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Comment by jmspring | Hacker News Reader

Probably being a bit curmudgeonly, but a lot of these "learn to code quickly" remind me of the joking around 5 minute abs and the like.

Yes, they will probably help you weave some html/css or understand CRUD apps, but I've yet to see one that will be helpful in understanding more than the basics. Smart people will certainly use this as a springboard to get in on the game and will learn more as they go along. But, depth in terms of debugging problems, knowing how to connect technologies (or craft your own solutions), scaling and the like take time.

I don't think we are at the late 90s stage of "you're a warm body? here is a job", but quick paths to coding, every tom, dick and harry being an angel investor, and the like do give me a pause.

I hope people do learn, contribute, and grow, but...questions persist.

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Thanks for the feedback jmspring. I think you're right, deeper understanding takes a lot more time than 8 weeks, even at the pace that our students go.

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.

Since you've admitted to curmudgeonry, maybe you'd represent curmudgeons for a bit. I'm always confused by these kinds of comments. What exactly is bugging you?

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.

Well, if you think about it 90% of web apps really are just CRUD apps. They're ways to make some bit of life easier or more fun, not complex pieces of programming.

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.

"being able to make a simple CRUD app" does not mean the person has learned "to code".

"being able to make a simple CRUD app" makes them qualified for a bunch of jobs where employers usually look for people who "know how to code". On the short term, really learning to code (whatever that is) doesn't matter.

> "being able to make a simple CRUD app" makes them qualified for a bunch of jobs where employers usually look for people who "know how to code". On the short term, really learning to code (whatever that is) doesn't matter.

And in the long term those employers regret hiring such people:

> Rose also said that Digg hired individuals with very niche skills, like developers who only knew PHP and were not as useful once PHP went out of use. (from here: http://gigaom.com/2012/07/25/kevin-rose-reflects-on-digg-the...)

It's funny that those people get hired while some more capable people do not.

what are you basing this on?

Is this actually an impossible concept?

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