Greg, et.al.,
This has been a very interesting discussion and a fitting one given
this interesting article read by an economist who truly cares about the
people and not just money:
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/25649-back-to-college-the-only-gateway-to-the-middle-class
For those you who did not want to read the article, or who could not
make the connection to this discussion, the connection is that we need the
modern day equivalent of the technician! In the past, and some still today,
the "technican" could navigate a machine shop, work with wood, read
technical drawings/schematics, operate a soldering iron, and work some
key/basic technical formulas (i.e. Ohm's law, etc.). However, the
technician of today needs some of that knowledge, but more importantly they
need knowledge and skills of using different software programs, but even
some of those programs require knowledge of programming to really make the
program dance like one wants it to do.
Well, today we can use such technicians and PDX Coder and Epicodus
appear to provide those basic programming skills to allow a "technican" to
help out with some of the minor tasks of rather complex programming
projects, thus leaving the "Engineers" to do the complex analysis and
planning for what needs to be coded. Such "technicians" are needed beyond
complex Software Projects, at my current job I wish that I had a "software"
technician who could take over a script that I wrote in Python that
automates the generation of Verilog RTL code, code that results in a
complex hardware logic designs that I can put into a FPGA or in an ASIC.
There are so many features that would like to add to that script, but I
just don't have the time as I am dealing with even more complex design
challenges, and that is the key point...MORE COMPLEX DESIGN CHALLENGES!!!
For those challenges, the four year degree is need in Computer Science,
Computer or Electrical Engineering.
David brings up the issues associated with for-profit schools and I
would agree that there are some MAJOR issues there, but to compare PDX
Coder or Epicodus to say a DeVry, University of Pheonix, or others, might
be too short sighted. Yes, there are free options as well, but learning is
too complex a process and self-study does not always work for everyone.
There has to be some kind of energy exchange and unfortunately money is how
it is typically done today. If you truly run the numbers, I am certain PDX
Coders or Epicodus will not be in the fortune 500 any time soon.
As both an electrical engineer and educator (elementary to university
levels), I think supporting local groups like PDX Coder and Epicodus will
make PDX the next major technology "mecca"; with global warming making sure
that we get San Jose's nice weather...along with some loss in greeness! ;-)
- Manny
On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 2:16 PM, Lokkju Brennr <[email protected]> wrote:
> At my recent employer, Thetus, I was involved in interviewing three
> students from Epicodus, which does something similar to the organizations
> you've mentioned. We ended up hiring all three, and I'd say two of them
> were junior/entry level, while the third was probably closer to intern
> level competency; none of them had any prior programming experience before
> starting the Epicodus program. There seemed to be a very real focus on
> front-end web site technologies, while server side side is covered only
> very lightly. Probably the largest downside I saw was that there were a
> lot of concepts (aka, common sense stuff you learn from doing) that they
> just didn't have; even if they knew the process for doing something, they
> didn't know why to do it that way.
>
> Epicodus is a bit different from the others mentioned, as it is a four
> month course, 40 hours per week, for ~$3400. They mainly pair-program,
> with some larger scrum-style teams towards the end. I'm biased against
> fast-track courses, but if you're making the choice to use one, this is one
> of the better ones I've seen.
>
> ~ Loki
> ᐧ
>
> On Thu, Sep 18, 2014 at 1:37 PM, Eric Garner <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> they might think about something like this:
>>
>>
>> https://www.edx.org/course/mitx/mitx-6-00-1x-introduction-computer-2841#.VBtBgPldXvw
>>
>> I took the course 2 years ago as a way to bootstrap myself into python.
>> the course uses python to teach all the underlying fundamentals of
>> programming and it does a good job of it. more importantly, its FREE.
>>
>>
>> On Wed, Sep 17, 2014 at 6:47 PM, Greg Peek <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> A relative of mine is thinking of getting into web development /
>>> programming. College degree, but no experience at all with programming.
>>>
>>> I'm looking for input on PDX Code Guild, Code Oregon / Team Treehouse,
>>> and other local fast-track programming courses.
>>>
>>> PDX Code Guild says:
>>> "You will learn Python, Django, JavaScript, Jquery, HTML5, CSS3, SQL,
>>> how to think like a programmer and important developer practices like
>>> agile, source control (git), testing, and debugging."
>>>
>>> In 16 weeks of 4 hours a night.
>>>
>>> Seems to me like a lot to learn in that time frame. Too good to be true?
>>>
>>> Thanks,
>>> Greg
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> dorkbotpdx-blabber mailing list
>>> [email protected]
>>> http://music.columbia.edu/mailman/listinfo/dorkbotpdx-blabber
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> --Eric
>> _________________________________________
>> Eric Garner
>>
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>> dorkbotpdx-blabber mailing list
>> [email protected]
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>>
>
>
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