Starting your coding career in Seattle and wondering what resources are available? Self-teaching is a great way to begin programming, but that methodology doesn’t work for all of us. Sometimes we don’t know where to start or what tools we need – not to mention, it can be hard to motivate yourself to spend your free time working on code all by yourself.The structure of a class or workshop can be a great way to dive into programming without getting lost in the infinite online resources.
Below you’ll find a selection of some of the diverse places you can go around Seattle to get started on your path to becoming a great software developer.
General Assembly – Web Development: Let’s Break It Down
This one day workshop is intended to help potential students who are unsure if coding is the right choice for them, or for those who have a keen interest but are getting lost in the “alphabet soup”, as they say. Find out what you need to break into coding for the first time. This is also a great opportunity for those who are considering General Assembly’s full-time 3 month program to see if it feels like the right fit.
- Cost: $20
- Commitment: 2-3 hours
Bellevue College – Basic Programming Essentials
Are you the kind of learner who likes to know all the fundamentals before trying to hack something together? This course is for you! Learn the terminology and concepts behind how programming works. In this class you’ll write and test code that represents the problems and solutions found in all languages, such as variables, constants, loops and conditionals. Love this class or live on the east side? Continue at Bellevue College pursuing their Web Development Certificate or the Programming for Mobile & Web Development Certificate of Achievement.
- Cost: $389
- Commitment: 12 hours
Code Fellows – The Foundations Series
Code Fellows is well-known in Seattle for turning out junior developers in just a few months from their bootcamps. Now they’ve shaken things up a bit to bring their offerings to a wider range of students, including some smart classes for beginners. They offer a series of night classes for those of us who still need to keep grinding away at that 9-5, but also want to invest in more rigorous, alternative learning. Each class is designed for beginners who have already learned a bit of code through online tutorials. Start with their Foundations of CS & Web Development Class before diving in to their front-end design & development hybrid or get serious with their Ruby on Rails course.
Foundations of CS & Web Development
- Cost: $500, with financing available.
- Commitment: about one month
Foundations of Web UI Development
- Cost: $1,500, with financing available.
- Commitment: about one month
- Cost: $1,500, with financing available.
- Commitment: about one month
University of Washington Extension
UW offers a variety of certificate options for those who want a more traditional approach from an accredited academic institution. The extension program offers both night classes and online courses for distance learning. Some of their courses are even offered in downtown Seattle to make it easier to attend. These programs offer a great variety, both in terms of languages and potential for future learning. You can take these classes à la carte or as an intro to a full certificate in a specific career path or language.
Interested in the Certificate in JavaScript? Start with Introduction to Programming with JavaScript.
- Cost: $975
- Commitment: about two months
Certificate in Ruby Programming pique your interest? Try Ruby: The Core Language
- Cost: $875
- Commitment: about two months
Eyeballin’ the HTML5, CSS3 & Responsive Design for Web Development Certificate? Learn the basics with HTML5 & CSS3 Foundations
- Cost: $995
- Commitment: about two months
Seattle Central Community College
SCCC is another accredited academic institution, right in the heart of Capitol Hill. Be close to all the best tech meet-ups Seattle has to offer! SCCC offers two undergraduate certificates, The Web Development Certificate and the Programming Certificate, both designed to be completed within a year. The school has a Technical Advisory Committee made up of industry professionals from Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Nordstrom, and Starbucks. These programs are great for those who want to be in the heart of the city while keeping school costs down. Plus students are eligible for federal financial aid, something you won’t get at an alternative school.
The Web Development Certificate
This program begins in the fall quarter of each year and you’ll learn to build websites and interface with databases. This program shares many courses with the Programming Certificate, but also include classes like Working on a Web Team, JavaScript, and Web Career Strategies.
- Cost: about $6,000
- Commitment: 1+ year
The Programming Certificate
Students who go this route will learn about different languages, program design and systems analysis. In this route, students can begin any quarter and learn Java and the .NET stack.
- Cost: about $6,000
- Commitment: 1+ year
Phew! If you’ve managed to read all the way to this point, you’ve come to realize that there’s a HUGE variety not just in the types of programming you can learn but also in the ways you can go about doing it! There are so many great ways to learn to program for beginners of all types. Whether it’s online, an intensive bootcamp, or night classes- there’s no wrong way to learn to code. Even the most motivated of us can use the help and structure that these resources provide.
Written by Ada Cohort[0] student, Liz Rush – follow her on twitter: @lizmrush