I get a lot of people genuinely interested in learning. In my opinion code academy sucks cause of the false sense of accomplishment it gives. Thoughts? Strategies?
What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
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Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#2Tell them to build things from the get go. Give them some ideas on what to build. Tell them it's ok to suck.
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#3Ask them why they want to learn it and insist they find something they are passionate about building as an end result. As far as really learning,
tell them it will take 3-5 years of studying every day, building projects and adopting the process as a lifestyle. Most of the marketing shit around learning programming is fluff. BTW This is coming from one of the people you are speaking of who was (and still kind of is) a 'noob'. I just happen to have a technical background outside of code to help ramp me up. Other than that tell them to try it out and see if they like it. The learning curve will inevitably make you cry. But after you reach a certain point you can begin getting really creative which is very very empowering! This takes muscle memory and imbuing yourself in the culture, concepts and tools.
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#4Code or code not. There is no learn.
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#5I totally agree with wturner on the learning curve, as I'm also a 'noob'. I've taken up learning to code in the past year and it is very energy and time-consuming! I started with sites like CodeAcademy, but I've since turned to MIT OCW to give me a more thoughtful and full background in computing. And I want to know about a lot more than creating pages and formatting for the web.
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#6Tell them to get a good book. The value of having a single source from complete beginner to intermediate programmer written in the same voice with full knowledge of what you have completed so far at each point should not be undervalued just because web resources are free.
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#7Tell em to Build something. Best form of learning. Practice makes perfect. Theory will be used along the way.
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#8I tell them to apply to a developer bootcamp. Schools like this are popping up everywhere because there really are people who are willing (and eager) to hire the students once they graduate. I'm currently attending (and about to graduate from) a developer bootcamp in Austin TX, and I can absolutely recommend this route. Yes, it's impossible to learn everything in such a short amount of time, and attending a bootcamp may not be for everyone, but if one is serious about learning to code, it's a pretty efficient way to learn a new skill.
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#9I tell them to apply to a developer bootcamp. Schools like this are popping up everywhere because there really are people who are willing (and eager) to hire the students once they graduate. I'm currently attending (and about to graduate from) a developer bootcamp in Austin TX, and I can absolutely recommend this route. Yes, it's impossible to learn everything in such a short amount of time, and attending a bootcamp…
I'm interested in this as I have never heard of developer bootcamps. What was your experience like? How does it differ from a CS curriculum?
Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?
#10I tell them to apply to a developer bootcamp. Schools like this are popping up everywhere because there really are people who are willing (and eager) to hire the students once they graduate. I'm currently attending (and about to graduate from) a developer bootcamp in Austin TX, and I can absolutely recommend this route. Yes, it's impossible to learn everything in such a short amount of time, and attending a bootcamp…
Many of those bootcamps cost an arm and a leg and are selective in that they target well-off kids that get good grades and basically fit in. They do this intentionally so they can sell their prospects to potential employees and keep their numbers and reputation up which is just common sense on their part. I think the better route for someone that is a little rough around the edges is to do it on their own for a few years and then try to apply to a bootcamp. I did it on my own and then did a 3 month program called thinkful.com. Thinkful served as a refinement mechanism that introduced me to better practices and a bunch of nuances I didn't know about etc.