24HourCoder

24HourCoder differs from other beginner courses in two respects: (1) First, 24HourCoder takes you from beginning to end. At the end of the course, you’ll know more than just the basics—you’ll be a full-fledged, competent programmer (defined below) with a strong foundation to achieve your coding goals. You’ll be well-suited to attend a full-time coding boot camp to perform at the top of your class and get a great job, or you can simply add coding to your list of life skills and/or continue coding as a hobby. (2) Second, 24HourCoder focuses on real-world application and understanding, not syntax and memorization. Many courses and books teach you the ins and outs of a programming language but fail to explain how those principles are applied in the real world. 24HourCoder focuses on the most important principles, ensures that you actually understand them, and gives you plenty of real-world experience in applying those principles.

There are many different programming languages, but they all share the same core elements, namely (1) data types, (2) variables, (3) functions, (4) conditionals, (5) loops, (6) objects, (7) arrays, and (8) classes (or, in the case of javascript, prototypes and constructors). 24HourCoder focuses on developing a deep understanding of these eight programming elements so that you will truly understand how to program rather than just knowing how one programming language operates. That being said, we need to start somewhere. 24HourCoder focuses on JavaScript, which in recent years has become the most ubiquitous and accessible programming language in the world. In other words, 24hourCoder teaches you how to program—through javascript—so that you will understand programming generally and be capable of moving on to other languages going forward, if you choose to do so.

Becoming an expert programmer is a lifelong endeavor—even the best programmers are constantly learning. But at what point can you confidently and accurately say, “Yes, I know how to program.” For purposes of this course, “competent programmer” means two things: (1) First, having a thorough understanding of the eight elements common to all programming languages (i.e., data types, variables, functions, conditionals, loops, objects, arrays, and classes); and (2) Second, having the ability to apply those eight elements in learning and using real-world Application Programming Interfaces (“APIs”), including open-source frameworks and commercial applications. If you can learn how to do those two things confidently (even if slowly), you will have reached the level where you are capable of teaching yourself and will be able to say, “Yes, I know how to program.” 24HourCoder will help you get to that point.

Yes. 24HourCoder is the first of many courses to come. 24HourCoder will be the base course and future courses will focus on additional skills, such as the provisioning of remote databases, using the command line interface (“CLI”), common algorithms, and basic computer science.

Yes!

The only thing you will need is access to a computer with internet connectivity. You will also need the Chrome web browser to be installed on that computer.

24HourCoder is designed for individuals ages 12 and up. If you know how to open a web browser and download the Google Chrome web browser, you’re good to go. No other prior experience is necessary.