My opinion on CS50x

By: Swan Tayza Aung

Overview

CS50x is a free, self-paced, online Computer Science course by Harvard, which teaches programming, computer science concepts and ethics over a span of ten "weeks". 2-3 hour lectures are given each week, with shorts to explain certain concepts in detail, and labs and problem sets to test the students' understanding. In my opinion, it is the best computer science course for a beginner who has the spirit to tackle some of the hardest concepts and problem sets, with patience and endeavor.

First Impression

When I first tried the course after being introduced to it by a teacher, I found the lectures and concepts somewhat complicated and was barely able to make it through each week. By the time I reached Week 2, I felt that the arrays, loops and strings were overwhelming and eventually caved in; CS50x was not suitable for me, YET.

Another Try

Two years passed, and during the holidays, I decided to give CS50x another go, as I knew would have plenty of time to break down those "complicated" concepts without ever giving up. Perhaps that confident, open mindset was how I managed to make it up until Week 8. By this time, I had learned three programming languages - C, Python and SQL - along with HTML, CSS and Javascript for web development. In addition to that, I was finally able to appreciate David's effort in making the lectures feel more understandable to us. CS50x was finally becoming enjoyable to me, and I could understand everything better than I used to the first time I tried it. And for that, I'm very thankful to the CS50 staff for making the course superb.

Conclusion

To sum up, I believe that CS50x is the perfect course for anyone willing to get a strong foundation in computer science, as it is free, self-paced and detailed in explanations. So, for those who have the will to face its challlenges, I definitely recommend it. Additionally, it has got a friendly, helpful community on different social media platforms so you can easily ask for if you find something difficult. As I finish up this page, I feel excited about finishing Week 8 as well - one less week to go!

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