Per Scholas Software Engineer Pre-Work
To ensure learners are prepared with the skills, abilities, and opportunities for success in courses that do not require existing knowledge, Per Scholas requires learners to complete Pre-Work to be eligible for enrollment. This ensures learners with or without previous experience are best prepared on Day 1 of their course. Our instruction team has also pulled together additional Optional Pre-Work for learners to support your success best. This is not required for enrollment with Per Scholas but is highly recommended due to the fast-paced, rigorous nature of our bootcamp-style training.
Required Software Engineer Pre-Work:
Required Course:
- Week 1 and 2 of Coursera Introduction to Front-End Development by Meta (8 hours to complete)
Instructional Resources for Software Engineer Pre-Work:
- Software Engineer Pre-Work Overview Video
- Software Engineer Pre-Work Enrollment Instructions
- Software Engineer Completion Upload Instructions
Submitting Software Engineer Pre-Work:
Before the required deadline, Software Engineer learners submit their proof of Pre-Work Completion on the:
Pre-Work Deadline
For Software Engineer, Learners must submit their Pre-Work at least two weeks after they begin Onboarding. Onboarding begins soon after they accept a Seat Offer for an upcoming cohort. If a learner is accepted into a cohort less than two weeks from the course start date, they have until two days before the course starts.
Although Pre-Work is not due until Onboarding, prospective learners are encouraged to take the initiative and begin these Self-Study materials as soon as possible in the Admissions Process.
Additional Optional Software Engineer Pre-Work:
Foundations Course by The Odin Project
No Experience Required – Variable Time Commitment
The Foundations Course covers all the essential tools and concepts required to enter Web application development: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The open-source project is maintained by thousands of contributors, making it an excellent example of the software engineering community’s efforts.
The Odin Project describes their Foundations Course as “a hands-on introduction to all the essential tools needed to build real, working websites. You’ll learn what Web developers do – the foundations you’ll need for later courses.”
The Foundations Course is designed to be entry-level, with no prior experience needed.
Just as the Foundations Course is structured to set you up for success in The Odin Project’s more in-depth course, its concepts directly relate to the material you will encounter during your Software Engineering training. You will discover the basics of version control and collaboration with Git, learn how to structure Web pages with HTML, discover new design techniques with CSS, and finally implement functionality with JavaScript.
As an additional resource, The Odin Project provides courses on Intermediate and Advanced HTML and CSS, JavaScript, NodeJS, and React – all topics you will encounter during Per Scholas training. If you feel ambitious, you can use these resources to prepare for the course ahead of time or as additional reference material after completing the course.
MDN Learn by the Mozilla Developer Network
No Experience Required – Variable Time Commitment
One of the most trusted sources of documentation on Web development languages, the Mozilla Developer Network contains guides, tutorials, and documentation on most Web technologies.
MDN Learn offers self-paced tutorials on core topics like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The Learn tutorials will walk you through the first steps to becoming a Web developer.
MDN Learn offers both beginner-level tutorials and information for more advanced software engineers. Even senior developers continue to reference MDN for the latest information on new tools and technologies in their fields.
We recommend the “Getting Started with the Web” series, which will prepare you for the Per Scholas Software Engineering curriculum by familiarizing you with text editors, modern Web browsers, local Web servers, file organization, and more. This is a great place to start if any of that sounds shockingly unfamiliar!
MDN Learn also covers more advanced but equally important topics such as accessibility, performance, mathematics, game development, testing, and more. This makes it an excellent resource to visit and continue upskilling after you have also completed your Per Scholas training!
Master the Basics of HTML5 & CSS3 by MindMekka on Udemy
No Experience Required – Three (3) Hours
If you prefer video-based learning, the Master the Basics of HTML5 and CSS3 course offers a solid introduction to the basics of Web development.
This lecture-based course developed by MindMekka contains about three (3) hours of video content spread across 38 lectures, each just a few minutes long. This makes it an excellent format for occasional learning, allowing you to dive into one or two topics at a time without needing to dedicate hours to complete the lesson fully.
The course is designed for beginners and does a beautiful job of explaining the most basic Web development concepts practically. Should you choose to set time aside for these videos, it will certainly help you during the first few weeks of your Per Scholas training, where we will cover many of the same topics in much more depth.
The Learn Series (HTML, CSS, JS) on Codecademy
No Experience Required – Thirty-Nine (39) Hours
The Learn series on Codecademy, which covers HTML, CSS, and JS, is suitable for beginners looking to learn these foundational Web development topics in a structured way.
The courses take a hands-on approach by integrating projects and code-along activities throughout their lessons; however, many of these activities are guarded by a paywall. All lesson content and articles are freely available, making the course still worthwhile without spending money (or needing to provide credit card information).
Altogether, these three courses take an estimated 39 hours to complete. Without the included projects, that should be significantly less time.
Have questions? Click here to contact an admissions team member.