Graduated, take FreeCodeCamp courses, and prepare for college

You Can Do This!
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Hi to those who read this.

3-4 weeks ago I graduated from (senior?) high school and enrolled at a college where I will take study on Software Engineering. The college will start on August this year.

While I’m waiting for my college, I began to take FreeCodeCamp courses as my first start to build my portfolio as a newbie developer. I know FCC a little bit previously as source of programming materials until some developer suggested me about FCC course.

To my surprise, FCC courses is structured and had a curriculum (also free!), something that I don’t usually encounter when looking for website to learn about web development.

I started taking the course. At first, I don’t know what course I want to take so I picked up JS and Python before HTML/CSS. I stopped take course until after my graduation. only to find that FCC updated the curriculum to 2022 curriculum on the way. At first, I almost gave up entirely knowing that my courses is blank when my certification project is checkmarked (I really felt incomplete to be honest seeing incompleteness).

But, I don’t want wasting time on that. Instead, I started again. This time I feel the 2022 curriculum is more kicking than the legacy one. At the time I wrote this, my progress is at CSS pseudo-selectors (Balance Sheet) course.

Then I began questiong and doubting my choices. I feel that I completed my courses but my brain is like zero knowledge on HTML/CSS. I can look up again the courses and learn again, but I feel like I lied to myself that I searched basic HTML/CSS. Did I learn it wrong? Or was my way of learning wrong?

I also questioned the fact that I take the courses to become a developer when I enrolled to study on Software Engineering. Some sources said that developer and engineer are different thing, while others said they are same thing. The reason why I choose SE is because… I got frustated that I can’t manage my app project life cycle and develop it recklessly, which ended up a mess. I also heard from college students that many of their friends cannot even do a basic Hello World program at Semester 4. Well, it’s not the only reason why I enrolled at a college. I want to explore professional relationship and career in the future, what it’s like starting my own life, and studied about software development deeply (also the fact that in my country an undergraduate degree is more valued and first thing to look than your skill at bootcamp).

So… was it worth it in the end about this?

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FreeCodeCamp is worth it and also if you can . Software Engineering is also worth it. There are some computer programming basics you might not meet here on FCC but the course will introduce you to which could make you a better programmer . Hey , but if this is working and you want to drop the software Engineering . Then you must come at it with all force in you . Cos it gonna take it all

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Yes! Experience is experience. Regardless if it’s from the original curriculum, or the new one. Your progress will carry between them and its up to you if you want to complete the legacy one, or do the new one, or even do both. However, the topics covered in both are the same, hence why one is labeled legacy.

I’d suggest to be sure to focus on the projects and work on those. They don’t have to be perfect, but decent enough that you cover the requirements and are semi-happy. You will have to use the same topics later for front-end development, so you can review them and improve. Don’t focus on being an expert at this stage, just try to get a surface level workable knowledge and keep chugging along.

Good luck on your coursework! College + some self-study to learn some practical skills can be very helpful, as you can take some higher level concepts you learn in college and apply them. FreeCodeCamp will also act as a “test-bed” for projects you’ll end up doing in school, and together can make a solid portfolio along with your degree. Together you’ll stand out from your peers and have a good chance once internships, and later jobs come along when your nearing the end of your college courses.

Good luck, keep learning, keep building :+1:

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I think I wanted to continue SE, but will narrow my goal by completing and learning the FCC courses so that I can choose myself which development I will like to. Thanks!

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Ah I feel that I wanted to be a perfect and expert at web development quickly that I pushed my boundaries too hard. Really appreciate your saying to try to get a surface level knowledge. I want to believe that with my time and keep investing on this course I can finally mastered web dev one day.

Thanks man. Glad that I know FCC, and could served me as a plus resource and “IDE” for projects that I will have in college. Wish me luck.

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