Blog/coding/Coding School/programming

Is A Computer Programming Bootcamp Worth The Cost?

Posted on by Katie Lewis
are online coding bootcamps worth it?

Programming boot camps are technical training programs which offer students who have little or no knowledge about coding. These bootcamps give an opportunity to its enrollers to develop professional grade, job skills by accelerated, intensive and immersive training programs. These programs focus on real experimental skill building in an array of program languages. On completion, graduates are well trained and well prepared to pursue and get a mid-level job in programming.

Duration

Usually, programming bootcamps last for about 8-12 weeks which demand students to spend at least 90-100 hours per week on dedicated studying. Majority of the camps follow a weekly schedule in which the learners are taken from basic topics to complex topics gradually. Students get an understanding of programming and achieve coding skills by means of classroom-based lectures and hands-on training programs. Intensive, grueling and demanding are the adjectives used to describe such programming bootcamps. They are mostly operational five days of the week. Sometimes, you may be required to work in the evenings and on weekends to complete the assigned projects. Programming bootcamps involve a collaboration of individual as well as group projects, lectures, homework, guest lectures and presentations.

Advantages and disadvantages of programming bootcamps

Pros:

  • Development of career focused skills
  • Cheaper than compared to four-year degrees
  • Quicker graduation
  • Development of technical skills
  • Tutoring from professional programmers
  • No need to take any student loan

Cons:

  • Intensive learning environment
  • May need relocation
  • No well-rounded education
  • No learning of computer science theory
  • No college degree

Are you suited for such camps?

Taking part in a programming bootcamp demands from you a great deal of time and money. Even though these bootcamps maybe difficult they will definitely lead you to new job opportunities. Finding out the ideal choice for yourself can prove to be a very challenging task. Below are a few questions which will help you decide if you are really made for such bootcamps.

  1. Career goals: programming bootcamps give students a workable amount of knowledge in computer programming. Before enrolling, it is necessary that you identify your goals and motivations. Is your goal to start a company or to develop skills to change your existing career? Prior to enrolling, you should make sure that your aspirations run parallel to what you will be learning at these programming bootcamps.
  2. Budget: these days, financial help and scholarships are not easily available. Few programming bootcamps offer discounts if the tuition is completely paid before the commencement of the course. Few other bootcamps may defer the tuition payment till the completion of the course and the student acquires a secure job.
  3. Other costs: Other the regular tuition fees, these programming bootcamps may demand you to relocate and will lead to other housing expenses. Most of such programming bootcamps are held in major cities. Hence an aspiring student must be ready to move to the concerned city to attend the program. Is moving to another city suitable for you? Are you going to be able to finance other expenditures like housing and food during your stay? These are a few questions that you should ask yourself before blindly enrolling for a programming bootcamp.
  4. Intense environment: ninety nine percent of the programming bootcamps function from Monday to Friday. These courses demand its students to spend eight to twelve hours studying with dedication. Are you moulded to face such a challenging curve learning only about programming? If you are not built for such a tight schedule but you still enrol for a programming bootcamp, you may be at the risk of falling behind in the course and it will be very difficult to catch up.

Considerations while choosing a programming bootcamp

The three major things to consider while you choose a programming bootcamp for yourself are:

  1. Focus on programming language: Most of the programming bootcamps concentrate on coaching its students regarding a single programming language. As an aspiring student you should first find out which computer language is bet suited for your future career plans and then enroll yourself in that respective course.
  2. Quality of tutors: prior to enrolling for any programming bootcamp, find out if the tutors are professionals and have enough experience and knowledge to impart to you.
  3. Placements: The basic reason why you are enrolling for a programming bootcamp is to get a new job. Ensure that the bootcamp you are joining offers resume support, career placement services and job fairs.

Conclusion

Programming bootcamps are conducted all year long. You need to find out the time and location of the course that suits you the best. Once you have established the fact that a programming bootcamp is the best way to give wings to your career, you should carefully value the above-mentioned factors. Don’t forget to give yourself a head-start by utilizing free resources available online. Websites like helpdesklite, treehouse, and other coding websites offer great information and free classes to cut your teeth. By doing this you will ensure that you reap maximum benefits out of the program at an economical price.

Blog/Open Source/Problem Solving/programming

Where To Get Computer Programming Help Online

Posted on by Katie Lewis
online programming help

A major part of your day to day lives depends directly or indirectly on technology, to be more specific, on computer technology. These days, computers are being used in practically all homes, companies and organizations, be it a small or big firm. People can do so much using computers only thanks to the computer programmers who are constantly updating and making codes and programs to suit the needs of different people. Taking into consideration a scenario in which you are finding it difficult to solve a coding problem on your own.

Importance of computer programming

On your computer screen, you can see that blinking cursor and multiple error logs which have so much text that you can start growing white hair reading about them. Yes, agreed development is a tough task to do. We are blessed with the plethora of information offered by Internet as it helps us solve any problem. There are many resources that will help you get out of any programming difficulty that you are facing depending on the kind of issue.

What should you do before finding programming help online?

  1. Investigate: It is obvious to frantically start searching online for a solution when you find yourself stuck in a problem. While doing this, you expect the answer to your problem to magically appear on your computer screen. This is going to give you results. But it is not necessary that they are the answers that you are looking for. This happens only because you are not asking the right specific questions. So, before you really start asking questions, sort out in your mind what kind of problem you are facing and why exactly are you facing it. Evaluate your problem like you are looking at it for the first time. Why these questions are important is because they will give you a better insight about your problem and then you will be able to identify the resources that will be able to help you specifically.
  2. Identify your skills: To begin the process of breaking down your problem, it is necessary that you evaluate your own knowledge regarding that technology. Ask yourself questions as to how well you know what you have started with. Computer programming has many aspects. Once you have realized in which aspect you lack knowledge, you can start learning more on that topic before you start seeking help online. Once you have gathered all the possible knowledge, you may at times be able to solve your problem on your own and if you are unable to do so, you will be able to ask the search engine more specific questions which will give you the answers you want.
  3. Planning: Chalking out a plan most of the times can seem to be a tedious process but it is very essential to get positive results to big issues. Planning does not necessarily have to be a formal process. You should do it only so that you can organize your thoughts in your mind. This is nothing but addressing issues according your priorities so that the most important problem is solved first. Do not expect plans to remain the same. As you go deeper into your research, your planning is going to change at every stage.

Places where you can get help with solving your programming problem

A simple search can solve a few problems while complex problems may need some extensive research. Problems usually can be taken care of very quickly and their difficulty depends on your mileage with that specific technology. There are programming communities which are a rich source of getting computer programming help online. There are many platforms where you can put up questions regarding the problem you are facing, and you will receive answers from fellow programmers. The answers are then liked and disliked by the people who have asked the question depending on how useful the answer was to them. These programming communities provide only theoretical answers to your questions. There are many places online where you can find visual help for your problem. While there are many problems which are addressed and solved immediately, there are also problems that demand you to dip your elbows a little deeper into the research that you are doing.

Lastly, if your research online is all going in vain, you always have the option of seeking help from an expert. In this way, you can allow the expert into your domain and let him or her look at your problem personally.

Conclusion

Getting yourself stuck in a programming problem is very difficult, but getting out of it is an art and being a developer, you need to master that art. Computer programming help can be found very easily online provided you know exactly what you are looking for.