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Hey, I'm here!

It's 2020, time for a new blog. This time, I'm going "as free as possible" by joining up with the dev.to community and seeing what all this site has to offer!

This year, I evaluated a number of web developer bootcamps and free resources and I've decided to go down the route of learning software engineering through Launch School. There were a few reasons why I feel strongly that Launch School's core curriculum is for me. In order to understand these motivations, it's important to know why I'm learning to code.

Why I'm learning to code

• I want to learn the foundations of software engineering - I don't want a "learn coding quick" scheme. I want to truly understand the hows and whys behind why code is executed the way it is. I want a real base in order to continue foundational learning upon.
• I want to be a better game producer - Even if I never write a line of code at work, having a true understanding of the way the web works can only benefit me in my work in game development. I want to speak all the same language, understand engineer's motivations.
• I'm not looking for a career switch - At least in the short term, I'm looking to learn software engineering on my own time with no immediate intentions to switch careers/roles into an engineering position. I just want to learn for learnings sake.

Why Launch School works for me

• It's self-paced - Launch School is fully remote & self-paced. With a full time job and a 4 year old son, I can't devote 40 hours a week to coding. I have to learn slowly, which means I'm not able to devote to a 12 week FT bootcamp onsite.
• It's a monthly fee - Instead of being $8,000 - 30,000 like web development bootcamps, I'm going to be paying $199/month. I can pause or stop at any time. I can structure this around my life and my availability.
• Mastery-based learning - Launch School isn't a dev bootcamp. It's a mastery-based learning platform. It gives a very strong foundation that takes people anywhere from 9mo to YEARS to complete their curriculum. It's in-depth, it's detailed, it's mixed-media (though mostly text). It's the kind of program where I'm assessed when I'm ready and have support from TAs and the community, but I will truly understand everything before I am allowed to progress. As a person who is always looking for the "quick fix", this kind of slow, intentional learning is exactly what I need to learn a new way to learn.

I have just started the free prep course part of Launch School and I'm excited to document my learnings and experience here.