I have some recommendations

 Moving_and_packing[:this_week] = "frustration"

As I imagined I have been ultra busy preparing for this move and my time in code is limited. I was hoping to get a lot more prep work done, but it's looking like Sunday before I can do much more. Saturday is the big move, which will pretty much take the entire day, but with my below suggestions, I will still be able to continue my learning via the iPad.

Here are some recommendations of things I have been working on this week.

1. If you have not read POODR by Sandi Metz, then you must. This book is absolutely amazing and full of amazing info. There is very limited code, and actually explains Practical Object Oriented Design at a highly understandable level. It as help change the way I think about code and help me understand how to write code with less side effects and dependencies. Here is a sample of the book (Chapter 3).

2. Ruby Off Rails is an awesome source for really understanding the basics of Ruby. My frustration with learning Ruby, was that all the intro videos and books start you out learning definitions of Class, Methods, etc. I am at the point where my shuts off when I hear the simple beginnings yet again, Ruby Off Rails jumps right into solving problems with videos and code samples and I am at the potin where I am hungry to learn all the advanced things of Ruby. This was previously a paid course, but now is free, so take advantage of this especially if you are Ruby Newbies. Jesse get right down to business in the videos, without the fluff and even covers testing and Cucumber (great if you just went through BDD in the saas class, as I did). You need to sign up for this today! Also I should mention Railscast is only a one-time fee of $8 and you also gain access to the entire library.

3. I plan to renew my subscription to Code School. I have previously knocked them for being confusing and too much/too little info for a beginner, but now that I have code time under my belt, and I feel I can get some value from them with my limited code time the next few weeks. Videos in general are not the best way to learn for me since it enables me to not write out code, but I hope to change that by forcing my self to complete all examples in addition to getting exposure to more advance concepts such as TDD, BDD, and Database maintenance, all things I will be using heavily in the new job.

I have 12 days until I start and IZEA has provided no expectation that I need to go through all this learning prior, but I have an aggressive goal of obtaining that Senior level within 12 months and feel the need to not become complacent because I have a job.

The journey is definitely not over and I appreciate you reading and following along with me.

I have an addiction for learning

Just this week Lifehacker posted on how Harvard is offering a free online Intro to Programming to course as Jan 1st. Prior to signing up up for Bloc and deciding on Ruby as my language of choice, I watched the intro to this course when it was only offered either as Harvard credit or certificate. I had sense decided on how Ruby and discounted the program but was impressed with the professor's teaching style.

Well I have bought into the hype and already completed the first week of lectures, especially since it's free. Previously I mentioned I was scattered brain and in need of some organization of all my learning tools. I have another gist to keep track of all the things I plan to learn, but as far as this Harvard course, it is a great way to learn the basics of programming such as the higher levels ideas of it. I watched my son for a few hours today while my wife got a break and while he slept I knocked out the first week of course. I do not plan on getting into the nitty gritty of PHP and C as the professor implies but I do look forward to his explanations on Javascript and Algorithms. With this being an auxiliary learning tool I only plan on watching the lectures while I am on baby duty on the weekends.

If anyone is interested taking a Harvard course just out the Lifehacker article here. The first few weeks are avaialble if you have the extra time.


*FYI if you register for the course for $350 and complete it you will be eligible for a certificate to take another Harvard Extension course. I will be passing on that option.

Bloc update: about 8 lessons away from completing Bloccit and moving on to sudo client projects. The training wheels are coming!

Thanks to Bloc I am in love with Markdown and just implemented it in my app.

Back to School with Bloc.io

So I started my first day with Bloc Monday. I am very impressed with how knowledgeable my mentor is. I am very confident that the 12 weeks of the program are well worth the money spent. I have read from sources it takes 9-12 months to become a Jr. Developer. I previously decided that I would take the 12 months to learn but later decided that is would be too long. Once I really got my feet wet with Ruby and Rails I have pursued it full steam. My current position of inside IT sales also pays half of what I make today. The salary is not the main factor but it is very disheartening to know I spent almost 4 years to get to a salary that is half of what my potential could be.

Best things about Bloc.io:

1 Mentor is available for all the stupid questions I have
- I have attended meetups and ask many questions but fear I might be over asking certain things. my mentor has no problem the amount of questions I have and takes the time to explain the simplist things.
- I have use the Facebook and Google Plus groups but feel as if either some of the info is still over my head.


2 Curriculum
- Bloc has their own curriculum, I notice some other online programs just use other info from the internet to create their curriculum.
- The lessons are also self paced which has allowed me to blow past the initial set up stuff that I already have done and really learn Ruby and the syntax. (I have studied Ruby for bout 5-6 weeks and still do have a good grasp on the syntax)

3 Portfolio (Git hub building)
- I am not sure if a lot new learners realize but I found in the article I previously referenced that recruiters require a robust github profile and portfolio. This was also confirmed when I attended my last Ruby meetup.
- by the end of Bloc I should have 5 complete rails projects in my github.  3 of which mirrors of what a freelance project might look like. I have done OneMonthRails and hungry to get more projects under my belt.

The Price:
I understand there might some aversion to how much Bloc cost but I highly recommend Bloc and believe the price is actually cheap for what you get out of it. The total for Bloc is $5k if you pay 1k a month or 6k if you choose to pay 500 a month. There is also a discount price of 4250 if you choose to pay up front and if you really want to get start I will provide my recommendation link which gets you $100 off. If you compare it to the CS degree you get from a University you are paying well below what that cost. Read my previous post from someone who did complete a CS degree and recommends Bloc instead.

In 12 weeks you get a portfolio that can be presented easily to a recruiter. You can learn web developing cheaper over the course of 9-12 month, but if you have an idea today or looking change careers as I am it is well worth it. Waiting a year to finally understand Ruby is no longer an option for me.

Some of the things I look forward to learning with Bloc in the next 12 weeks.
- Testing
- Javascript
- More Rails experience
- Ad hoc projects
- Real understanding of the Ruby Syntax

**I recommend Bloc but also recommend going through the same material I went through prior to starting. Because I learned Ruby through other means, I am able to really appreciate the Bloc material and ask questions to get a deeper understanding of web developing.

*Quick tip. If you are familiar with reddit - look up the r/ruby and r/rails pages. I have also found a wealth of info on how to become a junior web developer as well as corresponded to a few recruiters to get an idea of where I need to be in 12 weeks.

If you want to sign up, this is $100 off of Bloc. Happy Learning!

More convincing on why you should learn Ruby TODAY!

I just read a great article, this is a great read if you you have any interest in joining me in learning how to code. I could re-write it all and call it my own or I can just share a link, which is below.

4 Reasons Why You Should Learn Ruby As Your First Programming Language

Here is on of the reasons listed. The Ruby language is just easier.

Here’s what that looks like using C++:

Intimidating, isn’t it? To display “Hello, world!” to a computer screen, you’ll have to learn multiple C++ functions and keywords. Here’s the equivalent Ruby source code:

Much simpler than the C++ version!

Attended my first Meetup

Dat 29:

Last night I attend my RubyonRails Meetup:

The info was great, and though I cant really implement any of the tips as of yet, I still took away a lot from the experience. I am glad I was able to meet so many other people starting out just like me and even hear of great job opportunities. I am still gung ho and plan for becoming a full fledge ROR developer (I am now even considering getting my feet wet in freelancing as another option).

Thanks the Orlando Ruby Group for being so welcoming.

I will be attending meetups on a regular basis and looking to the next one in Tampa next Thursday.

If you have any interest of meeting like minded individuals check out meetup.com

Unlikely Developer/Review: Book

I just got done reading a great book called, No Degree, No Problem by Josh Kemp. The book in it's entirety is all about Josh's experience in making the career change from Blacksmith in Virginia to Jr. developer in only 8 months. I only found his blog yesterday and was already inspired to created my first post on this blog. Now that I have read his book, I am now even more inspired to follow through with this Journey.

A Few Take Aways from the book

1. I need to pick a date when I am making this career change.
This is interesting because I am literally in my first semester for my MBA and its currently being paid by my employer (I have a degree in Finance). Rather than aim for Josh's 8 months, my plan is to make it a 12 months experience of  hardcore studying and programming. This might change in the future to be sooner, but at least by then I will have a full year of my MBA and programming under my belt. The MBA might come in handy if I start one of my business ideas.

The date is 10/21/2014

2. Stay focused
Josh outlines in his book how he spent 3 hours every night strictly dedicated to learning, even with two young kids; I can relate with having a 3 month year old son myself. This blog will not only double as my accountability to get that done, but it will also host my coding log. My goal is to keep up with the 3 hours of coding per day.

3. Meet People
I currently work in IT sales and understand networking. It is important to know people if you want your business to grow. I plan to attend my first meetup in Orlando next week and hope to meet individuals with like minds, that will assist in my journey to learn code.

Get the ebook today for only $5 bucks and prepared to be inspired. Use the link I provided below.


No Degree, No Problem

Visit my daily coding log here.