Six-month-old web site Codecademy claims you can learn programming through its online tutorials. The free modules on JavaScript are now available. The site also allows anyone to post their own programming courses. The site has good funding, but question is: can you really learn programming this way? One blogger enthuses that Codecademy's approach "looks like the future of learning to me," while another slams it saying "Seriously? Wow, bull**** badging and sh**ty pedagogy wins the day in ed-tech investing." What do you think?
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Member since:2011-01-28
Member since:2012-01-17
:-)
And that comes after years of reading OSNews.
I strongly believe that access to knowledge should be free. After that, it is up to each individual to decide how much time and effort he/she is willing to invest in learning.
I do have university diploma and I don't want to downplay importance of formal education, but I think that programming is way too dynamic for classical education with semesters and grades and professors. Most of what I know about computers I've learned on my own AFTER university. So, the best way to become a programmer is to:
1. learn basics of coding (loops and functions can be learned on your own on web sites, by reading downloaded PDFs or by buying and reading book)
2. after that start a small project of your own. It is important to learn how to solve problems by helping yourself with Google search and local library search (any serious programmer has a TON of PDFs on his hard drive)
--- University will give you this too, albeit in a more formal and strict way, but really important stuff is nbr 3. ---
3. and finally, join a "real" project (at work or by joining some open source community) to see what collaboration is, which standards and conventions to follow, to have your code reviewed and so on.
After several years of experience doing number 3. you can call yourself an experienced programmer, with or without a piece of paper that says "this guy graduated in out University. It is the best University in the world. Please give him a job."
Diploma may be an indicator of someone's knowledge, but any serious job interview I've done focused on my knowledge, skills and previous work experience. With time, I adopted the same approach.
BR
Loreia
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Member since:
2012-01-17
What a great answer. In few short sentences, you summed up everything there is to say about the subject. I tried to mod you up, but don't see how. Instead, I'll make an effort and post my first comment here :-)