Lockdown learning with Crio.Do

I came to know about Crio from a friend of mine who had been part of one of the Crio's programs. Upon visiting their website www.crio.do I found exactly what I was looking for. A platform for Learning by Doing rather than just following along passively over videos/tutorials. One could definitely ask, why do we need such a platform if we are looking to do things ourselves, and so did I.

First impressions of Crio
But after going through one of the free Micro-Experiences they offered on their platform, I was convinced of the excellent learning experience they had to offer by making us do projects that actually resemble what one will do in an actual work environment. I used a series of REST APIs to post user-submitted social reviews for an online food ordering application. I also added relevant review hashtags using an AI-powered classifier.

Crio’s Backend Developer Experience Track

I signed up for the Java Backend Developer Experience Track. This meant that I had to clear a coding test and complete a small assignment to get enrolled for the program. When the program started, the first things we learned were the basics of Linux Operating System by developing a file-sharing application backend like dropbox. For those who had less experience with Java and Object-oriented programming concepts, there was an additional experience to brush up Java programming skills by developing a calculator application. Other than that, the Java Backend Developer Experience Track comprised of 3 projects – Qmoney, QEats, and Buildouts.

Each project consisted of tasks that broadened our skills to design a proper and efficient solution to software engineering problems. They also prepared us well to take on more challenging tasks that awaited us as we progressed. To adhere to the timelines planned in the weekly sprint planning, I had to put in daily effort to complete my modules on time.

I had set aside 2 hours every day to spend on building the projects.

On weekends, there were power working sessions arranged by Crio members where one had to put in continuous effort for 4 hours during which the Crio mentors would actively solve our queries.

Within two weeks of the program, I began understanding the depth and complexities of software engineering and most importantly the right approach to problem solve like a real-world backend developer. Crio took care of providing us with excellent learning resources like reading materials, video links, live Q&A sessions with lead developers, etc. whenever we faced a new problem or challenge. The best thing about doubt solving in Crio was, rather than giving us the solution to the problem, the mentors used to point us in the direction to search for the solution.

My advice to future Crio developers
For someone joining any of the Crio's programs, my suggestion would be to chalk out a proper plan or set up the weekly milestones in a planning sheet and stick to putting in a continuous effort to get the most out of the program. Ask as many questions as possible to the mentors.

After interacting with members of Crio for more than two weeks, I can definitely say that they are veterans of the software engineering industry.

The program helped me to:

Develop my skills in Java and backend development

Build confidence to solve real-world coding challenges

Understand the importance of project planning

Gain experience working with industry experts and prepare for future job interviews

Acquire skills in QA automation and programming in general

This is a career roadmap towards becoming a skilled software developer that could lead to great jobs and potentially higher salaries within the industry. I also enjoyed learning about new technologies like cloud security, data structures and algorithms, and how to apply them in software engineering solutions. Ultimately, it has been an enriching experience. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to break into the software engineering world, particularly if they are looking for a practical and project-based learning experience that could prepare them for a successful career as a developer.

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For a Computer Science fresher, this program has surely given me an excellent insight on how to develop an efficient backend for an application.