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almost home

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NASA
trying on a metaphor

Love Begins

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@drewbutler
It's going to be close
GitHub training night at Emma by abutler3 http://ift.tt/1rqGsmc
GitHub training night at Emma by abutler3 http://ift.tt/1rqGsmc
GitHub training night at Emma
New Udemy class on Foundation web framework
I have created a class on Udemy called Foundation 5 for Beginners. It will be up soon and will be FREE for the first 100 students using this a Udemy coupon code, FIRST100.
It will be $39 for students not using the code.
Listening to the new Jay-Z album, thanks to Samsung while working on the 4th
My new office chair. Don't touch it!
My little space in the new office
Just Like Flying by alijardine http://bit.ly/181bFEz
Just Like Flying by alijardine http://instagram.com/p/ay2O50geRQ/
Nashville Software School - Did he actually get a job?
A couple of people have asked about what happened after I graduated from Nashville Software School.
Let's cut to the chase: Did I get an actual job or where the last 6 months worthless?
Well, I have accepted a full-time job, as of April 8. Super excited. I would have never gotten the job without attending the school. To accept that job, I had to turn down at least two additional interviews for full-time jobs.
Oh, and in my spare time, I am hoping to do some part-time work at a local startup in Nashville and, like any good developer, I already have an idea for my own company.
Also, I am teaching in the second class, at least until I start the new job.
Once again, if you have any questions about the experience. Let me know.
I scored a -20 on The Rob Parker Scale of Blackness. Haha.
How to Survive Nashville Software School By Trying Real Hard part 3/3
This is final part of the three-page series on Nashville Software School tips.
Part 1 had my thoughts at the end
Part 2 had some overall tips about my experience
This will talk about some of the outside tools I used. Everything on this list I would recommend.
Two tips that I forgot.
1. If you can, get the ebook or the Kindle version of the book. Biggest reason: There are quite a few and carrying them everyday can be, um, heavy.
2. Get Google Drive and Dropbox. I saved files, graphics, and books so I could transfer documents from my laptop to home desktop.
3. Other stuff about downloads: For Code editors: You do NOT need Dreamweaver. In fact, I would recommend you move away from Dreamweaver all together. Here is a list of editors I recommend:
Sublime Text 2 (Mac, PC, Linux free)
Vim (free)
TextWrangler (free)
Coda 2 ($75, Mac App Store)
Notepad++ (PC, free)
TextMate ($52, Mac)
Okay, here it is. The master list of stuff I used that helped me during the full six months. I DID purchase all of these (YIKES), except the jQuery: Novice to Ninja book (I won it in a contest). But, hey, I have a great reference library now.
HTML/CSS
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Head First HTML5
Head First HTML and CSS
CSS: The Missing Manual
Javascript/jQuery
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Javascript/JQuery: Missing Manual
Jquery: Novice to Ninja
Wordpress
--------------
Digging into WordPress
Video Tutorials
----------------------
Lynda.com
Treehouse
Udemy
Ruby
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Beginning Ruby
The Ruby Way
Programming Ruby 1.9 (aka Pickaxe)
Pragmatic Studio Ruby Video Tutorials - Because I am video person, I looked these videos. Pricey: Yes. Worth it: Yes. You want to learn Ruby before learning Rails.
Rails (MAKE SURE THE BOOKS or VIDEOS DEAL WITH RAILS 3 or you might be misinformed and confused.)
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Ruby on Rails tutorial by Michael Hartl. Best Way to Learn Rails (Note: The online book is available for free. But I recommend the video tutorial that is $125. Pricey, but very, very worth it.)
The Rspec book - You are going to learn about Test-Driven Development and pretty much every employer I've talked with use Rspec for testing. So this book is good for that.
Rails 4 in Action - This book walks you through a project using Test-Driven Development. Don't let the name fool you. This book uses the latest version of Rails (3.2.9, as of this writing). Note: This book is in prerelease, as of Dec. 2012, and is a work in progress. The next class will get more use of this book during the class than I did. But I am going this book and the Hartl tutorials now that the school has ended.
Final note: Don't be afraid to email to get my thoughts about a textbook. Also there are a TON of blogs and tutorials that will help you. Best thought I received during the class: Coding is like an open-book test. As long as your code works, it really doesn't matter where you get it from. Book, video, blog, Stack Overflow, etc.
How to Survive Nashville Software School By Trying Real Hard part 2/3
Part 1 had a quick review of my time at Nashville Software School.
For Part 2, I have some tips for people starting or considering Nashville Software School.
1. Use outside materials - Go beyond what is discussed in class and find your own resources. Everything suggested in class was great. But you might need another voice to connect the dots. That could be video tutorials (youtube, lynda, codeschool, etc) or books. I'll list what I used in Part 3.
2. RIGHT NOW, work through the CodeAcademy problems for HTML/CSS/Javascript. DO THIS BEFORE the NSS. Seriously. You might not know much now. At the very least, you will see things that might trigger something when you hear about it in class later.
This was a GREAT help to me to keep a step ahead so I could focus on retention and refining skills. Oh, and it's free.
3. Know how you learn. Do you learn best by doing or reading books or reading code or watching videos? If the classroom setting is not the best for you, learn what does and use the classroom setting to ask questions.
I had a "shadow syllabus". A shadow syllabus was a parallel schedule that I followed outside of class. It was the homework that I assigned to myself. It is rare that you have actually homework (at least at the beginning). So this counted as my homework.
My schedule: For the Web Development Bootcamp and Ruby on Rails class was the same: 30-45 minutes of video, 30-45 minutes of reading/working through tutorials, 20-30 minutes of research a term/function/method (sometimes more, sometimes less).
Plan on about 2 hours of work each night on top of the 8 hours you spend in class.
4. Have patience. There will be a concept you will pick up fast. There will be some things you struggle with. Be patient on both ends. Be patient with your classmates when class goes slow with something you already have picked up. Be patient if you need extra time on a concept. You will pick it up.
5. I would recommend starting with the Web Development Bootcamp and then go the Ruby on Rails class. I think the bootcamp gets you used to the process, the environment, and the schedule.
6. Class time is from 8-4 Mon-Fri. If you have a job outside of that, prepare to be tired. I know some classmates had jobs outside of class. But I could not do it.
There is an hour for lunch around 11:30 to 12:30 or 12:30 to 1:30. Usually, I worked through lunch and left for Murfreesboro around 3, if there were no lectures.
7. Don't be afraid to record lectures or livecoding. My understanding of concepts increased dramatically when I started video recording the live coding exercises. I recorded my on the iPad or the iPhone in HD and uploaded them as private videos on YouTube.
They either became part of my video study or I reviewed them while working on projects.
WARNING: HD videos take up a LOT of space on your iPhone or iPad. So take that into account before you do it.
Let me know if you want to see an example of one of the videos I shot in class to see if it works for you.
8. Don't work in the final weekend before Nashville Software School begins. Take a break. Take a weekend trip, sleep, watch sports, play video games. Do something that does not involve a computer. You will be spending enough time with your computer during the class.
Okay, here is some minor stuff about location and logistics
9. Parking is no problem. If the classes are at the NBIC, then there is free parking for students. It is across the street from the downtown TSU campus and within walking distance to the Downtown YMCA.
10. Food places nearby - There is a Subway on Charlotte, the opposite direction of Capitol building.
11. Our alternative meeting place was at the offices of Emma on 9 Lea Avenue, off of Hermitage Ave. Crema (coffee) is across the street and the Copper Kettle is down the street.
If I were starting over, what would I do from the beginning:
1. Video record (emphasis on coding lectures) from the beginning. I did it with an iPad 3 and an iPhone 4S with no special microphone sitting in the front row. (Hint: save in HD if you actually want to see the text from the projector.
2. You are going to spend money on outside materials. Make sure they are updated to the current version of the technology you are using. For HTML/CSS, it's not a big issue. But for Wordpress, Ruby and Rails, it is. Pick and choose and try before you buy if you can.
3. Get a personal website and Linkedin account up NOW. Or you will need to spend time doing it at the end of class. Tell people what you wanted to be. If you want to be a Front-End Developer, say that. If you want to be a Rails Developer say that.
4. I had to commute to Murfreesboro during the six months so I could not hang out with classmates. I would go to more Nashville tech meetups or user group meetings after class (Wordpress, Ruby on Rails, etc).
5. Know you can do this. You don't have to guess about being about to do it. You can do this. No matter your background.
The first class had a lot of different backgrounds: musicians, former newspaper people, people who wanted to run their own startup, people who knew HTML and nothing else, graphic designers, etc. Don't worry. The school will start everyone from the ground floor. There were people with programming experience and they are awesome. But it is not a competition. Everyone wants you to succeed. Me included.
6. Know the basics of Git and version control. The next class WILL be learning about Git and Github starting the first week of class. So you might as well get familar with it now. Go to the trygit.com lessons on CodeSchool (it's free) and work through that before you start.
There are two ways to have Git installed on your computer. The Github App and the command line (the 'Terminal' app if you have a Mac). In the first class, I used the App and had a ton of issues with it. In the second class, I used the command line and had no issues. Take from that what you will.
Finally, Don't be afraid to reach out to me through email or Twitter (no one has to know we talked) about NSS before or during your time with the class.
Part 3 will have some of the books/videos that helped me during both classes.
How to Survive Nashville Software School By Trying Real Hard part 1/3
I am finishing my time at Nashville Software School, a 6-month intensive program where people learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, Wordpress, and Ruby on Rails.
We have our job fair with with different companies around Nashville to introduce ourselves. A little nervous and a little excited. I was in the initial launch of the school and my mother was a little hesitant (she thought it was a scam). But I took a leap of faith because this is want I wanted to do.
The school is a part of the movement to teach people how to code. If you look at "hacker schools" all over the country: Dev Bootcamp and App Academy in SF, Hacker School in New York and Starter League in Chicago.
Background: I was a former reporter and college instructor looking to do something in the web development sphere but didn't know where to look. I knew about website and Wordpress but did not know any programming.
I actually was planning an interview with Starter League and was planning on moving to Chicago before I happened on NSS.
My experience (CliffsNotes version): Very positive. I have been trying to think of a negative against the program and I could not. However, the six months without a paycheck is a challenge. But I'm single with no kids. If I were not or I had kids or a full-time job on the side, I would be exhausted.
Program overview: You spend 3 months in the Web Development Bootcamp: You learn HTML/CSS, then Javascript, then jQuery, then Wordpress. After a break of a week or so, you jump to learning Ruby and then Rails. So it's fast.
If you are looking for that "heads down" experience to distract you from learning this stuff, then this is the course you are looking for.
Truthfully, the class is worth it for the contacts alone. I did not know anyone in the Nashville tech community and this class has put me in front of some of the best developers and startup people in the city.
Adam Scott, a freelance web design, was a teaching assistant in the first class and took the Ruby on Rails class. He wrote a fantastic article on some tips to learn Ruby on Rails. I would highly recommend before taking the second class.
When I get some time during Sunday's NFL games, I will put something together for the HTML/Wordpress version. I will also give some tips for people entering the program. (Translation: Don't make the same mistakes I did)
Update: Here are the links for Parts 2 and 3
Part 2
Part 3
Oh this just helped me out so much, great deal. 😆 #shopping #walmart #prices #helpful #making #mylife #better by megtheresa615 http://instagr.am/p/SYkdrvi-eo/
Oh this just helped me out so much, great deal. 😆 #shopping #walmart #prices #helpful #making #mylife #better by megtheresa615 http://instagr.am/p/SYkdrvi-eo/