Beginner Professional Java - Learn to Code for Work and Fun

Learn to code from no prior experience. Train for a career in software, or learn how to teach coding.

Great Introduction to Coding

This course teaches programming for absolute beginners.  It provides over 50 hands-on coding exercises, so you spend most of your time getting good at coding, not just watching videos.  The difficulty builds gradually so you're always ready for the next step.

Most people can complete this course in about 6 months at 5 hours per week.

Refined in a Classroom
This course material has been used for 3 years in a face-to-face classroom for job training.  This has resulted in many refinements to the course material, eliminating bugs and errors, and ensuring no steps are missing, so you can trust the quality of the course.  

Many of the classroom students are now working in professional software development, and have had wonderful things to say about this course.  "It's hard, but in a good way, and everything is explained well; I don't get lost."

Native English Speaker

All voice-over is done by me (your instructor), and I'm a native English speaker from the midwest of the United States; I speak clearly and carefully.  I also provide full text transcripts of all videos, and am working on closed captioning, so that you can easily follow along with what I'm saying.

Videos are Easy to Review

The course assumes basic computer literacy but no prior programming experience. We'll start out simple and carefully explain every step.    

I explain new vocabulary every step of the way so you don't get lost, and I make sure the topics don't skip around.  Each topic gently prepares you for the next topic in the course.  I focus on the core Java language, especially the most important areas you would actually use on the job.  

I use lots of pictures, code examples with arrows pointing out the important parts, and careful demonstrations of how and why things work.

Every video starts with an overview slide, so you can quickly review code examples when you come back to it later.  Then we go into the details, and summarize at the end with some journal questions for you to remember, apply, and elaborate on the material you've just learned.

Hands-on Practice

The early part of the course emphasizes hands-on practice and repetition to build a strong memory of the material. Then as we introduce more complex topics, it shifts to software design and strategies for problem solving, so you're ready for the next level.

Practice assignments use what you just learned, in a simple exercise.  Challenge assignments use the same topics, but in a more interesting and complex way.  Freestyle assignments give you a few requirements and then encourage you to get creative, building your own ideas.  I found that learners who only do class exercises don't get enough practice at creating their own ideas, which holds them back professionally.  Freestyle exercises give you that necessary practice and are also great fun!

Good for Teachers

This material is well-suited to teaching computer science in junior high and high schools, as a more advanced approach than using Scratch.  Teachers with advanced students will find this useful for both themselves and their students.

Acknowledgements

Most graphics were licensed through PresenterMedia (obligatory attribution) - many thanks to them for providing such great concept graphics with the ability to customize colors and text.  The colorful slides and memorable pictures make learning coding a lot more fun.