Hey, I'm here!
It's 2020, time for a new blog. This time, I'm going "as free as possible" by joining up with the dev.to community and seeing what all this site has to offer!
This year, I evaluated a number of web developer bootcamps and free resources and I've decided to go down the route of learning software engineering through Launch School. There were a few reasons why I feel strongly that Launch School's core curriculum is for me. In order to understand these motivations, it's important to know why I'm learning to code.
Why I'm learning to code
- I want to learn the foundations of software engineering - I don't want a "learn coding quick" scheme. I want to truly understand the hows and whys behind why code is executed the way it is. I want a real base in order to continue foundational learning upon.
- I want to be a better game producer - Even if I never write a line of code at work, having a true understanding of the way the web works can only benefit me in my work in game development. I want to speak all the same language, understand engineer's motivations.
- I'm not looking for a career switch - At least in the short term, I'm looking to learn software engineering on my own time with no immediate intentions to switch careers/roles into an engineering position. I just want to learn for learnings sake.
Why Launch School works for me
- It's self-paced - Launch School is fully remote & self-paced. With a full time job and a 4 year old son, I can't devote 40 hours a week to coding. I have to learn slowly, which means I'm not able to devote to a 12 week FT bootcamp onsite.
- It's a monthly fee - Instead of being $8,000 - 30,000 like web development bootcamps, I'm going to be paying $199/month. I can pause or stop at any time. I can structure this around my life and my availability.
- Mastery-based learning - Launch School isn't a dev bootcamp. It's a mastery-based learning platform. It gives a very strong foundation that takes people anywhere from 9mo to YEARS to complete their curriculum. It's in-depth, it's detailed, it's mixed-media (though mostly text). It's the kind of program where I'm assessed when I'm ready and have support from TAs and the community, but I will truly understand everything before I am allowed to progress. As a person who is always looking for the "quick fix", this kind of slow, intentional learning is exactly what I need to learn a new way to learn.
I have just started the free prep course part of Launch School and I'm excited to document my learnings and experience here.
Top comments (1)
Am so happy you’re joining the community of programmers. You’ll do well.. focus, discipline and have fun on it 🙌