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General Discussion

Saad Khan
Saad Khan
7,485 Points

Why don't we form a Pair Programming group and learn together? I did it last week, and actually progressed through 10hrs

I wanted to share an experience that I had recently which helped my online learning a LOT and I think that it can help others as well.

I accidentally bumped into some one on reddit last week and he suggested that we might do a pair programming on a course I was following on codeschool. So we went through the course (decided that we will get in touch within the next 4hrs that was the duration of the course).

Once done we decided on a project that revolved around that course and started working on it, designated the problems amongst each other, got online on skype and got a huge mug of coffee.

While working with some one on my side and not solo, it was a lot more interactive and we shared codes and problems and actually did a sprint of 10hrs worth of coding which I wouldn't have done alone... the motivation is rarely that high.

It was to be honest the best experience since I started learning online, as I accomplished way more than what I would have done before. So I was wondering if we can form a group and start a pair programming session on some courses and work together.

On further research I found out that major boot camps both physical and online, who charges in thousands actually emphasise on pair programming and actually base that as one of their unique features and as something that is really beneficial.

I don't see a reason of not doing something like this, what do you guys say?

2 Answers

I've gotta say, I personally love the idea. Learning online is great, but the problem is that if I don't understand something and reading more about it doesn't help (It does, but I have to slowly connect why it makes sense on my own), then usually it puts a little delay on my progress. I think with a partner(s), it would definitely recreate the feel of a classroom, especially in combination with a website like Treehouse.

Saad Khan
Saad Khan
7,485 Points

Yup, I cant stress how awesome it was... its a completely new experience and with treehouse as a lecturer... you cant really go wrong. Partnering up takes the searching time down to a quarter and other than that, if there is a guy who have more experience than you, he might already know what to do and that helps a billion.

Definitely a good move. Especially at the beginning your coding journey. Once you have learned a bit more it becomes less about problems associated with learning to code and more about problems associated with creating the product you want to build. However, feedback and input from peers remains just as beneficial in these situations too.

The biggest thing which always stops me moving forward is being too perfectionist about consolidating knowledge. Like "oh I don't understand all of these best practices yet - i'm probably going to do it all wrong - better stop and research in a high state of confusion for hours instead of accepting I don't know exactly whats going on".

It's really better to just jump in and get it all wrong at first. Like a comment I read on Medium the other day "first do it, then do it right, then do it better" (https://medium.com/@addyosmani/totally-get-your-frustration-ea11adf237e3#.77222hhmd). If having a pair coding group helps you to dive straight in and keep moving forward you should keep it up.