₦airaland Forum

adaperry25:
I registered for data analytics. The application process is drilling!!

Good day. Did you get accepted?

Paulopackager:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT ALX


“It does not take much strength to do things, but it requires a great deal of strength to decide what to do.”

I also believe that with the right answers, the greatest deal of decisions could be taken in a snap.

In this short article, I have made a fairly thorough compilation of the FAQs surrounding alx software engineering program - I am going to be providing answers to common questions asked by intending and new applicants of the alxafrica software engineering program.

As you read on, most of the burning questions you have will be answered, and in turn, you will discover how pertinent these answers are to making the best decisions about alx software engineering program.


For quality purposes, I will not be addressing technical issues.

Is alx software engineering program free?
To the best of my knowledge and information that exist, alx software engineering program is currently still sponsored by Mastercard Foundation and a few other partners. If you are above 18 years, you are free to apply and start building your career in SE. Nevertheless, it will be deplorable to think the program is coming cheaply and hence have nothing or very little to offer.

I also had a little nudge about the authenticity of that information; a software engineering certification was offered for free. When I first saw the offer, it felt too good to be true, I didn't take it seriously for a moment, but I just said to myself - why not; my mind is already made up not to pay anyone. Then, I applied, and hurray; I got accepted for the application just the following day. Jeez, that was fast!🤯 but it's real.


Can I complete the program with my mobile device(phone, iPad)?

I could ask a synonymous question, can you build a house with beach sand? The answer is yes😀, but only insects can live in it.

It will be very difficult to participate in an entire program for software engineering with just your mobile phone, and although there are emulators you can download to your android phone capable of doing lots of cool stuff, a popular one is termux - in there, you can even install text editors like vim. But such an arrangement wouldn't be great for learning, it will be thoroughly difficult and probably impossible over time as you progress in the program.


Is alx SE program good for absolute beginners?

Time and again, absolute beginners have hopped on alx and graduated. While it may not be considered beginner friendly, it takes only your will to start and finish and even finish excellently. If you've never written a line of code before, one working approach you could take as an absolute beginner is to do your task as soon as possible and study ahead. Alx is quite overwhelming even for people who are already developers, so you should prepare yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically, you should build a mental forte or you would get frustrated with the littlest task.


Can I combine alx with other day-to-day activities?

Combining two torturous activities is a call for death.

Just as originally advised, you should prepare all-around wise, but it is also a call to be preserved all-around. You shouldn't be deprived of sleep or you'd break down. If your daily activities like your job or other commitments are laborious, do well to draw up a good schedule to manage your time well, especially for efficiency and productivity.

This is my 1st month in the program. I am doing very well, I'm already a developer before I joined alx, but I got to a point where I was overwhelmed and had to reschedule. I was going with little or no sleep many times just to meet up with other commitments. At one point, I started forgetting things easily, some even said it was dementia, not long did I discover it was a result of lack of sleep, so I changed that. Other people had to stop one for the other but a test is welcome, a trial will give you conviction on what to do.


Is the alx certificate globally recognized?

Their partnership with Holberton covers international recognition. Upon graduation, you get a joint certificate carrying alx and Holberton school.


Are we going to spend up to 10 hours per day as a commitment to the alx SE program?

Yes, you'll even spend more. According to alx, this is what’s required to thrive in the program and your future career as a software engineer. You'll definitely find yourself spending more if you want to progress.


Will I get a Software engineering job upon graduation from the alxafrica SE program?

Alx has a solid job support system, this is why they have The-ROOM, it is a community of global employer partners, influential leaders and mentors, and a diverse network of like-minded peers, you get invited as a fellow after you complete the program and meet the requirements - no payment involved.

So, it's important to do well in the course of your program, not just to scale through but to build a portfolio deserving to be hired. So alx is not giving you an automatic job but a pass to be employed, a little relief from the hassle you face without job support and if you are good, you'll get jobs.


Is alx curriculum outdated?

No, it is not. Ignore every backlash about the curriculum. I could say the curriculum is stringent because you learn the core things, they don't just navigate you on what to punch in your keyboard like a video turtorial, they navigate you through the right approach to solving problems as well as keeping you up to date on what's obtainable in an organized setting, everything you learn there are surefire concepts you'll need in the real world today.

Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulkelvin

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Thanks for this. But I would also like to ask what you think is the minimum requirements on the application report categories to get your application accepted.

Bobbiee:
Look, ALX software engineering program is doable. Heck, I was part of the program in August but dropped out in October. It's just not feasible for people who have a job. Asides the 2 o'clock classes that we had to participate in three times a week. We also had all the projects that we had to do on almost a daily basis. These projects were time intensive.

Imagine you work at a bank as a teller where you're attending to customers every hour on the hour for the rest of your shift, from 8am to around 5pm. Say, afterwards, you also had to attend virtual calls and do some remote tasks for the job after hours (because most jobs nowadays want you to overperform). And yet, you now have ALX projects to do. Asides, the fact that attending the 2oclock meets would almost certainly clash with your job. It's just unreasonable to expect that after a hectic day of work, a person have to come home and spend the next 4-5 hours doing the projects given for each day.

Burnout is real, and people in such situations are playing a dangerous game. Me, I was working remotely as an account manager for a company on the island. Being a remote job, I thought I'd have a lot of time on my hands to juggle the ALX program as well. BIG JOKE. I ended up severely stressed, lost a ton of weight, and fell I'll that I had to be checked in at a hospital.

To keep up, I had to wake up everyday by 4 o'clock and go to sleep by around 11pm to 12 am. It's just crazy. I had no choice but to quit.

If ALX was offering a paid internship program, no matter how small, I might have considered quitting my job just so I can focus squarely on the program.

Hi, I see quite a lot of people get their application accepted. I just want to know if the application assessments really matters as I got a little bit below 70 in the three categories. Is it enough to get accepted or I should just forget about it?