Mentorship: An Alternative to Programming Courses
In the fast-paced world of technology, traditional programming courses face a crucial challenge.
Conventional courses promise to quickly turn people into programmers, and despite having transformed hundreds of students, many struggle against their own model.
A model that proposes a straight line that must be followed in a certain amount of time, on foundations that don't work for all the knowledge that needs to be acquired. With topics that are not completely up to date under the idea of "it's no longer used but we teach it anyway."
Here is a series of vital points to consider when teaching:
Continuous Updating
Firstly, programming study plans must be dynamic and reflect the latest developments and trends in technology and programming without neglecting the foundations they are built on. Incorporating new languages, frameworks, and tools, as well as current practices in software development, is essential. A study plan that is not regularly updated can result in students learning outdated concepts or techniques.
Learning Speed
Due to the diversity of skills and learning styles in students, considering that everyone learns at different paces, having a generic approach that does not adapt to individual differences in learning ends up frustrating students and being ineffective.
Practical Teaching and Real Projects
Programming is an essentially practical skill. Courses should focus not only on theory but also on practice through real projects. This prepares students for the challenges of the professional world, allowing them to apply what they have learned in real-world scenarios where situations are very different.
Installing a Learning Culture
Lastly, staying updated is not only the task of the teacher but also of the student. It is important to teach and encourage the habit of continuous learning. Instilling the idea that the world of technology moves and we must move with it is fundamental.
A Path to Mentorship
At Bigdogs, we adopt a different approach focused on personalized accompaniment, technical learning, and job insertion. This method adapts to individual needs, providing a place where not only solid technical skills are acquired but also real-life experiences.
Key points of this method include:
Real Projects: we value learning from experience, so part of this is participating in company projects, either for a client or created specifically for learning, where real tasks are solved.
Teamwork: from early on, students are made to participate together, having to maintain an order within the workflow and in the readability of the code, being aware that there are more people on the team.
Indefinite Time: we do not establish a time when people graduate. We do not believe in concluding the learning of topics. Mentorship continues as long as the person needs and wants to participate, the time dedicated is up to the student.
Personal Follow-up: we believe in accompanying the student by providing the space, time, and tools they need, to meet their personal needs.
Since we set out to help people enter or transition into the world of programming, we have come across many "graduates" from courses where for 6 months they were bombarded with a lot of information all at once and not everything they were taught is relevant today.
We believe in mentorships as a guide that provides students with all the tools and resources to assimilate knowledge on their own, supporting them in the topics they find most challenging, providing that necessary guiding light to know where to go.
