and skyrockets to as much as $550,000 … companies like Facebook and Apple (AAPL) aren’t far behind. While the talent vacuum remains problematic for Bay Area companies, it presents a huge opportunity for candidates. Enter the Silicon Valley “boot camp,” a nouveau vocational school for the coding-inclined. Such nine- to 12-week accelerated programs, including Dev Bootcamp, Hackbright Academy, and Hack Reactor, arm students with the fundamental skills needed to compete as engineers — no previous coding experience required. That, coupled with pent-up demand is why program applicants come from all walks of life, from thirtysomething nannies to fortysomething attorneys and bankers. – read more