

Ask HN: Are Computer Science Courses at Santa Monica College Any Good? - newtocs

I don&#x27;t have a background in computers, but I know how to do all the straight forward stuff (Windows, Microsoft Office, basic computer knowledge for office use, etc.).<p>Are programming and web development courses at Santa Monica college worth it? I&#x27;m a California resident, and it&#x27;ll only be a couple hundred dollars per class.<p>I work full-time as a copywriter so I can only take a course or two at a time. My employer knows of my interest in web development, and my manager is interested in exploring opportunities where I may use them currently.<p>Also, my end goal isn&#x27;t necessarily a degree or a diploma. I just want a chance to work on standard &#x27;challenges&#x27; and have some type of guide. Also, I hope to meet people with a similar interest because I am somewhat new to Los Angeles and don&#x27;t know many people.<p>Any feedback is greatly appreciated.<p>Thank you!
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dwhitworth1
I'm finishing an Associate’s Degree in CS at SMC this Spring. At SMC, I've
taken Intro to CS, C programming, Java I, Web Programming I (HTML and CSS),
PHP Programming, Database Concepts and Applications, Assembly Language
Programming and Computer Architecture.

I am currently enrolled in Java II and Web Programming II (JavaScript).

My view might be skewed, as I was already a professional web developer before
attending SMC, but I found the majority of the web-related coursework to be
somewhat trivial and hard to directly apply to building any real-world
applications.

As far as more the more ‘core’ CS related material is concerned (C
Programming, Assembly, Computer Architecture, etc), I have really learned a
ton, and plan to learn a ton more (as I’ve found the first ton learned is
actually not that much!). I also highly recommend Database Design and
Applications.

If your goal is to get a CS Degree, SMC (or any other reputable community
college) is a great place to start.

If your goal is to be able to build applications and have a decent
understanding of HTML, CSS JavaScript and maybe another widely used web
language such as Ruby (and Rails, respectively), I would recommend this track,
provided you have the self-motivation to do it:

1\. Code Academy - Finish completely the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery and
Ruby tracks. I like Ruby because there is an incredible support structure
(both online and in person) for those new to programming.

2\. Read (and do the exercises in) Chris Pine's "Learn to Program"

3\. Read (and do the exercises in) Command Line Crash Course (easily found via
Google Search)

4\. Read (and do the exercises in) Learn Ruby The Hard Way

5\. Go through most, but not necessarily all of the courses on RubyMonk.org
(Metaprogramming is an advanced topic that you may not need to handle this
early)

6\. Do all of the exercises from Test First Ruby (testfirst.org/learn_ruby)

7\. Do a lot (but not necessarily all) of the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery
(and jQuery AJAX), SQL, and Ruby courses on Team Treehouse. If you interested
in design, go through those courses as well.

8\. Do a lot (but not necessarily all) of the JavaScript, jQuery and Ruby
courses on CodeSchool.com

9\. Learn about version control through Git and Github (there are many online
tutorials, as well as on CodeSchool and Team Treehouse)

10\. Read (and do the exercises in) The Rails Tutorial
(www.railstutorial.org). Do every single thing in this book step by step. Then
do the entire book again. Then do it again.

11\. Build stuff using the knowledge you have gained. Use Google and Stack
Overflow to help you when you get stuck.

In term of meeting people with similar interests, I have found that a
community college is probably not the best place. I would attend local
meetups, as those folks are genuinely passionate about the topics, are there
to learn and meet people and can probably be more useful to you if you are
trying to learn software development.

Hope this helps.

~~~
newtocs
My reply is a little late, but thanks for all the info.

I will probably take core CS courses and databases, and in the meantime do
what you've suggested, as I've already almost finished with all of Codecademy
tracks.

I'll look into those books and sites.

Thanks again!

------
swuecho
will worth it.

