42 is a global education initiative that proposes a new way of learning technology: no teachers, no classrooms, students learning from their fellow students (peer to peer learning), with a methodology that develops both computing and life skills.
The 42 cursus is free for whoever is approved in its selection process. The so-called "C Piscine", a 26-day C programming bootcamp, is the last stage in the selection process for becoming a "cadet" (42's student).
# C Language
The primary language learned at the 42's Piscine is C: dealing with variables,
pointers, memory allocation, macros, as well as creating functions and programs,
including the use and creation of libraries and Makefiles.
# Shell
The first two days of the bootcamp are dedicated to learning basic to intermediate
shell commands to seamlessly navigate through the terminal.
# Git
All projects are submitted via a remote git repository, which demands students to
be at ease with such a system.
# Self-learning and proactiveness
At 42, self-learning is at the core of its peer to peer learning methodology. There
are no teachers whatsoever; the learning process is based on googling, enquiring
your classmates, and empirical knowledge, each student learning at their own pace.
# Teamwork
On weekends, a 48hr team project called "Rush" is proposed: a 3-member group randomly
chosen by the school's system must collaboratively develop a fully running application.
The major challenge here is to equalize the different knowledge levels while finding a
common work methodology that allows all team members to contribute to the project.
# Time management and resiliency
The school is open 24/7. Thus, the so-called "pisciners" are free to work whenever
they want, which demands excellent time management skills and resiliency for not
"drowning" amid the massive load of work demanded by the non-stop 26-day program.
The table below presents the C Piscine's curriculum in chronological order in which it was completed by me - order of completed subjects and corresponding attained level may vary among students.
| # | PROJECT | LANGUAGE | EXPERIENCE | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Shell00 | Shell | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
| 01 | C00 | C | 100 XP | 85% ✔️ |
| 02 | C01 | C | 100 XP | 100% ✔️ |
| 03 | C02 | C | 100 XP | 75% ✔️ |
| 04 | C03 | C | 100 XP | 75% ✔️ |
| 05 | C04 | C | 100 XP | 70% ✔️ |
| 06 | C05 | C | 100 XP | 60% ✔️ |
| 07 | C06 | C | 100 XP | 75% ✔️ |
| 08 | C07 | C | 100 XP | 60% ✔️ |
| 09 | Exam00 | C | 225 XP | 64% ✔️ |
| 10 | Exam01 | C | 225 XP | 32% ✔️ |
| 11 | Exam02 | C | 225 XP | 42% ✔️ |
| 12 | Final Exam | C | 375 XP | 48% ✔️ |