Code School Considerations
Code School Book — Morgan Lopes and Tim Whitacre (7/30)
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Congratulations, you have decided to pursue a career in technology. It’s time to learn the skills. Like most new skills, there are 101 ways to go about learning. But the most effective path to success is through an immersive program. Whether you are learning a spoken language or a programming language, similar principles apply.
The easiest way to learn a different language is to spend time in a culture that speaks it. Immersing yourself will allow you to learn faster than picking up a few words here and there, and will keep you using what you’ve learned. This is one of the main reasons why code schools have popped up all across the world. Code schools provide a safe, learning-rich space to soak up the world of programming.
This chapter will not help you pick the perfect code school, because one doesn’t exist. Discard the idea there is a flawless choice and relieve yourself of the pressure to discover it. Instead, learn about each factor to consider and which tradeoffs are most valuable to you uniquely. This chapter will guide you through teaching styles and options and with a little luck, you will find a few choices that fit your current lifestyle.
Lifestyle Considerations
When my career began, I was single, without kids, and sleeping on a friend’s couch. Today, I’m married with children. The simplicity of the previous sentence fails to capture how complex my life has become, but family and other life obligations seriously impact your other commitments.
Before we jump into the types of code schools, let’s first talk about you. Who are you? What works for you? No matter the choice, code school will affect your lifestyle. You get to decide when, where, and how much.
When I (Tim) taught at an immersive school, we made sure to over-communicate the real cost of attendance. Beyond finances, time and effort rank among the largest costs of code school to a student. We told students to forsake their friends and recreational activities during the program’s twelve weeks. Given the workload, there wasn’t time for anything else. Those who listened, did well. Those who thought they could have it all, did not. In some cases, over-committing caused students to not even finish the course at all. This might sound extreme, but for most folks, this is the best method. Most programs are intense. You are signing up to learn a complex subject in a small amount of time. There are simpler, slower ways to kick-start a career, but they come with their own costs. Failing to fully commit can lead to disaster, but the benefit can be astounding.
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