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For those of you that are self-taught programmers via video tutorials, which format did you like best?

I'll be pulling together tutorials for those interested in getting into data engineering, with the goal of having each participant "walk" away with a legit project that they can showcase on their portfolio/resume. For those of you that prefer to learn via video tutorials, what would you consider is a high-quality video tutorial that actually helps you learn?

For instance, I've seen videos where you can see the presenter speak at the same time that they're going through the code itself. And I've seen others where you only see the code, and there's a voiceover walking through the tutorial. And then there are some where they had captions to go along with the video.

Thoughts? Any examples of tutorials that you absolutely loved would be great!

  1. 5

    I like it when there is a demo in the beginning of what I will learn or make.
    For abstract concepts I want to know why its useful in the beginning only.

    1. 1

      Honestly I hadn't thought about that! Now that I think about it, it'd probably be valuable to give a 20-second overview into the project and the code before someone decides to purchase the tutorial. Thank you for this valuable feedback!

  2. 2

    I really enjoyed this new education platform called scrimba - code editor is available to you and the lecturer, check it if you haven't seen it
    https://scrimba.com/g/gdesign

    otherwise YT, something like https://www.youtube.com/user/TechGuyWeb

    1. 1

      Super, thanks for sharing! I will definitely check those out!

  3. 2

    I really liked coding courses where the speakers are explaining the code as they write it. An overview at the beginning to show the end product is also helpful to understand how each piece builds towards that goal.

    1. 2

      Very good feedback, thanks! I didn't originally have an introductory overview within the scope of these tutorials but that sounds like it'd be valuable!

  4. 2

    Overview of the entire project in the beginning of the video, well-spoken explanations during the step by step process (while screen recording) and links to git so viewers can see the final codebase.

    1. 2

      That's looking more like the approach I'll be taking. Thank you!

      1. 2

        Looking forward to seeing your work! I'd also add that if there's any way that you can give viewers a few different ways the project may deviate from your instructional path, if the user would want to add or subtract features you didn't use. At a certain point, people are looking to make "other things" from the concept they are learning about and that jump can be the most difficult.

        1. 1

          Ha, I think we're thinking along the same lines! For the first tutorial, I have plans to provide additional resources for public APIs that people can pull from instead of the NASA API I'll be using in my tutorial, since they may be more interested in connecting to APIs that are more relevant to their line of work. But, that did get me wondering if it'd be worth adding short videos highlighting areas where they can make enhancements to the code, rather than redoing the entire tutorial over and over just for a minor "upgrade" and whatnot.

          1. 1

            as far as I can tell (I'm pretty good at learning things and how to learn) the biggest gap for opportunity in the tutorials / other education modes is that you have to see things implemented a couple of different ways to start understanding a concept. To do this you sometimes gotta search even more for codebases / tuts / docs that are close enough that you can kinda start putting things together. That would be the sauce.

            1. 1

              Boom, that's it. I've definitely been in that situation, where I'd learn a tutorial from one place and have to go to other places for similar tutorials to better understand one concept. I'll see how I can prevent people from having to jump to other places just to better understand a concept. Thanks for this amazing feedback!

  5. 2

    I like the format of egghead.io, quick and to the point

    1. 1

      Super, thanks! Will check them out!

  6. 2

    I would like it when you could get keynotes in video description.

    1. 1

      Yeah I definitely plan to have a written version of the tutorial for those that learn better from reading.

  7. 2

    I dont like learn from videos, it's too slow. I usually use videos to see whats possible with a language/framework/technology (Mostly entertainment). To learn something new I just have the official documentation open and go straight to the code, if I need more information apart from the official docs I just use Google.

    1. 2

      I'm in the same boat - I plan to have a written version of the tutorial that shows chunks of code throughout the tutorial with the same explanations provided throughout (i.e., there isn't a difference of material covered between video and written tutorials).

      I definitely don't learn much from videos so this post was mostly to better understand what preferences those video-learners have.

      As per your feedback, it sounds like a quick overview of the product would be beneficial for those that learn better via written materials to see what they're getting themselves into.

  8. 2

    I got a good vibe from brief face-on shots at the top of the video, as seen on A Cloud Guru's section intros and in individual videos from Pluralsight. When it's time to focus on the content, give the full screen's real estate over to the content itself. A voiceover is sufficient there.

    1. 1

      Perfect, that was one of my biggest questions I had about the format. Thank you for this!

  9. 2

    This one of the few sites that i like the tutorials raywenderlich.com.
    Nicely segmented, well researched with every small detail explained and source files included.

    1. 1

      Nice, sounds like the approach I'll end up taking so I'll definitely review these videos! Thank you!

  10. 2

    I like the style of this channel's videos: https://www.youtube.com/user/programmingwithmosh

    Most of them you write along and there are exercises, so you're getting hands-on which is the best way to learn.

    1. 1

      Iiiinteresting. I will have to review these and see if there's any of this that I can incorporate given the scope of my initial product.

  11. 2

    I like written content where I can copy paste and run. Then I read the post.
    For video content it's a must for me that you show a demo first. Then talk all you want (the shorter, the better).

    Hope that helps.

    1. 1

      Yep, I learn better from written materials so that's definitely the plan. I wanted to ensure that a video is also incorporated for those that learn much better from videos. But, yes, the shorter the better! Thanks for the feedback

  12. 2

    Personally, it doesn’t matter to me whether I see the presenter or not. I’ll be concentrating on what he’s saying and the code he’s typing. And for an example, Laracasts video tutorials are kind of ideal for me. Slightly off topic, I enjoy and am able to concentrate more if the presenter explains or elaborates the small details. For example, if the presenter is teaching about the printf() function in C, it really helps me understand it better if he also explains why it takes the parameter that it does and if it returns anything and if it does, what it does return and why.

    1. 1

      That makes sense! And I definitely want to elaborate on the small details - I figured that in return will help me become a better developer since I'll need to do the research ahead of time (instead of just knowing that "it works"). Thank you for the example reference and for this feedback!

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