A Look at New Classes from Bocoup

Back in May, we announced our updated lineup of classes. I want to take a moment to highlight some of our new additions we’re very excited about as well as some returning favorites. In this installment, we’ll look at the classes we’re offering in August. In a future post, we’ll take a look at what we have slated for the fall.

JavaScript for Engineers

August 4-5, 2014

The world of web development is continuously changing. Web applications are putting more and more logic and responsibility in client-side code, namely JavaScript. For many organizations, the need to engage in this type of development outpaces their ability to recruit JavaScript-focused engineers, and so we’re seeing a trend of engineers skilled in languages like Java, C#, Python, and Ruby volunteering (or being volunteered) to take a larger role in JavaScript development. These engineers already know how to program. Many “beginning” JavaScript classes can spend a lot of time covering things these developers already know like the basic nature of conditionals, simple operators, and loops.

JavaScript for Engineers is aimed at these experienced programmers. Instead of focusing on the things experienced programmers already know, this class focuses on the syntactic and semantic differences between JavaScript, and well, pretty much any other language they are familiar with. This class will give you hands-on experience working with JavaScript so that when you go to work on an existing codebase, you’ll be able to distinguish idiom from error, refactor to your heart’s content, and remain cool as a cucumber through it all.

Building Server-Side Apps with Node and Express

August 7-8, 2014

More and more web applications leaning heavily on JavaScript for their client-side architecture, and they’re relying on it for their server-side infrastructure as well. Node.js is a platform that allows developers to write fast, scalable, real-time applications in pure JavaScript. This allows developers on a Node stack to write the entire application in a single programming language.

Building Server-Side Apps with Node and Express will introduce developers to the Node.js ecosystem. By building a server-side application using the Express web application framework and a variety of other services, frameworks, and libraries, you’ll leave the class ready to quickly spin up an API server for a proof of concept or spend some time crafting a larger application full of all sorts of bells, whistles, and best practices.

JavaScript Best Practices and Patterns

August 11-12, 2014

Revamped for 2014, JavaScript Best Practices and Patterns takes developers who have spent some time with JavaScript, and shows them how to take the next step in structuring, building, and maintaining large-scale JavaScript applications.

This is one of our enduring favorite classes, and for good reason. You’ll be exposed to patterns of code organization, performance, and reusability that will immediately have a positive impact on the quality of your code.

Building Web Applications with Angular

August 14-15, 2014

Since its introduction, Angular has quickly jumped into the client-side scene as one of the most popular JavaScript web application frameworks in use today. Whether you’re about to start building a web application with Angular, have been thrown into the deep end, or just want to see what it’s all about, Building Web Applications with Angular is the introduction you’re looking for.

This class will ease you into using Angular, get you used to “the Angular Way,” and then take you all the way to building a complete web application with the framework (including debugging, of course).

Writing Testable JavaScript

August 18-19, 2014

Automated testing is the only way to ensure the reliability of your applications, but it’s one of the first things to fall by the wayside when deadlines loom. It doesn’t have to be that way! Another of our old favorites, Writing Testable JavaScript will show you best practices in testing your JavaScript applications. You’ll see how the way you write your application affects its testability, understand what and what not to test, compare and contrast unit testing frameworks, and of course, write tests.

End-to-End Testing and Continuous Integration

August 21-22, 2014

Automated unit testing catches a lot of bugs, but there are some things it can’t (or shouldn’t) test. End-to-End Testing and Continuous Integration builds on the concepts you learned in Writing Testable JavaScript. It shows you how to test the UI layer of your application with automated integration testing, dives deeper into what makes a reliable test, and introduces you to tools for continuous integration so you can always be sure of the safety and reliability of your application.

We’re excited to bring these classes to you in August. Things seem to slow down a bit in the summer, so why not spend the time to take a class and work on building your JavaScript expertise? Seats are filling up quickly, so sign up today! If more than one of these tickles your fancy, we’ll knock a few bucks off the ticket price if you sign up for multiple classes.