In this episode Wes and Scott talk about developer education — what to look for, what to avoid, and how to be a life-long learner with good problem solving skills.
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Show Notes
3:59 - Our experiences
Scott:
Went to college - Go Blue!
Worked odd jobs while self teaching
Was mentored and taught more while working at my first job
Self directed since then
Started teaching via LUT in 2012
Wes:
Went to university for Business Tech - entirely self-taught
Led and created part-time HTML + CSS program at HackerYou
Led and created first bootcamp at HackerYou
Led and created first JS part-time at HackerYou
Been offered jobs at colleges + universities
10:02 - School - $$$
Pros
The best thing about school was unrestricted free time to find out what I enjoyed, which lead me to coding
Co-ops can help you find what you like and what you don’t like
Life skills that involve you being on your own and figuring things out more
You are exposed to interesting people and ideas
CS Degree work can open more career doors
Professional networking
Many companies wont hire you without some sort of bachelor’s degree (this might change)
Cons
Not everyone has the time or money to devote two to five years to school — especially to something they might not end up enjoying
Potentially outdated staff and course material
Wes was often asked to lead a video editing course, print design course and a web development course
Lot’s of distractions
23:10 - Bootcamp - $$
Pros
Very fast, lots of info, but can be a bit overwhelming
You can get up-to-speed extremely quickly
Focused on hire-ability and job-ready skills
Focused information
Personality is really the deciding factor here - lots of people do well, and some don’t
Cons
Hit or miss — quality of bootcamps aren’t vetted, so do your research
Talk to someone who took it, find out who the instructors are
You absolutely must continue learning after the bootcamp
The bootcamp is just a push and you are expected to continue learning once you are done
Not great for individuals that can’t handle the pace
You have to quit your job
37:09 - Self-Taught - $
Pros
Self-directed people will prevail here
Can be drip-fed while earning money at another job
Can be supplemented by a job (e.g. you are front-end and want to go full stack)
Can get real world experience as a freelancer while you evolve
Cons
Not for everyone
Can be difficult to self-motivate
Hard to get help - sometimes you can be stuck for hours on a two-second fix
Potentially discouraging
You might go down the wrong path without guidance on what you should learn
47:11 - Part Time Programs - $
Pros
Fantastic way to get up to speed with a new tech
Goes at a good pace - twice a week usually
Offered on weekends and evenings where you can maintain a regular job
Very low risk - you can try it out
Cons
Might not be as fast as you like it
Quality is all over the map
49:55 - Mentored Self Learning - $
Pros
Best to do with a mentor on the job
Mentor can help steer what to learn in your free time
Good feedback and a place to ask lots of questions
Cons
Can’t be done without someone willing to mentor you
Only as good as your mentor
52:55 - What approach would we take?
Bootcamp > then immediately supplement with courses
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