Learn to code in 8 weeks with Bloc, an online bootcamp for would-be developers

However for people that want to get into coding for the first time, nothing is more gratifying than having a project in your pocket that you can point to and say "I did that". That is why our courses are project-oriented.

I hope that our courses pique student interest enough to pursue deeper theoretical knowledge, but as a first foray into coding, we've found projects are really the way to go.

So for many non-technical founders of startups, being able to make a simple CRUD app will take you most of the way toward a prototype.

5 minutes of intense exercise today will actually have a big effect on your body if its intensive enough. 5 minutes a day on abs or biceps or whatever will have a big effect on those. That's not a lie.

You're not going to get the body you would get with 2 hrs a day, obviously. Is that what it is? You should be targeting the kind of body you get with 2 hours a day. If so, isn't starting on a 5 minutes a day routine with enough noticeable effects to keep you motivated a good way to get on that path?*

Most of the people that buy into the 5 minute ab hype, won't get the abs. That's because the hype focusing on selling it to them initially is more effective than the hype keeping them doing it. To a cynical curmudgeon, the inevitable failure rate jumps off the screen. Is that what you're reacting to?

Is it the false advertising? The informercials show people with 2% body fat people who obviously compliment 5 minutes of ab exercises with swimming, weights, yoga & occasional triathlons. Do you think "learn to code quickly" misrepresents what you get?

*Obviously the analogy is to a masters degree & 6 years in challenging programming jobs.

I am currently up to 'Rails for Zombies 2', and while it is very beginner focused, I'm comfortable to look through API docs to work out what I need to use, I have a grasp of MVC and I'm acquainted with basic github functionality.

It's fun. It's never going to be "5 minute abs", but that's a good thing.

One of our students was just hired, and we've got another who just graduated on sponsorship from another well known startup as part of their hiring process. If you want a full list of the apps our students have built e-mail me at jared@bloc.io.

The bootcamp is really what you make of it, although our focus is on building an application that you could do many things with: show an employer (who appreciates seeing code that you've written as opposed to a resume), show to a potential cofounder, or bootstrap it.