42 is a global education initiative that proposes a new way of learning technology: no teachers,
no classrooms, students learning from their fellow students (peer to peer learning), with a
methodology that develops both computing and life skills. The 42 cursus is free for whoever is
approved in its selection process. The so-called "C Piscine", a 26-day C programming bootcamp,
is the last stage in the selection process for becoming a "cadet" (42's student).
More about School 42 you can find here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(school)
# C Language
The primary language learned at the 42's Piscine is C: dealing with variables,
pointers, memory allocation, macros, as well as creating functions and programs,
including the use and creation of libraries and Makefiles.
# Shell
The first two days of the bootcamp are dedicated to learning basic to intermediate
shell commands to seamlessly navigate through the terminal.
# Git
All projects are submitted via a remote git repository, which demands students to
be at ease with such a system.
# Self-learning and proactiveness
At 42, self-learning is at the core of its peer to peer learning methodology. There
are no teachers whatsoever; the learning process is based on googling, enquiring
your classmates, and empirical knowledge, each student learning at their own pace.
# Teamwork
On weekends, a 48h team project called "Rush" is proposed: a 3-member group randomly
chosen by the school's system must collaboratively develop a fully running application.
The major challenge here is to equalize the different knowledge levels while finding a
common work methodology that allows all team members to contribute to the project.
# Time management and resiliency
The school is open 24/7. Thus, the so-called "pisciners" are free to work whenever
they want, which demands excellent time management skills and resiliency for not
"drowning" amid the massive load of work demanded by the non-stop 26-day program.
The table below presents the C Piscine's curriculum in chronological order in which it was completed by me - order of completed subjects and corresponding attained level may vary among students.
# | SUBJECT | LANGUAGE | DURATION | EXPERIENCE | STATUS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
01 | Shell 00 | Shell | about 1 day | 100 XP | 85% ✔️ |
02 | Exam 00 | C | about 4 hours | 225 XP | 48% ✔️ |
03 | Shell 01 | Shell | about 1 day | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
04 | Rush 00 | C | 2 days | 150 XP | 0% ❌ |
05 | C 00 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | 85% ✔️ |
06 | Exam 01 | C | about 4 hours | 225 XP | 32% ✔️ |
07 | C 01 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
08 | [Rush 01] | C | 2 days | 150 XP | 0% ❌ |
09 | C 02 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | 85% ✔️ |
10 | C 03 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
11 | Exam 02 | C | about 4 hours | 225 XP | 0% ✔️ |
12 | [Rush 02] | C | 2 days | 150 XP | 0% ❌ |
13 | C 04 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
14 | C 05 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
15 | C 06 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
16 | C 07 | C | about 1 day | 100 XP | --% ❌ |
17 | Final Exam | C | about 8 hours | 375 XP | 66% ✔️ |