Alberta Tech Scene
Market Survey
We conducted a survey of local IT employers to help us design our courses. Some of what we found confirmed what we thought before hand- but a lot of things surprised us.
Dust off that portfolio or create one
You'll be glad you did. Education is just a small part of learning to code- practical experience is much more important . Rather than using 'code along with me' type examples, we encourage students to create software on their own from day one.
We focus on the fundamentals
We focus on fundamental programming and web application development skills rather than a particular qualification, credential or flavor of the month framework. We use the popular script language Ruby as well as HTML and Javascript to help students build a real hosted web app using the Sinatra micro-framework. We also teach some soft skills like how to manage a coding project, common tools and the basics of user interface design.
Who uses Ruby?
We use Canadian software success story Shopify to power our secure store and they use Ruby with the Rails framework. For our courses we use the much simpler Sinatra framework which could be a stepping stone for students who want to eventually use Rails. Rails is also used by Groupon and AirBnB, GitHub, ZenDesk, Bloomberg . Startups like it because it's often the fastest and cheapest way to make a product: in Edmonton people like Jobber, Granify and AMA!
You will learn the 'full stack'
Our courses are short but we still teach the 'full stack' which means coverage of programming from the database and server end ('back end') through to the javascript code used on the PC or mobile browser to interface with the user ('front end'). We also cover SQL databases. Student work on projects of their own choosing.
You're in the right place to get started
You don't need programming experience. Our meetup group and short courses are aimed at introducing you to programming and/or improving your existing skills.
Feedback from Edmonton Learning to Code
Learn to Code in Edmonton
Doug is the owner of Nimble Programmer and has had a successful career in software development. Ask us for more information about our classes. You can email us: info@nimbleprogrammer.com or call at 780 417 6439. Also, join our meetup group 'Edmonton Learning to Code'.