Я работал наставником на IT курсах, и вот что я понял

Can You Become a Programmer Just by Taking a Course?

In this video, the speaker talks about his experience taking a free course to become a programming mentor and whether it is possible to become a programmer just by taking a course.

Taking the Course

• The speaker came across a free course offered by a large company that trained mentors for programmers.

• He applied for the course and was asked to complete test assignments and record a 5-minute video explaining how to solve problems that students would encounter during the course.

• After an interview with the school's curator and technical interview with programmers, he was accepted into the program.

Becoming a Mentor

• The speaker started attending workshops but found it difficult to keep up with his other responsibilities.

• He learned how to communicate with students and handle their questions, but struggled with time management due to pressure from students who expected quick responses.

• As a mentor, he worked around 10 hours per week for approximately 40,000 rubles per month. However, this was less than what he earned at his main job.

Challenges Faced as a Mentor

• One of the biggest challenges was responding quickly to student questions within 24 hours or less. This created pressure on him as he had other responsibilities outside of mentoring.

• Another challenge was finding time to complete theory lessons while also mentoring students.

Conclusion

• While becoming a mentor through taking courses is possible, it requires dedication and time management skills.

Challenges of Learning Programming

The speaker discusses the challenges he faced when learning programming, including understanding the technology and solving problems in a way that matched the expectations of task authors.

Learning Technology

• Understanding the technology was a challenge for the speaker.

• There was an overwhelming amount of material to learn, including documents, Google Docs, chat rooms, and websites with assignments.

Solving Problems

• The speaker struggled to solve problems in a way that matched the expectations of task authors.

• He had to spend time figuring out how to explain his approach to students on courses and how to justify quitting without looking like a failure.

Experience as a Mentor

The speaker talks about his experience as a mentor and how it helped him grow as a programmer.

Changing Mentors

• The speaker's mentor changed midway through his course.

• He continued working for two weeks after this change before finishing the section.

Problem-Solving Successes

• As a mentor, he enjoyed helping people solve difficult problems.

• He was proud of himself for coming up with an alternative solution to an architecture problem that worked better than what was originally proposed.

Benefits of Working as a Programmer

The speaker discusses some benefits he experienced from working as a programmer.

Financial Gain

• One benefit was financial gain; he earned around 60,000 rubles in a month and a half.

• This money helped him cover the cost of visiting his parents in Russia.

Learning Opportunities

• The speaker was interested in learning how people become programmers.

• He discovered that there is no secret to becoming a programmer; it requires hard work and motivation.

Challenges Faced by Students

The speaker discusses some common challenges faced by students when learning programming.

Time Management

• Many students struggled with time management.

• Some students spent too much time on minor issues, such as typos or unclear error messages.

Problem-Solving Approaches

• Some students chose the wrong approach to solving problems, which led to wasted time and frustration.

• Other students tried to do more than what was required for an assignment, which also led to wasted time and extra work.

Communication

• Some students found it difficult to communicate with others in chat rooms or forums.

• This lack of communication could lead to misunderstandings and incorrect solutions being proposed.

Tips for Learning Programming

In this section, the speaker provides tips for students learning programming.

Communicate with Other Students

• Discuss assignments with other students.

• Ask questions publicly in normal courses.

• Be prepared to spend two to three times more time than expected.

Understand What is Required

• Understand what is required of you before starting a task.

• Your goal should be to learn how to learn, not just get a certificate or find a job.

Realize that Tasks are Incomplete and Require Discussion

• Tasks require discussion before starting them.

• You will become a good programmer regardless of whether you attend courses or not.