List of YouTube channels for improving web development and programming skills • Hacker News Board

Re: List of YouTube channels for improving web development and programming skills

#91

Post by Swizec » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 12:15 AM UTC

AlchemistCamp wrote: post #88

Swizec wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep you’re the sweet spot for me. Exactly what I target :) The part that makes me sad are complainers who buy a $200 course then ask for a refund because they blazed through it in an afternoon and feel like $200 should be at least 3 weeks of content.

How many hours of video are in such a course of yours? Since I sell a subscription service, I've mostly studied others doing the same, but I've bought a few courses from very successful creators. Adam Wathan, for example, sells a 4 hour course for $150 a 22 hour course for $250. He's later said in interviews that he regretted making it such a giant course. If I were to sell a one-off course, it would probably be at l…

It’s 5 to 6 hours with another few hours of bonus material. The main thing I’m changing going forward is course structure so it becomes more like a self-paced workshop.

And to be honest it hasn’t been that bad, my main course has made $160k over its various iterations the past 5 years. The bigger thing is that I’m realizing the how-to style tactics course that is so popular these days doesn’t deliver what I truly want to teach.

Re: List of YouTube channels for improving web development and programming skills

#92

Post by AlchemistCamp » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 1:04 AM UTC

Swizec wrote: post #91

AlchemistCamp wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How many hours of video are in such a course of yours? Since I sell a subscription service, I've mostly studied others doing the same, but I've bought a few courses from very successful creators. Adam Wathan, for example, sells a 4 hour course for $150 a 22 hour course for $250. He's later said in interviews that he regretted making it such a giant course. If I were to sell a one-off course, it would probably be at l…

It’s 5 to 6 hours with another few hours of bonus material. The main thing I’m changing going forward is course structure so it becomes more like a self-paced workshop. And to be honest it hasn’t been that bad, my main course has made $160k over its various iterations the past 5 years. The bigger thing is that I’m realizing the how-to style tactics course that is so popular these days doesn’t deliver what I truly wan…

Yeah that pricing / amount sounds in the normal range... I guess there's always some percentage of people like that.

My business is newer and smaller, but I've still encountered a couple of really aggressive emails. I suspect that it would be more if I were selling a one-off course instead of a feed, too!

Re: List of YouTube channels for improving web development and programming skills

#93

Post by sireat » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 8:08 AM UTC

meowface wrote: post #70

GuB-42 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that YouTube is great for culture. It includes programming culture. Basically telling you that things exist. However if you really want to do something, you need practice, and YouTube is not ideal for that. For programming, what you need is a computer, a development environment (preferably something well integrated if you are beginning) and a project (if you are a beginner, the simpler the better). Text docum…

For programming, yes, especially if you're a beginner. But for more conceptual aspects of software engineering and system design, or tutorials on new technologies, videos can sometimes be useful. Here's a good recent one by Raymond Hettinger on making things easier for yourself when programming, such as ways of reducing how many things you'll need to keep in working memory at once. It actually does directly involve a…

Raymond Hettinger is such a treasure!

He keeps things simple and in the process you actually learn.

I tend to overload the registers when teaching and students do not learn as much.

All teachers know the feeling when students eyes glaze over, something that is so much harder to detect in the age of Zoom and Teams.

PS https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwuv05aZ6ug there is a sync fixed version of the talk

Re: List of YouTube channels for improving web development and programming skills

#94

Post by ALittleLight » Sat, Sep 05, 2020, 9:43 AM UTC

theonemind wrote: post #20

127 wrote: post #7

I think a lot of educational Youtube channels aren't that great in actually teaching you anything. What they are great at is sparking the interest and planting the seed for your own work. At least my experience is that actually doing things is how I learn them. Youtube can be a great springboard for that. Things to look out for: a person you like and who has enthusiasm and knowledge. For example EEVBlog Youtube chann…

"If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." - Antoine de Saint—Exupery

I feel like many product managers and senior leaders I know take this advice to heart, and too literally. It's great to yearn for the sea, but if you actually want to sail, you'll need a boat, and that boat had better be built by competent organized professionals paying attention to what they're doing rather than a bunch of folks sitting around talking about the endless sea.

Re: List of YouTube channels for improving web development and programming skills

#95

Post by Breza » Sun, Sep 13, 2020, 4:19 AM UTC

mattgreenrocks wrote: post #76

dwoot wrote: post #66

Like someone else had mentioned, the list is comprised of channels geared heavily at web development featuring content for early career developers. There are a ton of channels that dig deeper in more general software and particulars: 1. Algorithms Live! for those that are into competitive programming 2. PapersWeLove for those that are into white papers and the research that underpins some of the systems that we use t…

Thanks for this. As is often the case, webdev seemingly seems to suck the air out of the room at times in discussions of programming, and there are a lot of other super interesting domains out there.

Agreed. I'm a data scientist looking to sharpen the computer science part of my craft, so a lot of web dev stuff just isn't relevant to me personally.