I am seeking to get into a coding camp — yes a boot camp. I am unemployed at the moment after working a temporary contract as an application administrator for a few months. It was a good experience getting into media publishing, but I was limited to doing more software testing and not closer to learning or using my programming skills. I decided now is the perfect time to make sacrifices.

I have researched and found several programs ranging from 8 weeks to 19 weeks. It is really hard to know where to go, if you have the right fit for the camp,  or who will accept you into their camp culture. Some of these workshops gives you pre-work to do before you can even get an interview. I can understand why an immersive program would do that, but it also puts emphasis on what can you do without any instructors. Often you feel like you are being put through the mill to learn a skill on your own anyway. Feelings surface, like the programming world has a secret society and only a certain criteria is supposed to apply for it and maybe you will get lucky if you are picked to join. I wonder, if I am directed to go to Coursera and Codecademy, then why not encourage me to do all of the free programming classes online? I am sure it is possible to learn it all on your own.

I did learn some coding on my own, a dabble here and there, but there is something uplifting and empowering when you are around other people. Sitting in the beginning of your quest to code by yourself can hamper your ability to network and collaborate with others. I support online and in-class collaboration to effectively develop skills, ambition, and creativity. I find that learning everything online sometimes keeps you boxed-in where you do not reach out to learn from other sources or talk with others learning with you. I find it can get boring if everything is online. A classroom full of like-minds drive each other in a certain way, where sole learning online can take you only so far. I took an SQL course online with a great instructor and I soared, but even after did really well. However, I felt like it wasn’t enough because I was out of touch with other students and what the possible demands would be when I went to look for jobs to start my career.

What are your thoughts on the option to learn coding solely online or in a classroom setting?