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Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

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Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#41

Post by CodeGlitch »

hobofan wrote: post #14

I'm glad for all the people in this thread, for whom Codecademy worked, but I strongly suspect it worked for them because of their drive, and not because of the quality of Codecademy. ~1 year ago I pointed some friends that wanted to learn Python towards Codecademy (because it's just the most prominent example of it's kind of platform). Just out of curiosity, I looked over their shoulders, and I'm glad I did. From wh…

I've never use codeacademy, but with exercism and the like the exercises are all very much "puzzles" rather than actual software engineering challenges. I want to see database problems, architectural questions, networking, reverse engineering, security concepts, API authoring, etc.

So as you describe, they're not great for starting out with programming, and for advanced programmers, string manipulation exercises just don't teach you anything.

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#42

Post by teh_klev »

datavirtue wrote: post #28
teh_klev wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Obviously this individual was special and most people wouldnt be able to teach themselves how to code entirely on their own I'd disagree. Sure online learning tools such as CodeAcademy and free videos on YouTube are useful and can provide a great leg up. But I know quite a few folks who pivoted their careers from non-programming jobs back in the 90's and none of these learning aids were available. We just used book…

For people without mentors or exposure to the craft, they often have no idea why or where to start. They don't even know enough to select a book to start with. Add to that the immense complexity they face just to get python or .net working. When I started all I had to do was turn on the computer (booted to a BASIC interpreter), type a few lines, and hit F2.

> For people without mentors or exposure to the craft, they often have no idea why or where to start.

I think you missed my point. My point was that it doesn't take being a "special" person to get started. These days all you do is type "How do I learn to be a programmer" into google and you'll get a general gist of where to begin. The assumption that people are that utterly helpless makes my mind boggle.

> Add to that the immense complexity they face just to get python or .net working.

Ok, I'll let you get away with .NET, but getting python installed and starting it from the command line is not immensely complex. Even my brother who is technology averse managed to do this without even asking for my help.

> When I started all I had to do was turn on the computer (booted to a BASIC interpreter), type a few lines, and hit F2.

You were lucky, when I were a lad, the computer turned on and presented me with a monitor ROM prompt, then I had to work it out from there ;)

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#43

Post by estaseuropano »

soneca wrote: post #4
lucasverra wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same feeling. Then, following the path of https://www.freecodecamp.org/ , that has to be one of the most inclusive tech endeavours out there.

It did include me. freeCodeCamp was 5 years ago the foundational first step on a path to my current 6 figure salary in a job that enjoy a lot more than any previous one of my other careers. I never learned well with videos, so codeCademy interface (which I think inspired freeCodeCamp’s) was a great innovation for me.

I thought freecodecamp is mainly a collection of Videos? At least that's what its been like every time I tried.

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#44

Post by SamBam »

thekevan wrote: post #34

Welp, I signed up with the service in January of 2012 but I'm done with Codecademy now. When Skillsoft bought Element K, it did not go well for the majority of us there. Not only that, but they were my biggest competitor in sales. So not only was I not impressed with how they treated a company after buying it, but it's almost out of principle that I wouldn't support a company that has been such a barrier to success f…

Having not used Codecademy, I'm curious: were you really able to get nearly 10 years of value out of it? My understanding was that it was mostly to teach people how to code to an intermediate level.

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#45

Post by surfingninja »

zds wrote: post #13

Co-Founder and CEO here. We started Codecademy and launched on HN 10 years ago. I'm so thankful to this community for helping us to get started and to see up the momentum! We're committed to making sure that the product stays as great as the one you've used for years (and gets even better!).

I started learning HTML/CSS on Codecademy about 8 years ago when I was in early highschool. Now about to graduate from college with my CS degree. Thanks for making a great service that helped shape my life

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#46

Post by byproxy »

CodeGlitch wrote: post #41
hobofan wrote: post #14

I'm glad for all the people in this thread, for whom Codecademy worked, but I strongly suspect it worked for them because of their drive, and not because of the quality of Codecademy. ~1 year ago I pointed some friends that wanted to learn Python towards Codecademy (because it's just the most prominent example of it's kind of platform). Just out of curiosity, I looked over their shoulders, and I'm glad I did. From wh…

I've never use codeacademy, but with exercism and the like the exercises are all very much "puzzles" rather than actual software engineering challenges. I want to see database problems, architectural questions, networking, reverse engineering, security concepts, API authoring, etc. So as you describe, they're not great for starting out with programming, and for advanced programmers, string manipulation exercises just…

Are you aware of any online courses that teach these things?

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#47

Post by MikusR »

estaseuropano wrote: post #43
soneca wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It did include me. freeCodeCamp was 5 years ago the foundational first step on a path to my current 6 figure salary in a job that enjoy a lot more than any previous one of my other careers. I never learned well with videos, so codeCademy interface (which I think inspired freeCodeCamp’s) was a great innovation for me.

I thought freecodecamp is mainly a collection of Videos? At least that's what its been like every time I tried.

The web and JavaScript is the same as codecademy - no videos.

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#48

Post by jeofken »

zds wrote: post #13

Co-Founder and CEO here. We started Codecademy and launched on HN 10 years ago. I'm so thankful to this community for helping us to get started and to see up the momentum! We're committed to making sure that the product stays as great as the one you've used for years (and gets even better!).

I remember the thread. Reading about it on HN back then I started programming stuff outside of game scripting. I had just finished high school. At a meetup it led to my first job. It’s been a good 10 year career and couldn’t have gone better in this regard. Thank you for Codecademy which was life changing for me.

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#49

Post by JCharante »

bredren wrote: post #8
wara23arish wrote: post #5

First time I ever programmed was using Codecademy around 2013. I was always an average student in school. Never had the motivation/curiosity to study since I felt it was all pointless. Never had any programming/computer classes in school. I completed the python course that was available at the time that eventually guides you to build your own version of battleship with 2 players. It was an eye-opening experience for…

Thanks for sharing this. Do you still have your code for your battleship game? All of my earliest programming projects have been lost to time.

Maybe that's for the better... my code from when I was 15 years old haunts my GitHub, and that's not even my first GitHub account.

Re: Skillsoft Buys Codecademy for $525M

#50

Post by JCharante »

teh_klev wrote: post #15
AlwaysRock wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100%. I met an AWS architect who told me his story of learning to code. He was a cab driver who took a software executive home one night and on the drive asked the guy what he did. He said he ran software teams/products and the taxi driver got some advice on how to move industries. The executive said check out a coding bootcamp. The taxi driver did, saw the cost, and decided he would learn on his own. He basically pu…

> Obviously this individual was special and most people wouldnt be able to teach themselves how to code entirely on their own I'd disagree. Sure online learning tools such as CodeAcademy and free videos on YouTube are useful and can provide a great leg up. But I know quite a few folks who pivoted their careers from non-programming jobs back in the 90's and none of these learning aids were available. We just used book…

A similar line of thought made me think about the usefulness of apps like Duolingo. People who learned languages back then did it with textbooks and most serious learners still do. Do we really need new methods other than spaced repetition (of which software is a slightly more efficient version of flash cards)?
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