Hipp Generation

Pros:

If you want the best Objective-C and Cocoa training in the world, you’ve found it baby! When Apple wants someone trained in Cocoa guess where they send them.

The teachers are great - they could not be more knowledgeable.

I realized Objective-C is not over my head.

I got a huge jump start on Cocoa.

Aaron helped me tame Xcode, she is now my loyal pet.

I met very interesting, amazingly skilled and influential people. At my University students will climb over each-other to meet
an employee from a big Silicone Valley Company, I met and made friends with several at BNR.

The skill level of all the students varied widely, there was always lots to be learned from someone and someone to help out.

Georgia is beautiful.

Georgians are super friendly.

Southern Fried Chicken and Fried Okra!

Con(s):

For a young married, Canadian student/entrepreneur BNR was a bit pricey BUT absolutely worth it.

My Suggestions for Prospective Students:

Be a reasonably fast typer before attending! This class is pricey and you’re there to learn Cocoa not typing.

Get the 10 hours of sleep per day that Aaron suggests. This will help you learn and remain attentive, I promise. Also avoid booze, there’s plenty of time for that back home.

During the lab sections it really helps to look at what you are supposed to build, the final outcome of the lab, rather than the instructions. Try to build the program from scratch with what you learned from the lecture and discussion. This requires good attention during the lecture, but quickly applying the knowledge will help you retain it.

(Please Note: My wife thinks this is a dumb thing to include as a suggestion for Big Nerd Ranch, please take it with a grain of salt…) Going to BNR is the perfect reason/excuse to finally get in shape! Set a goal to be in good enough shape for the camp that you can be comfortable and energetic in class and have the energy to go on the daily hikes.

Go on the daily hikes. They really do help you focus again after a long haul in class. Plus it’s an amazing chance to make business contacts, friends and possibly meet future coding superstars.

Really, have a project to work on. Even if you can’t code so well, throw something together before you go to BNR. There’s ample time in the evenings, a project to debug and construct with Aaron’s expert help will keep you productive and away from those haughty seductresses, television, booze and your RSS Reader.

If you have a few friends or colleagues who would like to take the Cocoa class you may want to consider the on-site training that Big Nerd Ranch provides, they’re willing to travel far and wide!