How is this bootcamp different?
We are ready for launch!
Earlier this week I finished editing and uploading Course 1 of the new bootcamp to the learning site, and a few All-Access Pass members already started the first few modules.
If you are new to the newsletter, I'm referring to the .NET Cloud Developer Bootcamp, which is a multi-course program for C# developers that want to get into cloud development with .NET.
I've been working on this for the last 5 months or so and you can learn more about my journey leading to today, plus what's covered (and not covered) in this bootcamp, over here.
The bootcamp launches with the first course, ASP.NET Core Essentials, this Tuesday, November 12, and the other 8 planned courses will follow at roughly 1 course per month starting December.
Today I want to answer one common question several of you might still have:
How is this bootcamp different?
Monkey see, monkey do learning
There are hundreds of programming courses out there, including several excellent paid .NET courses on places like Udemy, Pluralsight, Dometrain, etc. And, I probably don't have to tell you about the thousands of free courses you'll find on YouTube.
However, even when many of the instructors behind those courses are amazing software engineers, most of them (not all) will follow this kind of methodology across the learning content:
It roughly goes like this:
- Learn dozens of new concepts. The course starts with several lessons where all the relevant concepts are introduced. Ideally this uses diagrams/animations for the best result, but is not always the case.
- Add layers and abstractions. With all concepts covered, the instructor leads you to introduce as many layers and abstractions as the final app will need, just so you have a good starting skeleton.
- Start coding: Monkey see, monkey do. The instructor will show you how to code the application exactly the way she/he does, based on her/his experience. There's some explanation, some magic copy pasted code, and some new concepts skipped to finish the coding as quick as possible.
- Arrive at the final solution. The instructor arrives at the best solution on the first try, with close to zero problems. It just works and so it should work for you.
Do these instructors know what they are doing? Of course they do, they are the top engineers in the field, with plenty of credentials to back them up.
Is this the best way to learn? I don't think so.
I think there's a better way.
First principles learning
I just learned about first principles concept a year or two ago, but somehow, I ended up using a teaching methodology that aligns with that across my most popular YouTube tutorials.
It's not exactly the same thing, but in my mind a better way to learn goes like this:
- Learn one new concept. Start the course learning just one new thing. Avoid coding and instead use the best possible diagrams and animations to land concepts properly.
- Build an MVP applying the concept. A Minimal Viable Product (MVP) is the simplest version of the app that you can build, with the intentional purpose of applying the one concept you just learned. No layers, no abstractions, no best practices. Just write the code, build it, and see the app running. Get your first win quick!
- Discover the limitations. You got your first win, landed a solid concept, but soon you learn things are not so simple and that there are limitations and challenges to overcome. You hit the problem, firsthand, and feel encouraged to find a solution.
- Refactor towards the best solution. Now that you know why the naive first version is problematic, you learn how to refactor what already works into a much better solution, nailing down several best practices along the way.
- Learn one new concept. The cycle starts over with just one new concept.
Will it take more time to finish a course that follows this approach?
Probably yes.
Will this help you become a better engineer?
Absolutely yes.
Why are most programming courses not taught this way?
I can't tell for sure, but here's my theory:
- Great software engineers are not necessarily great teachers. Most of the time they teach at their level of mastery, not at the level where students are currently. Going back to the beginner level you where many years ago is not easy and many just forget.
- It's way easier to write code than to explain concepts. Trust me, it takes me an huge amount of effort to get out of my comfortable VS Code environment and go into a slide deck and start making squares, arrows and circles, plus a bunch of animations. It's hard work, but I think it's worth it.
But don't trust me, a few of my YouTube subscribers seem to have arrived at the same conclusion:
And all the courses in this new bootcamp will follow the same teaching style as in my YouTube videos, but with even deeper dives into several key concepts.
Wrapping Up
We’re almost there! By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be putting the final touches on the launch.
Look out for an email from me early this Tuesday with the link to the bootcamp launch page, where you’ll find all the details.
Stay tuned!
– Julio
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