How did I become interested in programming? In a past career I was a linguist, working with Middle Eastern languages and dialects. One thing I learned from that experience is that languages are very really similar. Sure, they each have their own rules, but their rules manipulate the same conventions: subjects, objects, verbs and adjectives. In […]
A couple years ago, Jeff Atwood published a blog on Stack Exchange about their (then) philosophy for improving the quality of their community. The blog was titled “Optimizing for Pearls, Not Sand” and his conclusion was that answers are far more important than questions and therefore Stack Exchange would optimize so that answers were valued […]
Sitting in any tech classroom today for upgrade training as a student, I’m reminded of my experiences as a teacher. I remember the first time I had to teach a class and how all of my assumptions and expectations for my students were just …wrong. My initial approach was that I had some information to […]
In many ways, more than perhaps we’re able to realize, developer bootcamps and immersive programs like General Assembly (GA) are pioneering a frontier of education that will become a staple of the future economy. I’ve been witness to the erosion of university systems, not least because of the staggering cost. But also because Americans seem to […]