I recently completed my first official intensive computer programming course at NYCDA. I studied a little HTML/CSS on my own before but taking a course allowed me to reach new levels when it comes to my understanding and ability of programming. I took an 8 week part time intensive course that met for 6 hours weekly and had lots of homework, it was fun and sometimes stressful but overall a great experience. Below I break down my experience.
Why I Chose NYCDA
NYCDA hosts programs in 3 locations across the US.
Getting a 4-year computer science degree definitely isn’t the only way to learn programming, although it may be helpful if you plan on mastering the skill and really want to go to college. There are now many alternatives to traditional school or college that can teach you how to code. There are free resources like Codecademy, Lynda.com and Youtube you can use to learn enough programming to build a basic website or even more depending on how much you apply yourself. There are also plenty of great programming courses on Udemy but since I prefer to get iterative feedback when I learn, doing an in-person class to take me to the next level made sense. I researched the best programming school for something part-time and intensive that would teach me the fundamentals of front-end web development. There are many full-time bootcamps but NYCDA had part-time programs at a more reasonable price and I knew they had a good reputation for programming and design so I went with them, It also helped that the school wasn’t too far from my office since I went to the 3-hour classes after work.
Initial Thoughts Starting The Class
When I first started the class I was excited but a little nervous because I started it at the same time that I started the part-time intensive UX Design course at General Assembly. By taking both courses at the same time I knew there was a chance I might get overwhelmed which I did at times but it was also very helpful to compact the timeline and cross reference what I learned in each class since both classes are related to creating and designing software products. I studied some HTML/CSS on my own on Udemy before so at first I got through the class easily but it started to get more complex and move faster.
The Process
I came to classes Mondays and Wednesdays from 630PM to 930PM for 2 months, I leave my office at 6PM so I would go straight to class after work. At first, I had more than enough energy to tackle the class but as work, the other class and helping another startup fundraise I began to feel exhausted and started to drink coffee in class, something I usually never do. We would start the class with a lesson then end it by practicing what we learned and getting a homework assignment to submit showing our competence in that new skill. We started with HTML & CSS but quickly moved to Bootstrap, Javascript, and JQuery. I personally felt that the Bootstrap was useful but due to the limited time we had in class to learn the other material, it may have been better to have not included Bootstrap in the class. We were just starting to learn Javascript then JQuery was introduced, I felt I spent more time trying to comprehend the Javascript then I did learning the JQuery which is a more shorthand version pulled from a library.
The Outcome of The Class
By the end of the class, more than half of the class dropped out. It was very hard to keep up with the pace but the teacher was a really fun guy. Overall I felt there could have been more in class collaborative practice sessions with feedback earlier on to enhance our learning but the instructor did start doing those more in the end. I also liked how he asked us for feedback on how he could improve the class and learning experience. By the end of the course, I had the skills to be able to create a basic website using HTML/CSS, Javascript, and some JQuery. I was even able to host the website online using Github although I was familiar with web hosting via Hostgator or Godaddy, it was cool to start a Github account and understand how it works. I built a few websites and my final project was a landing page for a recreational cannabis delivery platform for the state of California (where it’s legal). I was challenged but had a lot of fun, overall I’d rate the course a 7.5/10 just because it could have been better without the Bootstrap and more collaborative and feedback driven practice earlier on in the class but overall it was a good class. If you ever consider learning computer programming, I’d recommend you at least learn the basics and pick a school that has great teachers and a schedule that works around your life.
Question of The Week: Have you ever considered learning computer programming? If so, where have you considered or completed studying? Was it via a school or self-taught? Comment below!