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Codecademy's ReSkillUSA: Gestation Period For New Developers Is 3 Months

Posted by Soulskill on from the four-if-you-want-them-to-play-well-with-others dept.

theodp writes: TechCrunch reports that Codecademy has teamed up with online and offline coding schools to create ReskillUSA. "3 months," explains ReskillUSA's website, is "how long it takes a dedicated beginner to learn the skills to qualify for computing and web development jobs." TechCrunch's Anthony Ha explains,"By teaming up with other organizations, Codecademy is also hoping to convince employers that completing one of those programs is a meaningful qualification for a job, and that you don't necessarily need a bachelor's degree in computer science." In his Medium post, Codecademy CEO Zach Sims calls on "students learning for the jobs of the future or employers interested in hiring a diverse and skilled workforce – to join us. The future of our economy depends on it."

3 of 173 comments (clear)

  1. Sure 'Tis by Mikkeles · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It's too bad I can't mod TFS funny.

    --
    Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
  2. Mod parent up. by khasim · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Technically, someone could be a "programmer" after only 3 months of work. More specifically, a "bad programmer".

    From TFA:

    And Sims said this effort was first "catalyzed" by conversations with the White House, particularly after US CTO (and former Googler) Megan Smithâ(TM)s comments about the talent gap and education. (To be clear, though, the White House isn't a partner in this program.)

    That kind of says it all right there.

    How about, instead, they put together a curriculum showing what an entry level programmer should know? Even if it takes more than 3 months to finish it all. And what the different sub-fields are in programming (kernel hacker, web site designer, database programmer, etc). Maybe you don't need so much math if you're going to be "coding" in HTML/CSS/scripting-language. But then you aren't going to be hitting the $80,000/year "average" that they claim.

  3. Re:This just proves... by Tony+Isaac · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am both a programmer and a plumber, and I can tell you that plumbing isn't as bug-free as you make it out to be. For example, if you stuff too many potato peels down your garbage disposal too quickly, your sink will back up, requiring you to take apart the drain plumbing to get all the peels out. I know, I've had to do this in multiple houses. That's the equivalent of a page crashing when you put in bad data. If you put food down the disposal at a rate it can handle, it will work fine, and if you put reasonably good data into a given Web page, it usually works.

    There is an entire industry devoted to fixing "bugs" in plumbing, from drain cleaners to root-removal services. How many bathroom sinks have drain stoppers that don't quite hold the water in the sink? How many shower drains get clogged? How many old pipes leak due to corrosion?

    Yes, programming is a trade, like plumbing and electrical work. And like the other trades, programmers have to often fix issues due to problems that either weren't anticipated during construction. In my view, programmers in general don't create code that is particularly more shoddy than craftsmen of any other trade. With each trade, there is a trade-off between quality and cost.