Curriculum and its impact

Hello there :wave: ,
Actually I have started about studying computer science curriculum as it has been my wish to do for a long time.
Feel like to do so but I have a question for those who are experts and were luckier to study computer science and got degrees related to this field.
I want to know who much may the person gain of study freecodecamp curriculum to be an expert and how much knowledge may I gain compared to the one the person need to work in this field and be a computer scientist and if there’s the difference between what a person May study in college and studying it here online on freecodecamp??
I’ll appreciate your responses.

2 Likes

That’s easy bro, freecodecamp is nowhere near as rigorious as the content at a serious brick-mortar community college. I am listening to c++ data structure content for 2 dimensional arrays const int col =100; int array[col][col1]; as an example and he discusses dereferencing that given array in a form of turinary operator notation 100 =x || x<100 ? std::cout<< implement a new value<<std::endl; : std::cout<<“try again”<<std::end;. I am just giving you an example. The level of abstraction and intensity is way more advanced. I suggest reading coding books no less than 1000 pages long videos are too superificial in knowledge to truly learn the subject. So yes the difference at a competent good college is night and day. You aren’t going to be good at code in a year. Sorry. Coding bootcamps are basically a lie.

If you really want to do it without college then do nothing but leetcode. You should do no less than 400 problems. I find that I loose motivation quickly because I find solving algorithm solving and doing different types of sorts to be very very boring. I think free code camp is a good supplement to fill holes in areas that you don’t understand but most free market coursework is not equivalent to a fully certified university. It’s like asking is an online degree equivalent to a brick and mortar degree. The answer is it’s Not. I have a bachelors from UCR and most people cannot come close to my knowledge level because I put 4 solid years of intense studying to build a wide breadth and depth of knowledge. So just go to school simple enough.

The hardest part of coding is going to be datastructures. You need to have a very deep understanding of nodes, linked-listed, double linked lists and different types of algorithms. This isn’t something you can just learn from youtube. The subject is incredibly deep and wide. Your best bet is to study with an experience software developer who intuitively understands algorithms very well. Algorithms are the heart of all computer science and why software engineers are made insane amounts of money. So no self-taught developers=amatuers and you likely won’t sustain the motivation.

1 Like

Theres no platform out there that is going to be better than going to college and getting a degree. Just having a degree puts you at a better chance of getting a job. FCC teaches the basics of web development, and you would need to continue to learn even after going through the entire curriculum. Now, it is definitely possible to get a job without a degree, but you are already fighting an up hill battle so you will need to put in more work

4 Likes

most people are not going to study all the layers of coding it gets boring after a while and it takes alot of practice. college=free motivation, structure and guidance to learn what you need to learn. It’s like asking can I learn pure number theory through self-study? Most people will never have that level of drive.

1 Like

Thanks a lot for your response
I have been trying for about 4 or 5 years to lean it online and I have been distracted a lot with no real gain
I wish I can study at college but I can’t pay for college and I tried to gain a full scholarship but it didn’t work
And in my country the best way to gain this kind of learning and knowledge is using online learning or travel and pay for a school in of those colleges which may offer this kind of learning.
It has been a dream to me since I was 5 years old to be an expert in computer field
I had got a bachelor degree In another field a way of what I am looking for and now I don’t have a job.
Can you suggest something useful to me that I can really study and really help me to gain what I am looking for
a FREE ONLINE WAY to get to my purpose.
I appreciate your response

1 Like

Thanks a lot for your response
But I don’t have a job for now and I can’t pay for college
I need a FREE ONLINE ALTERNATIVE to put me on the way to become an expert on this field.

1 Like

The point is I am making a comparison to the dryness of the work relative to coding. Coding can be dry after a while hence why people give up. Obviously, you dont need number theory and I never said you did.

Web development is a branch of software engineering. You do not need to be a genius at algorithms and data structures to become a talented web developer.

Algorithms and data structures are also just a small fraction of what you need to know. They definitely will not teach you how to write full-stack applications and might in the end only account for about 10 percent of the total needed knowledge (if that).

3 Likes

Learning computer science through the computer is better than learning through college. It’s self paced, exploratory, and you meet great people along the way. Best way to become a computer scientist… Play with computers. People that need structure and motivation do the collegiate route. IMO.

4 Likes

I think this is the a big issue for those who are on the journey of doing it outside of college. College has a set curriculum of what they are going to teach and the time they are going to teach it in. Those who are doing it on their own time are at risk of getting distracted, putting it off, etc. There is no real penalty for procrastinating when you are self learning, but if you dont do the work in school then you will be dropped from the program.

Also, a big time that is used up for those learning on their own is exploratory. They are not quite sure of what it is exactly they should be learning and the best way to do it is.

One of the biggest thing in college is making connections to find internships, they will also be able to make friends who then in turn become connections leading to more connections. Its actually how I found my current dev job.

I can see where you are coming from, but I would disagree that doing it on your own in the best. But that’s the good thing about this forum, not everyone has to agree and we can all share our thoughts and experiences for those who come to read this discussion later on

5 Likes

What he is saying is very very accurate a beginner is going to have a very hard time matching university level rigor. Unless they have an unmatched work ethic it will get very very hard to move beyond the intermediate level in coding as code becomes more abstract and complicated. I am a very motivated individual and I lose motivation multiple times per day to keep persisting through the grind of coding.

1 Like

Thanks for motivation
I hope I can do it for real.
Thanks again
Other than freecodecamp, do you know any other sources I can study same CS curriculum?

What if I can’t pay for the college?
What if it is so hard to pay for the fee of an online application for college?
It’s making the whole thing of learning CS as an impossible thing to do!! :frowning:

I have just asked AI about live examples for people who are experts in computer science or engineering without having a degree or go to college and it give me answers.
Thanks for your responses and time.
As I see motivation and getting away from distractions are very important things to do while studying.
I need to do, I can do it, and I will do it In Shaa’ Allah SWT

Like I said earlier its not impossible to do without college, but you’re going to have to work twice as hard. There have been plenty of people to get a dev job without a degree

2 Likes

BlockquoteThanks for motivation
I hope I can do it for real.
Thanks again
Other than freecodecamp, do you know any other sources I can study same CS curriculum?

Blockquote

I suggest you get started and figure out what your ability only you can decide whether you succeed or not the CS curriculum doesn’t matter. Your work ethic is what matters. No work ethic= no progress. Goodluck.

2 Likes

Thanks a lot again
I’ll do my best

What do you mean by work ethic?

self discipline is a super power! self discipline + javascript = Super Hero capabilities.

1 Like

If you do not have self-discipline your not going to grow as a developer. Period.

1 Like