Why I like teaching...
 

So tonight was our "Celebration of Learning" (aka Final Project Presentation) for the intro level Linux class I teach. While some other classes use Linux to some degree (Novell networking, microarchitecture), this is the only pure Linux class the college offers.

Had 12 students, only two of which had seen Linux before. My final project requirements are simple - prove that you've learned something about Linux, and do something that interest you. Also, there is a requirement to eat donuts, which I provide...

Several students made custom LiveCDs of Linux - everything runs from CD. Variations included a router/gateway, an emergency webserver w/ DNS, and a few game discs that detected what video card was being used, loaded appropriate accelerated 3d drivers, and presented a menu of games (classic Quake, Urban Terror, Enemy Territory, Flight Gear, etc). One student turned an old machine into a motion detecting security camera that would take 15fps movies when motion was detected on a webcam. One student wrote a shell script that would take mp3 files with proper names and "bad" id3 tags and correct the tags. Another student created a live cd that would boot and either become a "master" or "client" for distributed computing - any program that uses threads (multiple processes at once) could be passed thru it, and use all of the computational nodes available. One guy even wrote some kernel level code to fix the wireless (bluetooth) control of a Lego robot, complete with area mapping ability (like a Roomba).

Sixteen short weeks ago, these students didn't know a shell from a *****, didn't know about Free software, etc. All but 3 had never had any programming experience.

The money is sorta nice ($2k for the semester), but the big reward is seeing the light bulbs go on over their heads and the neat ideas for projects emerging and becoming real.

Awesome. I am one of those idiots!

I feel privileged to teach each day that I go to work. I think I have the greatest and most rewarding job in the world.

Glad to hear there are good teachers out there. My management teacher set out to prove he is a dick today. Gave us a review sheet saying that this is what will be on the test, and then half the test was material not on the review.

Did he say the review sheet would be the *only* stuff on the test? :)

Ye, this isn't the first time he's pulled crap like this either, and not just on this class...

I'm glad this is the only class with him I have to take.

I have always loved teaching adults!

You're inspiring me to take a programming class this winter.

Teaching was great, management not so much.

I had my MCT for 12 years. I taught 40 hours a week, 3 weeks a month for many years. I got paid arse loads of money, but I paid dearly.

There are many, many competent people in the world of networking/security. But oh baby, about 20% of them are just there because of utter BS. Union contracts, people from small school districts that don't know any better, 'Independents' who are really morons/druggies that are having their training bank rolled by some sucker/parent/government agency/former spouse.

Never again. Oh feck no.

He taught you a very valuable lesson: never trust management.

It is great to see when a marginal student suddenly "gets it"!
One of the 1st year apprentices who was struggling a bit with the content knocked off the second highest mark in the class on a theory midterm. You could see and feel how much that meant to her.

Not sure what prior experience you have or if you'll need to do the prereqs first, but ...

http://www.sfcollege.edu/opencampus/index.php?section=W2012/COP2551_0M1

A class in COBOL is just what you need... :D

Try this,

Learn Python The Hard Way | A Beginner Programming Book

see if you are still interested when you are done.