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What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

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Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#11

Post by Peretus »

rf1331 wrote: post #9
Peretus wrote: post #8

I 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?

I cannot speak to how it differs from a CS curriculum, as I do not have a CS degree, but I vouch for the fact that a bootcamp can teach you way more than you would imagine you could learn in such a short amount of time (usually 10-12 weeks). I am currently enrolled at TheMakerSquare in Austin TX, and knew virtually no programming when I applied. I didn't even know HTML or CSS and now, just a month and a half later, I'm spending my evenings generating rails apps and fiddling with code. It's a pretty impressive change that I most likely wouldn't have been able to do alone, or even with a good mentor.

Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#12

Post by Comkid »

I always tell people to find a problem to solve and learn coding on the way, rather than thinking of learning to code as an end goal, to more so think of it as another tool to problem solve, which you can learn how to use on your journey to build something to solve the initial problem.

Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#14

Post by invalidOrTaken »

WoodenChair wrote: post #6

Tell 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.

I agree with this completely, and I'll make a specific claim: eloquentjavascript.net is the best book to use.

---it's an online book that lets you run code right in the book

---it's the language of the REPL that everyone has access to (in the browser)

---js is dynamically typed, which I think is easier for people to grok (I learned Java first, and for months I was puzzled by this "public static void main (String args[])" that I had to start everything with. Public? static? main? void? JS has none of these, and while it's debatable whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, it's an unqualified good thing when first learning to code.)

Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#15

Post by lowglow »

lowglow wrote: post #13

I would say read this: http://www.techendo.co/posts/how-to-learn-to-program-in-10-e...

Also, Check out http://schools.techendo.co/ for reliable schools. We're also going to start offering a graduate and leadership school for dev school graduates called campendo: http://campendo.co/

If you're a dev school graduate I'd love to meet up with you over coffee and understand how we can improve the experience with Campendo.

Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#16

Post by jared314 »

Peretus wrote: post #8

I 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've been interested in the idea of developer bootcamps recently, because it might make a good trade school for developers looking to retool into a new language/stack. But, I have yet to meet anyone, in my circle of friends, who has acquired their coding skills from them. What is the business model around them like?

Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#17

Post by WoodenChair »

invalidOrTaken wrote: post #14
WoodenChair wrote: post #6

Tell 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.

I agree with this completely, and I'll make a specific claim: eloquentjavascript.net is the best book to use. ---it's an online book that lets you run code right in the book ---it's the language of the REPL that everyone has access to (in the browser) ---js is dynamically typed, which I think is easier for people to grok (I learned Java first, and for months I was puzzled by this "public static void main (String args…

I don't know that book, but I just want to be clear that I did not mean to imply that free == bad. On the contrary, there are superb freely available books like Structure and Interpreation of Computer Programs. However, there are also superb books that cost significant amounts of money ($40+). Learning to program is worth a $50, or even $100 investment in a great book if the free books don't match what you're attempting to learn. They're able to sell for that price because they provide value that free alternative resources do not.

My main point is that in my opinion books, interactive or not, are still the best source for learning to program for many, if not most new programmers.

Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#18

Post by joshuapants »

If they are still in school, tell them to take a class. I really got started (other than some BASIC in elementary school) with Java classes in high school. The structure of the class, regular assignments, and the fact that I would get a meaningful grade made me work a lot harder at it than I otherwise would have. Not that I wouldn't have worked hard, but as with any pursuit raw passion only gets you so far and a good instructor will help you apply yourself in the right areas and progress that much faster.

If getting a class isn't an option, there's always something like Learn Python the Hard Way, or if they have issues following just text, Land of Lisp is pretty gentle and friendly, if not as immediately applicable to say, mobile development.

Re: What to tell noobs who want to "learn coding"?

#19

Post by Peretus »

wturner wrote: post #10
Peretus wrote: post #8

I 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 y…

It's true that they cost a great deal. I've had pretty long conversations with the founders about the fact that there is very little likelyhood that someone without significant means could and come up with the tuition. That being said, I was making $35K at my job before I left, and that was the best job I had ever had because I wasn't working outside or serving food. I was accepted on a Thursday, and I quit my job with DeVry University (I was a teacher's assistant) the next day. I financed the tuition on a credit card and essentially moved all my chips to the middle of the table. Yes, it's risky, but if my risk tolerance goes down over time, the riskiest time of my life should be now.

Now that I've attended this school, I can pick up books about code and not feel completely overwhelmed. For this reason, I believe that if it's an option, a bootcamp is the way to go.

I also believe that the only requirement for 'fitting in' to one of these schools is to be easy to get along with, and be able to take the stress without becoming a jerk. This is more difficult than it would seem, as the course is pretty intense.

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