...maybe?

On the one hand the idea that you can become a well-paid programmer starting from one of these bootcamps is almost insulting to me as someone who dedicated much of his life to the field.

On the other hand, a lot of people do it. I've worked with them. They don't all suck.

Have I wasted my life on trivialities?

What does my knowledge and, yes, mastery count for if Joe Bootcamp can solve Jane Businessman's problems with a few months of training and a bolus of javascript?