No disrespect intended, but is this just a quiz site?

Unlike most other things, software is written in languages. You “learn” languages best by using them. It’s not just about learning the words, but also about patterns & syntax, so this is very much a learning site.

3 Likes

You’re entitled to your opinion and sharing your observations and I kinda see where you’re coming from. I’ll tell you this though, what I hear a lot - on this forum, on programming podcasts, in coding articles, on YouTube, from friends who code, etc… - is that the best way to learn to code is to work on projects. FCC does just that. It gives you specific projects to work on with guidance.

3 Likes

I love disagreeing. You see, “testing your knowledge” and “learning” are actually the same thing. Maybe you don’t like the format, and that’s cool, but this is a place for learning. More importantly, FreeCodeCamp is a place to hone your skills, learn with a community, build a portfolio, and even get real-world work experience.

You seem to have some very strange ideas about skill and work. If a cook without a recipe is a garbageman, then does giving a recipe to a garbageman make him a cook? If good wiring were a basic skill, then why would so many people be so bad at it?

I get that your experience as an electrician has shaped your work ethic and compels you to strive for only the highest quality, but you’re not going to get anywhere if you’re always afraid to jump in and start working. Programming isn’t the same thing as wiring a home. It’s really easy to undo bad code. No one dies if your personal project uses some leaky abstractions or spaghetti code. It doesn’t cost anything to delete your project and start over. Grasping theory is not a prerequisite for learning web development like it is for physically building things. You’ll do much better if you just swallow the bitter pill, accept that your first few dozen projects are going to be horrible crap, and program them anyways.

There are lots of other resources you can use instead of or in conjunction with the curriculum here. There are several threads dedicated to just this. So, while I understand your frustration, I’m not exactly sure what your intention was in starting this thread. If you want help learning something in particular, you can ask search for topics here or start a new one. If you don’t want to learn by yourself, there are people here who do group coding sessions. If you just need to vent, well, I’d rather not have a new thread every time a person realizes that learning to program isn’t as easy as tying their shoes, but if it helps you get where you need to be, then so be it. Despite what you may have believed coming into this, there is no way for a website to beam information into your brain. FreeCodeCamp offers a path to learning, but you have to do the walking.

23 Likes

I like your story. I am curious if you have made any attempt to finish up that challenge on codewars.com. :slight_smile:

Maybe if you took the time you currently spend on thinking up new, colorful metaphors on how FCC isn’t able to teach you anything, and invest it into reading the forum instead, you would actually learn something? You know, just a suggestion…

1 Like

@robert194w, I think you’re being a bit harsh when you say “no guidance”, but even so…having someone who knows the field lay out the milestones in a meaningful order is key to learning this stuff. Without FCC or something like it to guide you, it’s very hard for a novice to know what he needs to learn, and in what order to learn it so that each skill or technology builds upon what’s already been learned. FCC doesn’t–and probably can’t–try be anything close to your only source of instruction for web development. It’s a series of intermediate destinations on a longer route, but it doesn’t require a precise path between those destinations, nor does it presume to lay one out for you. But it does give you enough information about each destination along the way that you can meaningfully search for the best directions for you to get there.

So take it for what it is–a well thought-out series of short-term goals laid out in a logical and useful order, that will lead you to your ultimate goal of being job-ready web dev. How you get from one short-term goal to the next is up to you. I’ve used books, YouTube tutorials, Udemy and Udacity courses, and a variety of other resources along the way. Use the information FCC gives you when it lays out each task to guide your questioning as you look for in-depth instruction in each sub-domain along the way.

Oh, FCC does one other thing that’s critically important to the learning process–it lays down a set of standards for learning. In order to receive an FCC certification, you have to complete a specific set of projects that demonstrate a specific set of skills. Those projects are assessed by knowledgeable humans to be sure you’ve met the standards before awarding the certificate. Those standards, and that certification, are not available to someone who is directing their learning entirely on their own.

3 Likes

@greneau - I attempted to understand what they were asking of me and was completely lost. Codewars, like FCC, is a place to TEST knowledge, NOT LEARN IT. Sites like these do not teach, they TEST, and expect you to have a ton of prior experience and knowledge before starting. I’ve seen this in the majority of the challenges and projects. Just look at the weather app challenge or the Twitch challenge. FCC did NOT train anyone on cors proxies, anonymous crap, codepen “issues” or API before tossing you into the fire and expecting you to swim …

3 Likes

Sometimes sink or swim is the best way…

1 Like

@dperygin -

that is a horrible way to “teach”, and I disagree.

You don’t throw a kid in the water and exclaim “Sink or swim!!!” the only likely outcome is DEATH BY DROWNING!

2 Likes

But, the sink or swim does happens all the time on the job. For me, it happens far too often. It didn’t matter the type of industry or job, non-tech or tech. At work, I was assigned (thrown) onto a project, my biggest. Within 60-days, I had to produce a working prototype/production-ish of a web app that searched over 9 million records. During the frustrating process, I made a lot of mistakes, conducted numerous Google searches, learned a lot, and improved my skills beyond if someone had held my hand. Granted, for some sink or swim will not work.

2 Likes

No one is in danger of death here. Just an expression! And I agree with James Sperrin, you will encounter that on the job. I know I have at my job.

Here are a couple more expressions for everyone’s entertainment:

“Do or do not. There is no try.” Mr. Miyagi

“If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.” Unknown

2 Likes

Try again.

Do or do not. There is not try

There most certainly is educational material here.

I have been a maintenance programmer for many, many years. I have done many programs (Pluralsight, Udacity nanodegree, Udemy, youtube videos, Safari Books videos) just to keep current. I am not one of those whiz-bang gurus that remembers everything on the first go-around so I have to continually watch videos, read books, and take classes just to keep up. I have even completed a few graduate CS and software engineering classes. I am familiar with continuing education. Heck I even work at an educational institution right now.

FCC has more instruction and helpful resources than most any other program short of a paid boot camp. And yes, you will be expected to go outside of FCC to research topics in further detail. That’s how it -always- works in the real world. It just happens on a gentler scale in FCC.

7 Likes

As Mr.Miyagi had many profound quotes and would admire the one mentioned, it wasn’t made by him. I believe you were thinking of Yoda

1 Like

A good developer is good at learning. In a rapidly-changing technological landscape, FCC aims to teach you how to learn. There are plenty of websites that will hold your hand through the process, but if you want to cultivate invaluable skills as a software developer, you’re gonna have to do some work! :slight_smile:

3 Likes

I’m the type of person who learns quickly by DOING, not by being lectured or reading.

I’m learning super quick with FCC, but everyone is different. I’d rather be given a set of instructions and find out the answer, then just reading a book and memorizing information.

4 Likes

You might be correct. If so, I apologize for the inaccurate reference.

The goal of Free Code camp is to get you job ready. Developers in the real world have to learn new concepts on their own. Learning how to find what you need to know to accomplish a task is a valuable skill. Reading and understanding documentation Like MDN is essential to being a professional developer. The site teaches you to find the answer for your self.
If your goal is not be be a professional developer then FCC may not be the resource for you. However, for all of us that have a goal to be a professional developer some day FCC is excellent and has the right approach to teaching the necessary skills to succeed on the job.

4 Likes

IMO, you pick up the general outline of how to code here, then start making your own projects, thats when you really start to learn.

1 Like

Can you please list the guys you’ve found on YouTube? Thanks