Tech901

Tech901’s Code 1.0 program offers HarvardX CS50 as an introductory course on computer science and the art of programming, with or without prior programming experience. This course teaches students how to think algorithmically and solve problems efficiently. Topics include abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development. Languages include C, PHP, and JavaScript plus SQL, CSS, and HTML. Problem sets inspired by real-world domains of biology, cryptography, finance, forensics, and gaming. Students who meet the completed course requirements will receive a certificate from HarvardX. Graduates will be interviewed for follow-on industry training and internship opportunities.

I am fortunate to have learned from Tech901's IT Foundations- Security + for CompTia training and CCENT and CCNA for Cisco Networking + bootcamps in Memphis. Most bootcamps are out of town or way too pricey for my budget. Never would I have had the opportunity to participate in a bootcamp otherwise. This bootcamp has been a great convenience by it being held a a convent time of the day and at a great location at the University of Memphis, The Sears Crosstown Concourse and the Boys and Girls Club. I feel much more knowledgeable of the areas where I have been trained. It was impossible for me to learn these subjects on my own. I look forward to training in the upcoming Security +, Project +, Hardware Technician and Coding 1.0 (Intro to Computer Science in the future. 
 

When I first applied for the Code 1.0 class at Tech901, I expected that it would be more of a class where I would learn how to solve problems step by step using what was given to me by my professors(in this case, the videos from Harvard University). I also expected it to be more of a liberal arts class, similar to the foundations Computer Science class that I took back at Rhodes College, Memphis, Tennessee. However, as soon as I enrolled in the class, I realized that it was not the experience that I was looking for, which put me at a disadvantage when it came time to actually solving the problems. As such, I had to get help from not only my professors and peers but also my mom, who is a hard-core, "you better learn to love it" sort of programmer, which seemed alright until I started telling the professors that I more of a writer and even told them that for someone like me, it would take at least a month or two for me to learn C language, which they did not take so lightly. One of them even said that writers were stupid when I told him that the average short story writer takes two months to write a story. So far, the only thing that has kept me in the class are my classmates, who are very nice, intelligent individuals. 

 

Perhaps this is because I am still new to programming, but I will say, for a class that promised me the opportunity to put my writing skills to practice in a new environment, this is by far the most disappointing experience that I have ever been in. To any of you writers and other creative people looking for a job after college, but do not want to go into teaching whatsoever, DO NOT take this class or any other coding boot camp class. They're not interested in your love of pursuing knowledge, even when they say that they do. Schools should be places where you learn for the sake of learning.