<commit_before>---
published: true
title: Picking Coding Bootcamp Prep Resources
categories: bootcamp-prep
layout: post
image: ../images/fulls/01.jpg
---

Deciding to restart your career is a tough decision, and once you realize how many resources there are to learn programming, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Here's what I wish I had heard before I prepped and interviewed for a coding bootcamp (CB).

<img src="/images/StockSnap_14QY2T9UPC.jpg" class="fit image">

## Parlais Vous Ruby?
When you decided on learning to code, you probably followed that decision by googling "What coding language should I learn?". And then you probably read that it's easy to pick-up different languages once you understand some basic but very important concepts for programming, such as:
-data types
-loops
-functions
(And if you are like me, you scoffed and kept reading Google results anyway.) But the people who say this are right. Why?

Unlike spoken language, it's much easier to read and write new programming languages once you have a decent grasp on programming concepts. So, I think when it comes to learning to code you should pay more attention to which resources teach you the foundations i.e. the ones where you understand not just _how to do something_, but _how it works and why it's important_. If you find yourself writing code that you're just parroting back from a tutorial, that's probably not the best resource for you.

You'll find that bootcamps tend to teach either Javascript or Ruby anyway, and though Javascript is more complicated from a syntax perspective, if you're motivated enough to be applying to CBs, picking up one or the other over a weekend to fill out a coding challenge shouldn't be a problem. It's also likely that the CBs you're applying to have their own prep course anyway, making things even easier. Here are a few that do for free:

-[Flatiron School Prep Course](https://flatironschool.com/programs/online-bootcamp-prep-course/)
-[Hack Reactor Prep Program](http://www.hackreactor.com/prep-programs)
-[Viking Code School Prep](https://www.vikingcodeschool.com/prep)

Which brings me to my next realization...

<img src="pexels-photo-256546.jpeg" class="fit image">


## Learning All of The Things
Let's say you've already started filling out applications and are at the coding challenge or coding interview stage. You're a nervous wreck thinking about bombing the interview and have started a few different online courses or programs to get you up to speed. You like each one for a different reason, but want to make sure you're spending your time in the right places. You're also thinking about spending a few thousand dollars for the 100% guarantee that you'll get in somewhere. Which one or two do you decide to focus on?

First of all, **save your money**. The only way it makes sense to pay for a prep is that it's for 1) the CB you are sure you want to go to and 2) they rollover the course payment into your admissions fee if you're accepted. I say this because there are just way too many free resources out there that'll teach you the same things. What you're paying for are the interviewing soft skills of:

1. How to psuedo code
2. How to talk out loud about your code
3. Understanding what the code you're writing is doing<commit_msg>Updated 2017-04-30-first-post.md<commit_after>---
published: true
title: Picking Coding Bootcamp Prep Resources
categories: bootcamp-prep
layout: post
image: ../images/fulls/01.jpg
---

Deciding to restart your career is a tough decision, and once you realize how many resources there are to learn programming, it's easy to get overwhelmed. Here's what I wish I had heard before I prepped and interviewed for a coding bootcamp (CB).

<img src="/images/StockSnap_14QY2T9UPC.jpg" class="fit image">

## Parlais Vous Ruby?
When you decided on learning to code, you probably followed that decision by googling "What coding language should I learn?". And then you probably read that it's easy to pick-up different languages once you understand some basic but very important concepts for programming, such as:
-data types
-loops
-functions
(And if you are like me, you scoffed and kept reading Google results anyway.) But the people who say this are right. Why?

Unlike spoken language, it's much easier to read and write new programming languages once you have a decent grasp on programming concepts. So, I think when it comes to learning to code you should pay more attention to which resources teach you the foundations i.e. the ones where you understand not just _how to do something_, but _how it works and why it's important_. If you find yourself writing code that you're just parroting back from a tutorial, that's probably not the best resource for you.

You'll find that bootcamps tend to teach either Javascript or Ruby anyway, and though Javascript is more complicated from a syntax perspective, if you're motivated enough to be applying to CBs, picking up one or the other over a weekend to fill out a coding challenge shouldn't be a problem. It's also likely that the CBs you're applying to have their own prep course anyway, making things even easier. Here are a few that do for free:

-[Flatiron School Prep Course](https://flatironschool.com/programs/online-bootcamp-prep-course/)
-[Hack Reactor Prep Program](http://www.hackreactor.com/prep-programs)
-[Viking Code School Prep](https://www.vikingcodeschool.com/prep)

Which brings me to my next realization...

<img src="/posts/pexels-photo-256546.jpeg" class="fit image">


## Learning All of The Things
Let's say you've already started filling out applications and are at the coding challenge or coding interview stage. You're a nervous wreck thinking about bombing the interview and have started a few different online courses or programs to get you up to speed. You like each one for a different reason, but want to make sure you're spending your time in the right places. You're also thinking about spending a few thousand dollars for the 100% guarantee that you'll get in somewhere. Which one or two do you decide to focus on?

First of all, **save your money**. The only way it makes sense to pay for a prep is that it's for 1) the CB you are sure you want to go to and 2) they rollover the course payment into your admissions fee if you're accepted. I say this because there are just way too many free resources out there that'll teach you the same things. What you're paying for are the interviewing soft skills of:

1. How to psuedo code
2. How to talk out loud about your code
3. Understanding what the code you're writing is doing
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