Sounds like this is kind of like a mix between codeacademy (learning to code online) and dev bootcamp (learning to code in person). The problem I have with codeacademy is that when I get stuck I don't have someone to immediately answer my question, which is unbelievably frustrating. On the other side of things dev bootcamp requires you to be there in person which just doesn't fit my schedule.
If these guys can actually merge the convenience of sitting at my computer with the human element of learning, I'll gladly drop 3.5K to learn web dev in 2 months. Are there any alumni of bloc on HN that can share their experience?
We (http://devbootcamp.com/) host the Bloc guys in our office, and work with them on a ton of cool stuff! I see them in constant Skype calls with their students, discussing all kinds of cool things. These guys are great.
After a 7 year programming hiatus from my college CS degree (never ended up coding professionally), I am learning RoR through CodeSchool.com's tutorials and it's fantastic. The best part is you can speak to a real person for help by calling RailsHotline.com, they only ask that you donate minutes in return.
I am currently up to 'Rails for Zombies 2', and while it is very beginner focused, I'm comfortable to look through API docs to work out what I need to use, I have a grasp of MVC and I'm acquainted with basic github functionality.
It's fun. It's never going to be "5 minute abs", but that's a good thing.
We are building a similar site called CodeHS ( codehs.com ), which is focused on teaching basic programming to beginners, with an emphasis on giving help from real people. Not nearly as intense, and focused more on being fun and accessible.
If these guys can actually merge the convenience of sitting at my computer with the human element of learning, I'll gladly drop 3.5K to learn web dev in 2 months. Are there any alumni of bloc on HN that can share their experience?