Im a senior/ lead dev and I do alot of getting jr devs up to speed. One of the new hires was asking about FCC and it seemed ok at first until he got to the ES6 module. There is next to no explanation on any of the topics and the code examples are too vague at best. I have been coding with ES6 since 2015 and I found it hard to follow some of the FCC assignments as they had almost nothing to do with the explanations/ examples.
If I can be blunt it is disingenuous to make the commitment to teach someone and then give lessons that lack needed info. Perhaps FCC could re-title the ES6 module to “things to look up on google, learn on your own, then come back and answer our questions”. I know this is free and you get what you pay for, but you also put your name on what you do, please do a better job FCC.
I understand your frustration. There are a lot of problems with the ES6 module. The content is almost entirely developed by volunteers. With the role out of the new curriculum and other issues, people have been spread a little thin. You are more than welcome to help out by making some pull requests to the github project.
On one hand, I do agree that the ES6 section is sloppy: It is disorganized. There are things referenced before they are taught. Some of the problems are bad examples or unnecessarily complex.
On the other hand, I do like that FCC doesn’t have a “hold your hand” approach. In the real world, when your manager gives you a project, he doesn’t give you a 90 minute video tutorial on how to do it. I’m sure you’ve had the experience of getting a project and not only not knowing how to do it but not even being sure if it’s possible. On a typical day, I end up consulting docs, Google, and Stack Overflow several times a day. Being a coder is, to some extent, about constantly teaching yourself and learning how to dig for answers.
But I do agree that the ES6 section needs some serious work. I myself was about to dive into some PRs for the ES6 section specifically when I got my new job and just don’t have the time atm.
FCC isn’t perfect. But it’s pretty darn good. And with the hard work of volunteers, it is getting better.
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I would also add, that FCC is not meant to be a comprehensive course. It is a broad “here’s a taste of a lot of the basics you need to get started”. People are expected to consult outside sources, especially to get a deeper understanding. Of course, none of this changes the fact that the ES6 is a definite weak spot.
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Personally I feel that most of the issues listed arise from the sequence of modules in the javascript section rather than the content of it. Simply shifting the ES6 module after OOP module can solve a lot of problems, and this won’t really create any gaps in knowledge as the concepts from ES6 module are not used extensively before the functional programming module. As for the lessons themselves, the most confusing lessons in the section have videos on fcc’s youtube channel explaining the concepts used.
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Sorry, im done with this site. It needs work, alot of work.
I agree. But it’s a volunteer organization. You are welcome to pitch in.
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