The Matygo Blog

{ The Building Blocks: Build a Basic Website - Class 1 }

This is the 2nd part in a series by Rachel Balik on her experience learning to code in an online instructor led class on Matygo.

When I was a sophomore in college, my medieval literature professor suggested that I change my major from English to Computer Engineering.

“Absolutely not!” I told him. First of all, I loved English. But more importantly, I was certain that computer engineering classes would be laborious, boring and miles over my head.

When I signed on to my first Matygo class “Build a Basic Website” I was sincerely hoping that would not turn out to be the case. Fortunately, as soon as the class began, I realized the it would embody everything was good about college, while leaving out everything that was bad.

The Good Stuff:

• Intellectual environment. Everyone in the class came with curiosity and drive.
• Like-minded people. We went around the “room” and each student said why he or she had taken the class. It was amazing to hear how each student planned to use coding skills to further professional goals - whether it was improving performance at the office or building a website.
• Homework. I know, homework doesn’t always sound like fun, but especially when it comes to new skill building, practice makes perfect. I was glad to hear that we were going to have problem sets, and go over them in class to make sure we understood.
• Knowledgeable teachers. Our two teachers, Andrei and Paul, both had strong but different backgrounds in programming and were prepared to share their knowledge and experience.

The Bad Stuff That Wasn’t There:

• A strict curriculum with no flexibility. Paul and Andrei told us that the course could be modified to meet the needs of class. If we were confused, they’d slow down and if we were killing it, they’d add material.
• Grades. Yes, we have to do homework, but we’ll have the opportunity to go over it with classmates rather than angst over getting things wrong.
• Too cool for school professors. Remember how hard it was in college to get a hold of a professor if you had questions? Paul and Andrei gave us multiple ways to contact them - including their personal email addresses.

Our first class was devoted to meeting each other through video icons and watching slides describing the curriculum. We were told to download tutorials and get started on our out-of-class work. Our assignment for the next week is to “Play with Code.” Somehow, this actually sounds like it might be fun.

{ Why learn to code? A student’s perspective. }

{ Hi Nik! }

Hello friends,

I would like you all to join me in warmly welcoming the talented Nikolas Laufer-Edel to team Matygo.

Nik is our first fulltime ongoing hire and we are very proud to have him. Nik started building web apps in the late 90’s but has since shifted his focus to user experience design, marketing, and product management. He is passionate about lean, metrics, thoughtful analysis, and design - bringing a complimentary yet compatible perspective to my own and Joe’s. 

You can learn more about Nik at his personal website: nik.ca

Expect to hear from the man himself soon. Welcome Nik :)

{ Give the gift of knowledge this Christmas - 8 courses in January }

If you’re looking for a last minute gift (or gift for yourself) this Christmas what better than a Matygo course? We have eight courses ready to go in January. All taught in small groups (9 or less). Don’t buy a book that sits on a shelf - get a matygo course that goes straight to the brain! 

Courses starting in January: 

Programming:

• Intro to HTML5 & CSS. $249. Aimed at total beginners, explains the fundamentals of front-end web development, useful to anyone wanting to build on the Web - from bloggers to entrepreneurs. 
• Fundamentals of Programming. $199. If HTML5 & CSS is the practical foundational course, this is the theoretical. Together, they form a solid base from which you can take Ruby on Rails, Javascript, and other programming courses. Learn the fundamentals of programming - applicable to any language - and how programs can be used to solve problems. 
• Ruby on Rails for Beginners. $249. This course was a huge hit last time, but don’t take our word for it, here’s what one student had to say .
• Ruby on Rails for Programmers. $249. Similar to the beginner class, but aimed at people who already have a background in programming. 
• iOS for Programmers. $249. Our intro to iOS and Objective-C courses aimed at programmers with some background in C but no Cocoa Touch experience. Taught by great iOS developer, Richard Moore. 

Graphic Design:

• Adobe Photoshop. $299. Learn how to make magic with Photoshop. Taught by East Side Game’s art supervisor, Tyler Higgs. 
• Adobe Illustrator. $299. Name says it all - get to know the most powerful vector graphics tools out there. Taught by Graphic Designer Meg Robichaud. 

{ Last few spots in iOS/Mobile dev courses }

Ever had an idea for an iPhone app? Wished you could make it a reality? Our two iOS development courses starting next week are almost full. 

1 spot left - For total programming beginners. Starting on Tuesday. Mobile Development with PhoneGap

2 spots left - For experienced coders. Starts on Wednesday. iOS and Cocoa Touch

Get em while they’re hot (and before they’ve started :)).