In almost all cases I recommend various free to inexpensive online options for people interested in learning to code. I taught myself web dev a few years ago and spent in total less than $200 on books, udemy/online courses and am now 5 years into my career.
I can see that a mentored, fine tuned curriculum would be beneficial to someone not sure where to start but it feels crazy to charge someone more than a couple grand for what is essentially freely available information. I think this type of school is preying on people's conditioning to think a traditional college-like environment is more serious or worth it somehow.
Same here. I took the CS101 course then went into CS 253 and it's what pushed me towards a career as a web dev. 5 years in and I'd say it's worked out.
I'll be forever grateful to Udacity for that but I'm sure it's difficult for them to meet their business goals. I have friends ask me how I got into web dev and I've tried to point them to Udacity but with all of their focus on Nanodegrees people think that's all they offer and balk at the high price point. Now I usually say to look for a Udemy course on sale for $10 or a course from Wes Bos. Which is a shame because I find the instruction and format of Udacity to be high quality.
I didn't sign up for Twitter because I thought it would open up professional opportunities for me. Not sure who this is aimed at to be honest.
OP thinks social media is bad for you and doesn't need it for professional reasons so he doesn't use it. So why should I take his advice on what I should or shouldn't do on social media?
His argument boils down to there are more productive uses of your time. Brb, gotta delete Netflix too! Sorry to my family as well, since I need to move to a shack in the woods to be free of distractions for my important work.
If OP is worried about the "seductive" nature of promoting yourself on social media maybe he shouldn't write humblebrag articles to post in NYT.
I'm about 4 years into my career as a software dev, but you know what I did before that? Worked a shitty manual labor job at a warehouse with shitty 13-hour days and not a lot of pay.
I rarely got to see my friends who were more successful starting their own careers. But what I did have is money to pay my rent and free time to continue learning and honing my skills.
Yeah it really sucked working in that warehouse and it was embarrassing a little bit. I used that as motivation. Fuck pride indeed.
Yeah...this is how you have an even less-informed electorate. I follow the news because seeing what goes on helps shape my political views and decide how to vote. Not just for the president either. And not just to vote, I want to know if my congressman is doing something shady or damaging so I can make my voice heard with a phone call or email. Just saying "all news is bullshit" is horribly lazy.
And if you really wanted the job you'd take a few minutes to personalize it. I'm assuming most hiring managers want that part of a cover letter to see a little about you as a person and why you're interested.
I'd rather hear from someone specifically interested in this job vs someone looking for just any job.
I can see that a mentored, fine tuned curriculum would be beneficial to someone not sure where to start but it feels crazy to charge someone more than a couple grand for what is essentially freely available information. I think this type of school is preying on people's conditioning to think a traditional college-like environment is more serious or worth it somehow.