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TL;DR
Usually, before I buy any book (textbook, handbook), I check its table of contents (TOC). That’s because looking at TOC allows me to check, what the book is about, which topics are presented. In order to learn more, I read the introduction. Well-written books provide information regarding the target audience, and general focus. Sometimes you can also find out what the book is not about, which is also a very important thing to know.
This short introduction is meant to be such TOC for the first material. I decided to place it here, so it won’t clutter incoming materials, focused on much more important topics.
So, for all those, who are too impatient to wait for details (or too lazy to read further):
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I’m going to publish educational materials, for all interested in more practical matters, for wanna-be engineers (although not only for students, since there are no age restrictions).
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The materials will be focused on various practical aspects of the presented knowledge. Theory will be regarded as suplemental, and presented only when neccessary.
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The first materials will be about some base programming tools.
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All the video materials will be presented in Polish (although with English texts; texts - not subtitles), while all the text materials presented on this site, will be in English only.
That’s for now. If you are interested in further details, please read on (or follow to the full video material).
Why such videos?
For years, I’ve been running classes for students on a technical university. Classes of all types: lectures, traditional classes, laboratory exercises, projects supervising, and also thesis supervising (both engineers, and masters). I have more than fifteen years of experience, as an academical teacher.
Besides of this, I’ve been also working as software engineer in IT companies, where I acquired some practical experience with software development (various technologies and areas), project management, testing, and also tutoring (although very different than the one I was doing to my students). I know something about the IT industry reality.
The technical university, which was my primary job, was not my private company. I was an employee, and I was expected to follow rules and procedures made by my supervisors (and their supervisors). For this reason, I was running classes following the rules and syllabus, not in the way I always wanted it to be done.
And what would be my way to teach students? Well, I can tell you one thing - it would much more practical, regarding both problems and skills, that real-life (software) engineers are suppose to have. I strongly believe, that teaching future engineers is much more important, than teaching future scientists (and reaserchers).
BTW, it doesn’t mean, that I understimate scientists, researchers, or science/theory in general. Just on the contrary! Yet I also believe, that vast majority of people need much more engineers and practitioners, than theorists, and thus the educational process should be more focused on engineering knowledge and pratical skills, than on pure theory. For most people, what matters is whether their TV device works or not, regardless of the electromagnetic waves theory, provided by physics. (And the theory is also important. A few weeks ago I was explaining to my father-in-law, that such waves are everywhere around us, regardless of the new WI-FI router of his being turned on, or off.)
So, now I want to continue my job, or mission, but this time following different rules - my own ones. I want to share my knowledge, experience and passion with all interested, regardless of your age, or skills (as long, as you’ll be able to understand what I’m talking about).
I’d like to do it so you will be able to learn as much, as possible. I’d like to focus much more on practical aspects of real-life problems, that on the theory needed to solve them. I’d also like to focus on some skills, which are often completly ignored in traditional university education, but which are highly valuable in IT industry.
Now, finally, I’m not restricted by any rules, procedures, or formal groups, such as Faculty Councils, or Scientific Discipline Councils. I’m entirely on my own.
Regardless of the mentioned process of higher education, I wouldn’t like to simply copy it, basing on any technical university course. In such process, student gets some task, usually some application to create. When the task is more complex, it is called a project. Then, student passes the task.
Looking at details, student has much more than just one task, or project, to make, at the time of term. Some projects may be more interesing, while other less (or none at all). Student focuses on passing project, instead of getting the right solution, in the right way. On the other hand, supervisor also has many students, and many projects to supervise. Rating a project, with regards to specification only, is both very easy, and also clear to explain. Rating the process of project production is much more vogue. Besides, the good practices pay off in the long run, and one-term projects just don’t live for so long. For those reasons, factors like software architecture, development methods and tools usually do not play any role in grading.
What I’d really like is to show all those good practices, as well as the bad ones, along with their results. That’s what I find really valuable, in the long run, for anyone, who wants to be a developer. That’s the knowledge, that anyone should acquire, working as an intern, or junior software developer. They don’t teach it in technical universities (and that’s a real shame).
I think I should make it clear: my goal is not to teach anyone programming. There are many courses (also online), books, tutorials, and even technical documentation (to some extent). All is needed to learn programming, by oneself, is the will to do it, time, some base knowledge, and, perhaps, English. (Yes, English, since many materials are available in this language only.) I’d like to focus on giving you that base knowledge, that is required in the process of learning. And this process, as I can see it, is more university-like.
And, one more thing to explain. Why on Earth the videos will be narrated in Polish, with English texts, and all written materials will be in English? Well, the short answer is: to help you learn English. In modern IT industry, English is THE language to use. So, the faster you learn English, the better.
Besides, using English allows all the people, who don’t speak Polish, to read the materials, and also to learn. And they are all welcomed to do it.
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