Boot.dev Blog - Pg. 6

Are You a DevOps Engineer If You Aren't Writing Code?

Sep 12, 2022 by Lane Wagner

“DevOps” is one of the most misunderstood terms in the software development industry. To be clear, I’m not the arbiter of truth when it comes to the definitions of words. That said, I’m here to say two things:

What is a Computer Scientist, and What Do They Do?

Sep 12, 2022 by Lane Wagner

At work, computer scientists build and deploy programs, algorithms, and systems to solve real-world problems. In most tech jobs, they spend the majority of their time working in teams on new software products. Some computer scientists are more research-oriented however, and may spend time developing new algorithms or pushing the boundaries of what academia knows about certain CS questions.

How Long Does It Take to Become a Back End Developer?

Sep 05, 2022 by Lane Wagner

I get really frustrated when I see people and companies online selling unrealistic dreams when it comes to coding education. It’s quite lucrative when you’re in the edtech industry to heavily exaggerate (or even lie) about how long it will take for learners to get job-ready. I teach backend development skills at Boot.dev and try my best to give students realistic goals they can reach for.

Keyup and Keydown Event Handlers in Vue 3

Sep 04, 2022 by Lane Wagner

I recently spent far too long fighting with Vue’s keyup and keydown functionality while building Boot.dev’s front-end. I wanted to handle ctrl+period keyboard events and it took me forever to find the part of the documentation that addressed my use case. Hopefully, this guide can save you some time!

Boot.dev Hackathon September 1st, 2022

Sep 03, 2022 by Lane Wagner

Mark your calendar, because we’re hosting another hackathon in the Boot.dev Discord server! The kickoff meeting will be on Thursday, September 1st at 4PM MST, you can RSVP for that event here in our Discord server. Everyone is welcome to participate, in fact, it’s free and we’ll have prizes for all the winners!

Write on the Boot.dev Blog

Sep 02, 2022 by Lane Wagner

We’ve just opened up the Boot.dev Blog to public contributions! We’re really excited to see all the great stories that our readers and students will create.

The Top 11 Computer Science Books for Self Study [2024]

Aug 24, 2022 by Natalie Schooner

In today’s modern, fast-paced world, we look to StackOverflow, Reddit, and hands-on courses to learn about computer science and software engineering. But there are some real benefits to using books as an additional resource.

A Complete Overview of Computer Science for Beginners

Aug 21, 2022 by Winston Wagner

Getting into computer science can be a daunting task. There are so many career paths down which a computer education can take you, so many programming languages to master, and so many skills to learn. I’ll give you a basic rundown of what computer science is, along with a plethora of resources and tools to help you carve out your own pathway into a computer science career.

What is the Future of Computer Science?

Aug 16, 2022 by Natalie Schooner

In a word, the future of computer science is promising. In a few more words, the future of computer science is promising, but with challenges to overcome.

How to Use the Best Software Engineering Job Boards

Aug 05, 2022 by Lane Wagner

With so many job boards out there, it can be terribly confusing to know where to start when you’re looking for a programming job - especially if you’re looking for your first programming job. I’ve found that where you search for jobs is just as important as other key preparation steps you should take in your job search, like building a great resume and GitHub profile.

What Are the Career Options in Computer Science?

Aug 01, 2022 by Winston Wagner

The future is bright for career options in computer science with remote work opening up doors that weren’t present before. Trying to navigate through computer science career options can be overwhelming what with all the options at your disposal. While we won’t go through every job option in the field today, we have a list of common yet crucial jobs to help you get started on finding the career that’s right for you. But first…

Using GitHub Issues to Hack Together A Feedback System

Jul 31, 2022 by Lane Wagner

Boot.dev has been my side-project for the last couple of years now. Being a learning path for backend developers focused on quality over quantity, I knew early on that it needed to have a really tight feedback loop from students. We had (and still have) a Discord server where myself and the students hang out, and that worked okay at first. Unfortunately, Discord channels have a couple problems when it comes to issue tracking:

Learn Backend Development: Complete Path for Beginners [2024]

Jul 24, 2022 by Lane Wagner

So you’ve decided you want to learn backend development so you can get a job – congratulations! Many self-taught coders have a hard time deciding between all the various programming job options, but it’s so much easier to learn effectively if you have a clear goal, like backend work, in mind.

6 Pros and Cons of Online Coding Bootcamps

Jul 18, 2022 by Natalie Schooner

If you want to learn to code, there are many strategies to get your coding skills from non-existent to employable. Some folks might go back to university and get a formal education in computer science. Others prefer to teach themselves. And of course, you can always choose to put yourself through coding bootcamp.

How to Do a Coding Bootcamp Part-Time

Jul 12, 2022 by Natalie Schooner

Step 1: Develop a caffeine addiction. 🔗 If you want to add coding to your list of skills, either out of curiosity or to take your career in a whole new direction, you’ve probably considered a coding bootcamp. Then you’ve probably looked at the prices and time commitment and immediately wondered how to do a coding bootcamp part-time, instead.

The 12 Most Engaging Resources for Learning Python

Jun 24, 2022 by Natalie Schooner

While it’s straightforward to get Hello World implemented in Python, learning the ins and outs of the programming language takes a lot of time and effort.

Why We Force You to Learn Multiple Programming Languages

Jun 13, 2022 by Lane Wagner

I’ve been building Boot.dev as a side-project for the last couple of years, and have recently had many new students ask the same question:

What Would a Recession Mean For Developers?

May 26, 2022 by Lane Wagner

With markets in a slump, many of us are concerned a recession could be right around the corner. The NASDAQ is already down 27% so far in 2022. Heck, maybe we’re already in the middle of a recession.

How much do coding bootcamps cost?

May 24, 2022 by Zulie Rane

And an answer to what you’re really asking: “are coding bootcamps worth it?” 🔗 I’ll give you the quick answer right off the bat: coding bootcamps cost 13,500 on average based on the data collected by BestColleges. On the upper end of that range, coding bootcamps cost upwards of $20,000. Some of the less-expensive camps are a couple thousand dollars. It’s 2022 as I write this, so those numbers have probably increased even more in the interim.

The Top 8 Online Coding Bootcamps for 2022

May 21, 2022 by Zulie Rane

I looked at the cost, duration, structure, and USP for each online coding bootcamp 🔗 If you’ve been living under a rock for the last decade, let me quickly tell you about what a coding bootcamp is before I get into the top online coding bootcamps. Basically, a coding bootcamp is an expensive and mentally intense way to shoehorn skills and knowledge into your brain at top speed, allowing you to skip past degrees at record speed.

How Not to Ask for Help Online

May 20, 2022 by Lane Wagner

I’ve spent an unhealthy amount of time online over the course of my life, and in the last couple years I’ve been managing a Discord server for people who are learning computer science. Like all online communities, we have ban, kick, and moderation policies so that we’re not overrun with spammers and other non-contributors. However, I’m not perfect, and I have realized recently that we get a decent number of members who at first glance seemed like a spammer, but it turns out they just have no idea how to communicate online in a way that’s useful to themselves and others.

6 Undeniable Reasons to Learn Computer Science

May 10, 2022 by Zulie Rane

Is it a bit dramatic, perhaps, to say that the fate of the world rests on computer science and that’s why you should learn computer science?

The Problem with Education is a Problem of Incentives

May 10, 2022 by Lane Wagner

I’ve found that almost anyone I talk to agrees with the statement: There is something wrong with education, particularly higher education.

We Just Launched Community Insights

Apr 27, 2022 by Lane Wagner

tl;dr 🔗 At Boot.dev we’ve launched “community insights”! Insights make it possible for our students to drop comments at the bottom of any step in our coding courses. We’ve quickly found that we have amazing students, and it’s much better for everyone if we give them tools to help each other more directly.

Top 10 Communities For Learning to Code

Apr 20, 2022 by Zulie Rane

Why you need a coding community 🔗 The one thing that every programmer has in common, whether they’ve only ever implemented a “Hello World” program or they’re considered a “senior” software engineer, is the need to continuously learn. New technologies, programming languages, frameworks, libraries, and conventions are constantly being introduced to the industry. As a beginner, it can be hard to suss out what you need to know to enter the profession, and once you’re a proficient coder, it’s tiring to constantly investigate trending topics in tech.