How to Actually Learn Software Engineering

Summary

In this video, Caleb addresses the overwhelming nature of learning programming and offers a new learning framework to avoid burnout. He debunks common myths about software engineering education, emphasizing depth over breadth in learning languages. Caleb shares his personal journey, explaining how focusing on real-world problem-solving and structured learning led to his success with Python. He introduces 'Python Boot Camp,' a course designed to efficiently teach Python and a transferable learning framework, promising a shorter path to becoming a proficient Python engineer.

Takeaways

• 📚 **Learning Overload**: Feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information in programming is common and can lead to burnout.
• 🚀 **Different Learning Framework**: Success in programming doesn't require learning everything; a different, more effective learning framework is needed.
• 🎓 **Myths Debunked**: Common myths like needing a college degree or studying 80+ hours a week to be successful in software engineering are false.
• 🔄 **Consistent Struggle**: Many people cycle through starting, getting overwhelmed, and quitting, which is exhausting and unproductive.
• 🌟 **Personal Transformation**: A change in approach to learning programming led to a significant improvement in the speaker's ability to learn and understand programming languages.
• 📈 **Focused Learning**: Learning one language deeply is more beneficial than superficially learning multiple languages.
• 🛠 **Practical Application**: The ability to apply programming languages to solve real-world problems is more valuable than knowing many languages superficially.
• 💡 **Understanding Over Tools**: Understanding how to solve problems is more important than just knowing the tools or languages.
• 🏗 **Structured Learning**: Learning should be structured like building a skyscraper, starting with a solid foundation and building up.
• 📅 **Time Efficiency**: The speaker believes that with the right learning approach, significant progress can be made much faster than through trial and error.
• 🔗 **Python Boot Camp**: The speaker offers a course that teaches not only Python but also a learning framework that can be applied to other programming languages.
• 💼 **Career Advancement**: The course is designed to help learners progress from beginner to proficient Python engineer, which can lead to career advancement and higher salaries.

Q & A

What is the main issue Caleb discusses in the video?

Caleb discusses the feeling of being overwhelmed by the amount of information and knowledge required to be successful in programming and software engineering.

What does Caleb suggest as a solution to the feeling of being overwhelmed?

Caleb suggests adopting a different learning framework that focuses on learning the right things in the right order, rather than trying to learn everything.

What are the common myths Caleb debunks about learning software development?

Caleb debunks three myths: (1) That learning everything will get you closer to your goal, (2) That the technology itself is the most important thing, and (3) That the way you learn a programming language doesn't matter.

Why does Caleb believe focusing on learning everything can be counterproductive?

Focusing on learning everything can lead to information overload and decreased attention rate, preventing effective learning of the most important things needed to get a job as a software engineer.

What does Caleb argue is more important than knowing many programming languages?

Caleb argues that knowing how to apply one programming language to solve real-world problems is more valuable than having a shallow knowledge of many languages.

How does Caleb define the right learning path for software engineering?

The right learning path involves learning the right things in the right order, focusing on solving real-world problems, and understanding how to use programming languages effectively.

What does Caleb suggest is the best way to learn a new programming language?

Caleb suggests learning deeply from one source in a sequential order, similar to building a skyscraper from the foundation up.

What is the name of the course Caleb created to teach his learning framework?

The course Caleb created is called 'Python Boot Camp'.

What does the Python Boot Camp course offer?

Python Boot Camp offers a curriculum that teaches Python and the learning framework that can be applied to any programming language, with modules for basics, advanced, and applied Python in web development and machine learning.

How does Caleb propose to save learners time with his course?

Caleb proposes to save learners time by providing a focused and organized curriculum that avoids the need to sift through scattered resources across the internet.

What bonus does Caleb offer for enrolling in Python Boot Camp?

Enrolling in Python Boot Camp offers early access to Caleb's upcoming course 'Python Projects', which will help build a portfolio of Python projects.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Overcoming the Struggle of Learning Programming

Caleb discusses the common struggle many face when trying to learn programming, feeling overwhelmed by the vast amount of information and skills required. He empathizes with viewers who find themselves starting and stopping their learning journey due to burnout and lack of direction. Caleb refutes the notion that a college degree or extreme study hours are necessary for success in software engineering, proposing a different learning framework that focuses on simplicity and effectiveness. He shares his personal journey of learning programming for 10 years, feeling inadequate, and how a change in approach led to significant progress in just one year. Caleb emphasizes the importance of learning the right things in the right order, rather than trying to learn everything at once.

05:01

💡 Debunking Myths About Software Engineering Learning

Caleb challenges three common myths about learning software development. The first myth is that learning everything will make you a better developer, which he refutes by arguing that learning too much can lead to decreased focus and retention. Instead, he advocates for deep learning of one language over a shallow understanding of many. The second myth is that technology is the most important aspect; Caleb argues that the ability to apply technology to solve real-world problems is more valuable. The third myth is that the source and order of learning don't matter; he counters this by emphasizing the importance of a structured learning path, similar to building a skyscraper from the foundation up. Caleb concludes by summarizing the importance of focusing on learning the most important things in an organized manner to become a better software engineer.

10:01

🚀 Launching a Career with Python Boot Camp

Caleb introduces 'Python Boot Camp,' a course designed to teach Python and a learning framework that can be applied to other programming languages. He highlights the course's focus on learning the most important aspects of Python to solve real-world problems effectively. The course is structured with modules for different levels of learners, from beginners to those looking to advance their skills. Caleb mentions a special offer for early enrollees, including a discount and early access to an upcoming course on Python projects, which will help build a portfolio for potential employers. He emphasizes the limited availability of the course and the benefits of enrolling, such as saving time and money compared to other learning resources.

Keywords

💡Programming

Programming refers to the process of writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. In the video, programming is the central theme, with the speaker discussing the challenges and methods of learning it effectively. The script mentions the struggle of keeping up with the vast amount of knowledge in software development.

💡Information Overload

Information overload occurs when an individual receives more information than they can effectively process. The video addresses this concept as a barrier to success in learning programming, suggesting that too much information can lead to discouragement and a lack of focus on the most important skills.

💡Software Engineering

Software engineering is the application of engineering principles to software design, development, and maintenance. The video discusses the pursuit of a career in software engineering and the misconceptions around the amount of study required to be successful in this field.

💡Learning Framework

A learning framework is a structured approach or system that helps in organizing and delivering educational content. The speaker in the video suggests that adopting a different learning framework can lead to more effective learning outcomes in programming.

💡Myth Debunking

Myth debunking involves challenging and disproving popular misconceptions. The video identifies and refutes several myths about learning programming, such as the necessity of a college degree or studying for extreme hours to be successful.

💡Deep Learning

Deep learning, in the context of the video, refers to the focused study of a single programming language or skill to a high level of proficiency. The speaker contrasts this with spreading oneself too thin by trying to learn multiple languages superficially.

💡Problem Solving

Problem solving is the process of finding solutions to problems. The video emphasizes that a good software engineer should focus on problem-solving skills rather than just learning programming languages. It suggests that knowing how to apply programming to real-world problems is more valuable.

💡Sequential Learning

Sequential learning is an educational approach where concepts are taught in a logical, ordered sequence. The video recommends this method over jumping between different sources and topics, arguing that it helps in better retention and understanding of programming concepts.

💡Python Boot Camp

Python Boot Camp is a course mentioned in the video designed to teach Python programming in a structured and efficient manner. It is presented as a solution to the problem of information overload and ineffective learning methods.

💡Portfolio Development

Portfolio development involves creating a collection of work that demonstrates one's skills and experience. In the video, the speaker mentions an upcoming course that will help learners apply their Python skills to build a portfolio of projects, which is valuable for showcasing their abilities to potential employers.

💡Curriculum

A curriculum is a plan or outline for a course of study. The video speaker talks about creating a curriculum that helped them learn Python effectively, suggesting that a well-structured learning path is crucial for success in programming.

Highlights

Caleb shares his personal struggle with feeling overwhelmed by programming.

He emphasizes that feeling overwhelmed is common in the software industry.

Caleb suggests a different learning framework is needed for success.

He debunks the myth that a college degree is necessary for software engineering success.

Caleb argues against the idea that studying 80 hours a week is required.

Different learning approaches are proposed for beginners, intermediates, and entrepreneurs.

Caleb's 10-year journey of on-and-off programming is shared.

He explains how a change in approach led to a breakthrough in learning Python.

Caleb argues that studying fewer things can lead to better results.

He challenges the belief that learning many languages makes you a better developer.

Caleb emphasizes the importance of solving real-world problems over knowing many languages.

He discusses the myth that technology is the most important aspect.

Caleb suggests focusing on life transformation rather than just technology.

He explains why the way you learn a programming language matters.

Caleb introduces the concept of a structured learning path like building a skyscraper.

He offers a curriculum that helped him go from knowing nothing to being proficient in Python.

Caleb introduces Python Boot Camp as a solution for structured learning.

He mentions the course is suitable for all experience levels.

Caleb provides a coupon code for the course during the live premiere.

He offers early access to an upcoming course as a bonus for enrolling in Python Boot Camp.

Caleb mentions the potential to earn more with Python skills, citing the Stack Overflow developer survey.

The course availability and closing date are provided.

Transcripts

hey everyone it's Caleb in this video I

wanted to ask you a question have you

ever looked at programming and told

yourself that there's way too much to

learn if you feel like you cannot keep

up in the software industry You Are Not

Alone personally I can't tell you how

many times I decide I'm going to take

programming seriously I start studying

everything I can I get discouraged

overwhelmed burnt out and then I quit

then a few weeks go by I get excited

again and I go through this whole

process over and over and over again and

honestly it's quite exhausting if you

feel this way it's the information

overload that's keeping you from success

but I wanted to tell you that you can do

it you just need a different learning

framework not like a JavaScript

framework nothing else to learn don't

worry this is going to be simple some

people will tell you oh you need a

college degree to be successful in

software engineering other people will

say you need to study 80 plus hours a

week and I'm here to tell you both of

these are a lie if you're still watching

this then I know you have the dream of

being successful at software engineer

ering and really understanding how code

Works we're all a little bit different

but this is going to work for anybody so

if you're a beginner trying to get that

first software engineering job or maybe

you're an intermediate and you just need

to refine your skills and figure out how

to get that career jump you've been

wanting or if you're an entrepreneur how

can you learn the extra technical skills

to set you apart from everybody else

trying to compete personally I've been

learning programming for about 10 years

I started early in high school but every

single year it was a LoveHate

relationship where I never really felt

like I knew what I was doing even in my

development jobs I always felt like I

just could not keep up with everyone

else this all changed this year when

things finally clicked in fact I was

able to learn a new programming language

to me python at a depth more than any

language up to this point so I pretty

much achieved more in this one year than

the last 10 years of my programming

Journey how is it that in one year I got

more results than I did in 10 years and

I can tell you up front it's not about

how many hours I put into studying in

fact I studied programming less this

year than last year and every year

before instead it was my approach to

learning that made me 10 times more

effective and this could be repeated for

any other programming language that I

need to learn in the future it's

actually about how you learn being on

the right learning path is going to help

you become a better software engineer

faster in other words you have to learn

the right things the right way in the

right order if you're doing these three

things you're going to make more

progress than you have ever done before

so at the end of last year I decided I

was tired of going through this Loop of

trying to learn to code getting defeated

and I decided I was going to completely

change the way I learned programming I

decided to put this to the test by

learning a fairly new language to me

Python and I learned more about python

in just a few months than any language I

have ever studied up to that point I'm

going to share exactly the steps I

followed to make this happen but I

wanted to warn you that the approach is

counterintuitive to most people but if

you're one of the few people that

actually apply it you will be successful

now if you think about it the way most

people learn software development is

they make some claim like hey I'm going

to be a software engineer and then they

start learning everything they can to

get them to that goal they buy a bunch

of books they buy some 60-hour udemy

courses and the intentions are pure but

most people don't get the results that

they actually want the problem with this

approach to learning is that they've

fallen for a common myth that plagues

pretty much anyone who wants to learn

software Dev elment and this is one of

the three big myths that I'm going to

share with you in this video the first

myth is that anything you learn is going

to help you get closer to your goal of

being a software engineer or just

advancing your skills why is this a myth

at first it makes sense right the more

you know the better the software

developer you're going to be but you

have to realize that your brain is only

capable of learning so much each day and

if you try to force too much into your

brain your attention rate starts to

decrease so if you approach becoming a

software engineer with the thought that

you're going to learn everything well

that actually takes away a lot of potent

brain power you should be directing at

learning the most important things the

things that actually get you a job as a

software engineer and give you a

successful career in other words when

you try to learn everything you're

actually preventing yourself from

learning the most important thing now

you might object and say that learning

all these different Frameworks and

languages is is going to make a more

versatile developer however let me ask

you a question who do you think would be

more successful a person who studied

python deeply for 12 months straight or

a person who studied 12 different

languages for a month each my personal

belief is that the person who deeply

studies one language is going to have a

better understanding of how to use

programming languages to solve real

world problems the person that studied

12 programming languages yeah they might

have a good taste of all the different

languages out there but they're not

going to know how to apply any of these

because their knowledge is going to be

so shallow plus this person who's

developed a really deep knowledge of

python is going to be very easily able

to transfer that knowledge over to a new

language if they need to so I've just

debunk the myth that to be a better

software engineer you need to study more

things instead you need to study less

isn't that a relief the second myth

that's preventing you from achieving

your goals in software engineering is

believing that the tech is the most most

important thing rather it's the life

transformation that the tech can provide

for the people that need it that seems

obvious but you might not even realize

you're doing this when you say hey I

want to be a better developer you

immediately think of the different

Technologies or programming languages

that you need to learn to be a better

developer this myth the myth that the

programming language is what truly

matters is why you're jumping from one

language to another language to a new

framework and you can't actually focus

on solving any real world problems this

makes you pretty much useless in the

software engineering world this means

that if you only know one programming

language but you know how to take this

language and apply it to real world

problems you're going to be 10 times

more valuable than any other software

engineer who just knows syntax you might

argue this and say that understanding

your tools helps you fix more problems

but a true engineer looks at the problem

and asks how can I solve this and then

can learn any tool needed to fix that

problem now don't misunderstand me here

I teach programming so yes learning the

tools is important but you need to

understand that any programming language

is going to have a plethora of different

capabilities and features that are also

going to be available in other

programming languages as well so it's

important you understand how to use

these different capabilities to solve

problems so this is great news

continuing off of the previous myth that

you need to know everything I just

reinforced this by saying hey you only

need to learn one or two tools and

figure out how to solve real world

problems stop focusing on the tools and

instead focus on the solutions the final

myth is that the way you learn a

programming language really doesn't

matter it can come from any source and

in any order as long as you're getting a

little bit of practice each day instead

I like to consider building skills like

building a skyscraper you don't just

build a skyscraper on accident you know

starting with the roof and the walls and

then the foundation and then the windows

no you start with the foundation and you

build upon this Foundation one layer at

a time in a sequential order and that

makes sense the next layer is just one

step away and you keep going one step

higher when you jump around from

learning SQL in a book to a python udemy

course to who knows what's next you're

actually giving your brain Whiplash and

you're not going to retain the

information as well instead you should

prior ize learning as much as you can

from One Source in a sequential order

when you learn things in the right order

it actually helps lock in the previous

information which helps you retain

everything you learn so to reiterate the

way in which you study programming is

very important so that was a lot of

information so let me try to sum it up

with a quick question if you focused on

learning the most important things to

solve real world problems and you learn

things following a organized learning

pathway don't you think would be a

better software engineer going through

this process and figuring out the best

way to learn took me a year of

experimenting with python however if

someone told me this from the start I

think I could have learned that

information in a month the path wasn't

always clear as I was walking through it

but looking back I know exactly what was

important and what I should have focused

on knowing this information a year ago

that could have saved me a lot of time

just searching the web compiling

information trying to build apps and I

want to save you this same amount of

time by giving you a curriculum that

brought me from knowing pretty much

nothing in Python to it being my most

proficient language I can't show you the

effectiveness of this approach to

learning in just one video but it's used

throughout the entire program and it's

called python boot camp so if you're

ready to go from I can't to I am then

python boot camp is the course that's

going to be your shortest path from

beginner to python engineer so not only

does this course teach you python but it

teaches you the learning frame work you

can then apply to any programming

language you need to learn in the future

you might be asking yourself is this

course for me well we have modules for

the basics the advanced and then applied

python in web development and machine

learning regardless of your experience

level this course is for you you just

have to decide that you're ready to

commit and you're tired of wasting your

time without this course sure you could

go buy a 60-hour udemy course or a bunch

of books but this stuff's really not

going to add a lot of value to your life

and you're going to have to sift through

many hours of content or join me for

python boot camp and potentially save

hundreds of dollars and hundreds of

hours that you'd be wasting on a ton of

other resources scattered across the

internet now according to the stack

Overflow developer survey the median

salary for a python engineer in the

United States is

120,000 so this course is not only going

to help you save money but actually earn

a lot more money in a career that is

fulfilling and pretty lucrative now if

you're watching this on the Live

premiere I have a coupon code launch and

if you use that in the next 15 minutes

you'll get 15% off of the course after

15 minutes I'm disabling that coupon and

if you are still not sure I have a bonus

for you when you enroll in Python boot

camp not only do you get 10 hours of

focused training but you also get early

access to my upcoming course python

projects this will be the most applied

course I have ever created and it's

designed to take the principles from

python boot camp and apply them to even

more more projects so by the end of the

course you'll have a complete portfolio

of python projects that you can show to

any potential employer this is something

that's going to be launched sometime

next year so when you get early access

to this course you'll get each project

as I build them now back to python boot

camp this course is only going to be

available for a week from the launch of

this video so it's going to close on the

last day of November

1159 p.m. eastern time at that point the

course will be closed and it won't be

open again until I finish python

projects so you