Arduino Workshop: A Step-By-Step Arduino How-To Guide (Udemy)

Today I completed "Arduino Workshop: A Step-By-Step Arduino How-To Guide," a free
4-hour Udemy course by Core Electronics that introduces the Arduino IDE software for programming electronics. I selected the course in an effort to introduce me to basic programming (a skill I plan to pursue further) via basic electronics (something tangible that appeals to my desire to play and tinker with stuff). As of April 2020 when I began, the course also had a 4.4-out-of-5.0-star rating from more than 5000 users, with reviews citing it's quick pace and concept breadth. In short, the course did not disappoint.

I enjoyed this course because it did efficiently and effectively introduce me to a wide variety of basic Arduino tools and concepts. Though less important, I also appreciate the relatively high audio and video quality, and the engaging instructor (work on some of that unnecessary hand motion, Sam, but you're inherently easy to listen to), from a free course. It even comes with a wealth of associated information on the instructing company's website that is useful within the course and beyond.

My only minor qualms (and note that they are very minor) are that the pacing is not ideal, and the content is not perfectly organized. It feels like it jumps too quickly from topic to topic with little room to absorb (any practice/exercise must come from your own brain), the difficulty curve seems to spike in the final 20% of the course, and the order of the content is occasionally confusing. I'm happy to overlook both qualms, though, given the style and nature of the course; it never pretends that you'll be perfectly polished by the time you're done.

On that final note, I'm personally pairing this course side-by-side with another, far-more-deliberately-paced tutorial program on YouTube from a creator named Paul McWhorter from TopTechBoy.com. This tutorial lacks some of the polish of the Udemy course, and Mr. McWhorter isn't quite as inherently engaging as Sam (no offense, Paul, but it's seriously not an issue). However, what's important is that Paul seems wildly knowledgeable across the larger field of programming and electronics, and the amount of content he offers in extreme makes him feel very trustworthy. In this tutorial's case, his pace and teaching style are perfect for building a strong foundation, and I'm excited to offer a review upon completion.

In the meantime, the following is what I'm adding to my official list of "Shawn Learns Things."

Arduino Workshop: A Step-By-Step Arduino How-To Guide (Udemy): May 2020

• 4-hour course on Arduino IDE software
• Introduction to basic C/C++ programming and electronics
• Demonstration of Arduino Uno microcontroller board's functions and capabilities