Course Summary

In today’s world, technology and software play a fundamental role in all aspects of daily life. Wherever you go, you cannot escape its grasp. The amazing thing about technology, however, is that the global transformations we have witnessed over the years have largely come from individuals simply typing into a computer.

As software engineering continues to advance - think no code app platforms, AI assisted programming, ChatGPT, automated software management - there is huge opportunity for people of all walks of life to make impacts in their communities. The barrier to entry to software development has gotten so low, and the sophistication of the applications that can be developed has gotten so high, that the time to get into the game is NOW!

Sadly, most struggle to even get started on this path. Courses today are usually very introductory, or too specific for a newcomer who doesn’t know what they should be learning. That’s why this course was created: to teach both the fundamentals of modern software technology and the engineering mindset, so that you develop complete self-confidence in the subject and gain the agency to be able to pursue a technological endeavor of any kind.

Why Take this Course?

  • The focus of this course is to teach the foundations of modern software technology and the methodology / mindset of engineering. Combining these themes, this course will equip you to make the most out of the technological advancements and resources available today. Unlike traditional software paths, this course will turn you into a technical generalist capable of pursuing a technological endeavor of any kind.

  • The amount of technological power available to you as a single individual has become unprecedented. From AI technology such as video recognition and language models, to the Internet of Things and robotics, sophisticated technologies can now be deployed “out of the box” without needing to understand their underlying intricacies. Furthermore, you now also have access to a virtually unlimited amount of computing power. For example, with a few clicks on Amazon Web Services, you can provision industry grade servers capable of processing traffic at a global scale.

    This course was designed to help you understand and take advantage of these developments. Thus, you’re living in an exciting time where an idea is all you need to embark on a mission that can impact your world and communities.

  • In this context, those who have successfully grasped software technology today all feel a strong sense of individual power: they feel like they can do anything, and that the world is their oyster. Have an idea for an app? They can do it. Thinking of automating a cumbersome process at their job? They can do it. Even if a pursuit involves technology that they are unfamiliar with, their understanding of the fundamentals and engineering mindset allows them to be an independent, motivated, self-starter capable of moving forward and figuring things out along the way.

    That is really what you should strive to become: someone who has this powerful sense of self that "I can do anything". It is what allows you to use your own ingenuity and perseverance to build something that makes an impact.

Bridging the Gap From “Now what?” to “I know!”

So contrary to popular belief, great software engineers are not geniuses who know every programming concept and technology by heart. This misunderstanding is the biggest problem with today's technology education: it leads educators to focus on subject matter coverage rather than on cultivating this sense of individual power. Scour the internet for software programming courses, and they are all along the lines of “learn python or tech x”. When a student completes such a course, they have indeed built a few basic apps, but were never given the full picture on where their learnings fit into the general realm of technology. That's why the most common thing students say when they complete a programming course is "now what?".

Therefore, this course was made to bridge that gap and add the missing ingredient that ignites individual power.

After completing the course, you will be able to visualize how the technology around you works, and engage in technological pursuits of all kinds that can impact yourself and your communities.

John Nnamchi

“I believe every human on the planet has both the right and ability to feel empowered when they think about technology, and this course was designed to achieve this goal.”