How to Choose Programming Courses
Here are the six important things to consider when choosing a programming online course that will help you find the best one for you.
Things to Consider
The Curriculum
The Format
The Mentors
Payment Options
Career Support
Scammers
Check Out the Curriculum
With no experience in programming, it may be difficult to understand whether the curriculum is good or not. But here are some hints.
The required experience level. If you’re planning to learn from scratch, a middle-level course may be too difficult for you. Conversely, a more experienced student will find a junior-level curriculum boring. Some schools offer a test before enrollment to estimate your level and find the course that will be the right fit for you.
The portfolio project. Some courses include portfolio-ready projects as a part of their curriculum. Such a project will help a lot when searching for your first job as it will give you some hands-on experience and a result to show to potential employers.
The relevant topics and skills. You may want to check how relevant a course material is for your future job. For example, if you are looking for a web development course, compare the course’s curriculum with the skills that are required in web development job listings. The easiest way to do so is to check out job search websites like Jobstreet, Indeed, and LinkedIn.
This web development course teaches HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Node.JS, all of which are required for a typical web dev job. However, the curriculum doesn’t cover PHP, so the graduates may require a further upskill.l
Alt: How to Choose a Programming Course. Check Out the Curriculum
Make Sure the Format Fits You
Schools organize the learning process in different ways. Here are the most important aspects when it comes to format:
The place: remote or in-person
The presence of other students: group or individual classes
The schedule: a self-paced course (almost free schedule with some deadlines) or a fixed schedule (often with live sessions and strict deadlines)
The means of communication with teachers: through text messages or video calls, or both
The intensity: a bootcamp a.k.a. full-time (intensive studying over a short period of time, e.g. 40 hours a week over 5 weeks) or a steady-paced course a.k.a. part-time (e.g. 15 hours a week over 6 months)
A self-paced course can work well for busy students, but you have to be extremely self-organized to go through with it. Scheduled live classes generally give more motivation as you feel committed to the other people showing up. However, they may cost more.
Graduates recommend choosing a part-time course if you’re planning to take up a completely new specialization. A bootcamp may sound alluring, as it promises to make you into a programmer in a month. But for a first-timer, it can be hard to take in all the information. Plus, you won’t be able to work during this time. A steady-paced course will allow you to get ready for a new job without quitting your current one.
As far as choosing between text and video for your consultation medium, it’s best to rely on your own needs. Do you process information better when you read it or hear it? Do you need extra emotional support? Do you want to socialize with other students? Ask yourself these questions and then compare the answers with what different schools can offer.
The different training formats at Active Learning. The classroom courses have a schedule, so you may have to wait until a new group starts.
Alt: How to Choose a Programming Course. Make Sure That the Format Fits You
Learn Who Your Mentors Will Be
Good schools have a list of mentors on their website.
It is very important that teachers have real experience in your field. Even better if your teachers are currently working in big IT companies. Think about it this way: do you want to be taught by a recent college graduate with no expertise, or an industry professional with years of experience?
If there is no information about the instructors on the course website, then try to find some information in the school reviews. If there is no information there either, then it might be a good idea to look for another course.
Refocus lists its mentors on the website and describes their area of expertise
Alt: How to Choose a Programming Course. Learn Who Your Mentors Will Be
Consider Different Payment Options
You don’t have to pay the entire tuition fee all at once. Many online courses can be paid for in installments. Even more, there is such a thing as an Income Share Agreement (ISA), which allows you not to pay your tuition back until you actually find a job.
An installment payment option usually implies that instead of one big upfront payment, you can pay for your tuition in several smaller pieces. The downside is that you will have to pay a monthly interest rate for borrowing, so the total sum will be 20–30% bigger than paying upfront.
An income share agreement suggests that you will learn “for free,” meaning you don’t pay anything at the time of the course. Instead, you will have to give a portion of your monthly income to the school after you land a job in your new field, for typically around two years. Oftentimes, it means that you will end up paying at least twice the sum of the upfront payment. However, it may still be a good option for those who want to change their career path but don’t have the resources for it at the moment.
The different payment options at KodeGo. Before opting in for an ISA, consider what job you will be able to acquire after the course and how much it pays. Then estimate if you will be ok giving away 17% of that income
Alt: How to Choose a Programming Course. Consider Different Payment Options
Think About Career Opportunities
Let’s assume that if you are choosing an online course, it means that you plan to get a job someday. Then, the important question to ask will be “Which courses will help me find a better job?”
Partner companies are a good sign. Basically, it means that there are some employers who will give graduates a hiring priority. Also, partner companies can provide internships, which will help you gain work experience.
Employment assistance may be included in the curriculum. Some courses have extra lessons on how to write a CV, pass interviews, and write a cover letter. These may come in especially handy if you have little experience on the job market. However, if you feel confident with your soft skills and just need the hard ones, such classes may feel like a waste of time and money.
Avion has a network of partner companies that offer jobs to graduates
Alt: How to Choose a Programming Course. Think About Career Opportunities
Beware of Scammers
As with any emerging industry, there are scammers in the online course market. Here are some red flags that will help you recognize fraud:
The only available payment option is a full upfront payment
The school promises a huge salary right after the end of the course
The training period is very short
There is a sense of urgency — fraudsters may say that this “insanely huge discount” expires today and you have to pay ASAP in order to not miss out on the offer
If you encounter any of these red flags, don’t react straight away, however great the offer may seem. Take a break, go outside, drink some water — and then read the offer once again with a cool head. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
To Sum It Up: How to Choose a Programming Course
Make sure that the course teaches relevant skills by comparing the curriculum with job listings.
Make sure that the format fits you: whether there are strict deadlines, live sessions, individual consultations, or other options that address your needs.
Read about the mentors. It’s good if they have hands-on experience in companies you know.
Find a suitable payment option. But keep in mind that installments and ISA may cost more than paying upfront.
Learn about what kind of career support the school provides. If it has partner companies that hire the graduates, it’s a good option.
Beware of scammers. They typically inflate your expectations of a bright future and only take upfront payments.