Even in the USA we have taxpayer-subsidized "bootcamps" for all sorts of valuable skills. They're called community colleges, and they get a bad rap, probably because of our university-focused work culture. Doing coursework at a community college is a great way to try out a field you're not sure you're committed to yet, that's more structured than self-study. And it's going to be cheaper than a full university and certainly more so than a private bootcamp.
That's very interesting. I don't think we have those here in Britain; we have pre-university colleges, but these are generally only available to those of the correct age to follow on from school. Full degrees are associated with a pretty good state-funded loan (which is written off automatically if not paid before retirement), but there are no longer grants for most people. In my parents' time, things were different - my father graduated from university getting more money for attending than he paid for the degree!
