Show HN: The web development course I wish I had | Hacker News Reader

Show HN: The web development course I wish I had

codermanual.com

7 pointsrobtherobot11 comments

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Dear Hacker News readers,

Please don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like a discount code to try the course.

Also, please leave any comments or questions here. I'll be happy to address them.

Thanks!

Rob

Really hope this does not become a pattern of ever decreasing time expectations between learning to code and becoming employable. I attended an actual bootcamp and really still struggle to keep up with everything almost a year later (employed in infosec so somewhat development related). However a 30 day full time course load to go from almost no code background to employable, honestly sounds ridiculous.

I am also concerned that "learn web dev" is quickly becoming the new "Get MSFT/CSCO/A+ certified in just 3 weeks and make 100K!". While this could be a great way to learn basic skills, its probably not more in-depth than what codeacademy or code.org makes available for free.

More specifically, promising employability and calling this a "tuition" carries implied promises and expectations for prospective "students" - expectations that are likely to get shattered the moment any interviewer worth half their salt asks a basic comp sci 101 question.

Sorry to be so negative, but the message i see is rather spammy. From the design and overall content perspective, its a really well made site though.

Hi drglitch!

I appreciate your feedback and complement on the site design/content perspective.

I totally understand your concerns, and we want to do everything we can to avoid sending the message that this is no more in-depth than codecademy or code.org free tutorials. I urge you to take a look at the curriculum (you can contact us from the footer of the site if you'd like a first hand look) and see for yourself. The time it takes a student to complete the course is up to them, but it is much tougher than material you'll find on sites like those aforementioned. Our course covers HTTP, e-commerce, patterns, and many more intermediate to advanced topics. And, you're not just coding partial pieces of code in the browser like other sites - you're actually building real, production-grade applications on your own servers. I won't crowd this post with all the details as they're all viewable here: https://codermanual.com/track-select/12-week-rails-track/

There's a downloadable e-book at the bottom of that page that describes how to handle both technical interviews and non-technical interviews as well (re: your point about comp sci 101 questions).

Thanks!

Rob

The site does not make it clear that " this is no more in-depth than codecademy or code.org free tutorials." On the contrary the site pulls in data regarding salaries and time commitments that are completely unrealistic from the standpoint of someone who has "experience" These are all classical signs of a scam. Product x does amazing things for only the price of y trust me I know I needed product x that is why I made it.

Hi sprkyco, I appreciate the feedback. Since launching over 80 students have signed up, and the things they're saying are great. I'm happy to list some testimonials. I'm also happy to offer you access to the course to see for yourself. Personally, I'd really like to do that for you. I think the product speaks for itself and I'm living proof that the numbers are realistic. I'm curious as to why you're seeing it differently. Also, if you have copy suggestions that I could improve upon, I'd like to know alternatives so that people don't share the same perspective as what you've listed here.

Hi sprkyco,

Thank you for your feedback. I do appreciate it.

I understand that a 30 day full time course load from no background sounds ridiculous. That said, with the right guidance, I think one can be ready for an entry-level position in web development in a very short amount of time - we do explain in our FAQ's that the amount of time will vary based on aptitude and eagerness to learn. The only reason a 30 day option is available is because it was a reality for me. I had very little knowledge of HTML and CSS when I first learned Rails - and after 30 days of studying hard (8-10 hours per day) I was able to get job offers of $75-$100k+. It felt ridiculous, but it was awesome and real. I'm not saying that is repeatable for everyone, but I think it is for certain candidates - those with an eagerness to learn. I urge you to view our contents in detail (https://codermanual.com/track-select/30-day-rails-track/) and see what you think. In fact, I know you may not even be interested in learning, but I'm happy to offer you a free look inside if you're curious. I also urge you to read the e-book that is downloadable from the bottom of that page.

I'm aware of bootcamp curricula and I can tell you first hand that all bootcamps are not created equal - and in general, all coding schools/tutorials are not created equal. All I ask is that you take a look and see for yourself. Please don't hesitate to reach out - we can be contacted from the footer of the Coder Manual site.

Ultimately, however, our goal is not to see how fast one can become job-ready - we will likely alter our business model and optimize the curricula over time, but the course-length options are there because of first-hand experiences of the course creators.

Again, thanks for your time and your feedback!

Rob

I haven't signed up but from what I can see the website looks really well designed. Nice work!

Thanks for the kind words!

Appreciate the web dev course. Is this helpful if you wanto learn mobile first dev?

Hi pskittle!

This course is not optimized for mobile development. We may add a mobile development course down the line. That said, our course does cover responsive web development - which will ensure that the applications you develop are optimized for mobile browsers.

Please reach out if you have more questions!

Rob

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