Altcademy

I came in to this program already knowing some HTML and CSS. So the first part of the material was a really good review of my existing knowledge, as it revealed some of the holes I had. The JavaScript part had a comfortable learning curve, it started from the absolute basics and slowly progressed to high level (some times difficult) concepts. There were plenty of exercises for practice, which was important. Part 3 combined HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create websites that would call external APIs, and create interactive game features. It really painted the picture well of how a website is put together. In summary, it was a very rewarding experience and I have learned a more logical and stretigic way to think by learning how to code.

I tried to learn programming on my own for a couple of years but I never managed to get very far. Looking back, it was probably due to the lack of a structured curriculum and motivation to carry on. Altcademy's nanomajor program was very well planned out. It covers all the nitty gritty details and had plenty of examples and alternative explanations for harder concepts. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience with them. The mentors were extremely responsive and accommodating when I asked them for help. They even gave me a nudge when I was slacking and got me to keep going. Shout out to Xiao! The only thing they don't offer is job support. But I guess you can't have everything, especially at such an affordable price.

I have always been curious about coding. So I decided to try and learn it while I had the spare time from work. I started out learning on free platforms. It was ok, I learned some basics. But I needed more depth and structure. Altcademy's program covered the fundamentals in details I have never seen. It was a completely different learning exeperience from before. But the best thing about this program is the feedback I got from the mentors, the fact that I can get help from an experienced mentor was really worth it.

I really appreciate how logically the course materials are structured, and it saved me so much time undertanding the hirearchy of each programming language. The course offers a lot of exercise, instead of remembering the commands mechanically, I can literally learn by doing. The clone projects were very helpful to train my independency, that being said, whenever I need help, Xiao has been very quick to respond. The freedom of the course also leaves me time and room to explore related subjects and further my skills, being more of an independent learner, this is the perfect rhythm for me. I think I can finish enough projects by the end of the course, to complete my portfolio.

I really look forward to complete this project and become a good full-stack developer.

Previous to Altcademy, I had never coded before, and was timid to approach this subject which I thought to be extrememly difficult. However, after statring the Full- Stack Developement course on Altcademy, I was able to expand my knowledge about coding, and become confident in my programming skills. The course is difficult, but the mentors are phenomnal in answering questions, and making the concepts more understandable. I have enjoyed this course so much, and especially that you can work as slow or fast as desired, based on your own schedule and skill level. It has been a great course, and I am pleased with my knowledge so far and can't wait to contiue to learn more!

This course is deffinately student oriented but what I love the most about it is that it gets you ready for real world scenarios. One of the ways it gets you ready for real world scenarios is by giving you tips on what ish the most efficient way to code and the most common practices, then you have exercises to apply your new knowledge. Other ways that it prepares you for real world scenarios is by showing you code, explaining each part of the code in simple, logical terms. Then by showing you the proper and bad ways to code it prevents you from making alot of the first time coder's mistake. I think anyone from any level can pick up their courses and become a professional Programmer.

First off, I have to say this program isn't easy. The added fact that it is online only makes it quite daunting  but have no fear Altcademy makes the course both easy to approach, learn and then allow you to apply your skills at the various challenges and projects. By the end of the program you should have a good understanding of CSS, HTML, Javascript.

A big part on why Altcademy worked for me is their instructors. Both instructors, Xiao and Harry were very generous with their time and make it easy for me to reach out to them. Between the chatgroup, email, 1 on 1 office hours. You can learn on your own pace and also be able to reach out to them at any time. Posting your problem to them at the chatgroup will usually yield some answers, URL links to where you should follow up. 

In some ways the online only aspect allowed a right balance of letting me struggle, figure out my "syntax" errors  and then understand how I can correct them.  I remember 1 particular moment when I was doing a particular assignment and was having some problems understanding where I went wrong. During the 1 on 1 office hour,  Xiao  was very patient with me and went above and beyond to make me understand where I was going wrong.  After finishing up, I realized we have gone for about 2.5 hours on that 1 issue I had!

I am thankful that I had the opportunity to learn through Altcademy and can't say enough good things about their program and offerings. In fact I so enjoyed myself that I will be taking their Back-end Development course in May 2017. 

I am taking Front-end Web Development Online right now(almost completing ) and it has been a very rewarding  experience. Harry and Xiao  are very  knowledgeable and dedicated mentors. Hack Pacific has its own Q&A platform and Slack channel where I am able to post any questions I have or whenever I get stuck at any problems. Mentors are very quick to reply too so that you do not feel lost which can impede your progress which is often the case with other online courses. In addition to that there is video conferencing twice every week which  gives me opportunity and ample time to discuss and interact with mentors and check on my progress. Their feedbacks on my assignment has been very helpful. It has been such a great learning experience that I have signed up for their Backend  web development online course as well.
I absolutely recommend this course for anyone wanting to learn front end web development.