, although there are signs to show it’s recovering. 

Compared to the boom years of 2018-2021, very few new entrants are joining the Salesforce ecosystem. The results from our inaugural 2024 Salesforce salary survey revealed that 87% find the job marketing more challenging than in previous years. 

In addition, the graph below shows when respondents of our survey actually joined the ecosystem, painting a perfect picture of the growth and subsequent decline of the Salesforce job market.

There are positive signs of recovery in 2025, as well as AI potentially providing a boost to customer spending and implementations. 

But at the same time, there continue to be widespread layoffs with AI being cited as the main reason (Improved productivity gains mean fewer employees are needed).

What if You Want to Use a Bootcamp?

Just to reiterate, not all bootcamps, training course providers, and career programs are inherently a scam, but they are trapped in the marketing treadmill of selling life-changing courses that will supposedly increase your salary. 

It’s not always malicious, but they often prioritize sales over student outcomes, when the reality of breaking into technology is far more complex and uncertain. 

This means that the burden of judgment falls heavily on the student to determine whether there is any benefit to joining. If you are considering signing up, then make sure you do your own research first.

1. Talk to the Real Salesforce Community

The real Salesforce community isn’t locked behind paywalls; they are hosting monthly user groups around the world, organizing larger-scale community conferences, and are active on Slack communities and LinkedIn. 

The community is unbiased and will provide you with genuine advice specific to your region.

2. Do Your Research 

In most established marketers, claims of landing an easy $80k entry-level job are just not true anymore. Taking an Agentforce course may or may not land you an Agentforce job with no real-world experience – probably not from the course alone, at least. 

Research your local job market, get advice from the Salesforce community, understand exactly what your expectations are, and how likely the outcomes will align with that. 

3. Consider the Financials

Bootcamps are expensive, and if you can’t afford to lose that money, then it’s not worth the gamble. 

Understand exactly what you are getting for your money, and the risk/reward of achieving your desired outcome.

4. Take Your Time

Bootcamps often have timers counting down from some arbitrary number on their landing page to create a sense of urgency, as well as sending you multiple emails including phrases such as “FINAL CALL”.

Take your time in making a decision, and ensure it’s the right one for you. 

Final Thoughts

Salesforce bootcamps can promise a fast track to high-paying tech jobs. But behind the glossy testimonials and six-figure salary claims lies a growing problem: unchecked and unregulated high-pressure marketing tactics. 

From freelance courses to newly launched Agentforce training programs, the same influencers continue to sell exclusivity and urgency, despite the Salesforce job market having shifted dramatically in recent years.

These bootcamps often operate separately from the true spirit of the Salesforce community, a space that has long valued free, open-access learning and support – especially for beginners or those jumping into a new industry who are looking to better themselves.