Request For Change Of Student Personal Data Office Of: Fill & Download for Free

Yes, as an active duty military member during the period of this answer, I was covered by single-payer healthcare almost identical to the UK’s NHS system. The only real differences are that in the UK everyone is enrolled, but can opt out by paying private doctors, while in the active duty military system, only the active duty, retirees, and military dependents are enrolled. Also, active duty can't opt out: we're prohibited from procuring outside care due to military readiness concerns.In 2013, I had a tumor in my foot removed. When the fat pad didn’t grow back, I requested a fat graft to replace it, which is something done very frequently in plastic surgery centers (but usually so rich women can wear high heels more easily). Tricare denied me, so I appealed. The appeal took 1.5 years to maneuver the bureaucracy before I transferred across the country with it unapproved.Once I arrived on the other side of the country, I had to start all over. It took me 2 months to get an appointment at Langley with a podiatrist; he concurred with the request for a fat graft. The military medical system recaptured the request and made me see another podiatrist in Portsmouth, which took another month to get an appointment. He didn’t understand why I was sent there because Portsmouth isn’t experienced with fat grafts, and concurs that fat graft is the most conservative option. He requests a fat graft out in town, but Portsmouth Naval Hospital exercises their right of first refusal and makes me schedule an appointment with their Plastic Surgery clinic, which takes another month to get an appointment.When I see Portsmouth Naval Hospital Plastic Plastic Surgery, he also can't understand why I was sent there because Portsmouth Naval Hospital has zero experience with weight bearing fat grafts, but concurs that fat grafting is the most conservative option. He puts in a referral for a specific doctor who is experienced in weight bearing fat grafts. Tricare tries to refer me to Portsmouth Naval Hospital Podiatry again, but I fight back for a month and was able to make an evaluation appointment with the doctor (ironically, his only availability was on Veteran's Day, which is two months away from this time frame).Two months later I see the surgeon, who declares I’m a prime candidate for fat grafting, although the 2 years I’ve now had to wait has increased the risk of failure significantly.1 month later, Tricare marks the surgery request as received. Tricare refers me to Portsmouth Naval Hospital Podiatry for the surgery, and even to the specific doctor who told me he can’t do the surgery. Three days later, the surgery is denied as “not a covered procedure.”An O-5 in Portsmouth Plastic Surgery states via email that she "was told to instruct [me] to contact [my] congressman to help get this resolved. Please let us know if there is anything else you might need assistance with. Have a Happy Holiday Season." I call the supervisor of Patient Advocacy; he tells me that Tricare only approves procedures that have a large number of finished studies for that specific procedure addressing my specific condition, and that the DoD has given HealthNet sole authority to determine what is and is not covered. He wouldn't address my questions regarding what responsibility (if any?) Tricare bears in getting me healthy. He told me that filing for the Defense Health Agency waiver referred to in the letter was "worthless," as "in three years of being here, I've only seen it succeed once, and it was almost too late for the person who needed the lifesaving cancer treatment." He also told me that my only real recourse was to call my Congressional Representative(s).2 weeks later I’m able to get my PCM to write a referral to Walter Reed. Referral sits in limbo for 2 weeks. I also officially request a waiver for the fat graft procedure.At this point, it’s probably easier just to copy my journal notes into the answer so you can see what life is like for a someone in the military medical system:25Jan13 - Removed neuroma.22Mar13 - "mild erythema with continued fibrosis" - hydrocortisone injection.03May13 - "mild edema with acute tenderness to palpitation of the fibular sesamoid. We discussed possible capsulitis. Treatment today included a TPI with 5mg of Kenalog instilled into the symptomatic joint space." Dr. <redacted> discussed removal of the sesamoid bone; I requested a second opinion. Did not receive any response from Tricare on approving the request (even w/ significant followup from me) until 05Sep13.Sep13 - Went to see Dr. <redacted>, DPM, Oxnard, CA for second opinion. He recommended fat grafting into the area. I asked him to put in the referral request. Due to the poor communication skills of himself (limited English) and his staff (other reasons), I did not understand until 15Dec13 that he already knew that Tricare will not cover this treatment, and even if they did, there isn't a single plastic surgeon in Los Angeles or Ventura Counties that accepts Tricare.25Sep13 - MRI Right foot, Oxnard, CA: "ball of foot subcutaneous edema, consider changes related to altered weightbearing. A previously noted fluid signal structure about the first metatarsal is no longer evident."06Nov13 - I saw Mr. <redacted>, patient advocate at Port Hueneme Clinic. He was markedly unhelpful, essentially telling me to call Dr. <redacted> in Oxnard back.03Jan14 - Dr. <redacted>, PCM at Port Hueneme, CA specifically requests Tricare to "please authorize for surgical procedure to correct the loss of natural cushioning essential to prevent foot pain with walking or running."No action from Tricare, in spite of regular follow up, January through June of 2014.15Jun14 through 11Jul14 - Permanant Change of Station from California to VirginiaAug14 - I see Dr. <redacted> at in Hampton Roads who sends me to Langley Podiatry for consult.11Aug14 - I see Dr. <redacted> at Langley Podiatry. He takes an XRay and MRI. Xray information: Impression: 1. Bilateral pes planus. 2. Degenerative changes at the 1st metatarsophalangeal joint bilaterally. 3. Mild right hallux pelvis." MRI Information: "Findings: There is soft tissue distortion and blooming artifact at the base of the 1st MTP joint adjacent to the medial plantar sesamoid. This is most likely post surgical. The sesamoids themselves appear grossly unremarkable. Impressions: Postsurgical change at the plantar surface of the 1st MTP joint. Artifact is present here which limits visibility. No definite acute fracture or dislocation was seen. Edema in the 3rd interdigital space may be postsurgical. No soft tissue mass was identified." He tells me that there are two options - amputate sesamoid bone(s?) and hope for the best, or take the more conservative option and do a fat graft. He puts in a request for a fat graft out in town, but Portsmouth Naval Hospital exercises their right of first refusal and makes me schedule an appointment with their Podiatry clinic.03Sep14 - I see Portsmouth Naval Hospital Podiatry Dr. <redacted>, who can't understand why I was sent there at all, and concurs with Dr. <redacted from Langley> that fat graft is the most conservative option. He requests a fat graft out in town, but Portsmouth Naval Hospital exercises their right of first refusal and makes me schedule an appointment with their Plastic Surgery clinic. He does an Xray, which results in the following statements: "1. Mild hallux valgus deformity, 2. Small enthesophyte at the Achilles tendon insertion, 3. Flatfoot."25Sep14 - I see Portsmouth Naval Hospital Plastic Plastic Surgery Dr. <redacted>, who concurs with Dr. <redacted> and Dr. <redacted> from Langley and Portsmouth that a fat graft is the most conservative option, but can't understand why I was sent there at all since Portsmouth Naval Hospital has zero experience with weight bearing fat graft. He asks me what research I have done on my own. I tell him about Dr. <redacted> at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, who specializes in this treatment for foot injuries. He recognized the stature of both the Medical Center and Dr. <redacted> in this field once I mentioned the names and immediately requested a fat graft through UPMC. After fighting with Tricare over Portsmouth Naval Hospital exercising their right of first refusal again, I was able to make an appointment with Dr. <redacted> during his first available appointment - Veteran's Day 2014.11Nov14 - I fly to Pittsburgh and see Dr. <redacted> (a plastic surgeon) and his wife (a podiatrist). They tell me I am a perfect candidate for this procedure and put in a request for the fat grafting surgery.16Dec14 - After not hearing from Tricare I spend hours on the phone trying to get an update. They tell me they ignored the request (their words) because one number was missing in my identifier data from Pittsburgh. I provide the number and Tricare marks the surgery request as received. Portsmouth Naval Hospital exercises their right of first refusal again and an referral is automatically input for Portsmouth Podiatry. I call Tricare and after an hour on the phone got them to assess it internally.19Dec14 - Surgery denied by Tricare / Health Net. Reason given is "not a covered procedure." CDR <redacted> of Portsmouth Plastic Surgery stated that she "was told to instruct [me] to contact [my] congressman to help get this resolved. Please let us know if there is anything else you might need assistance with. Have a Happy Holiday Season." I call Mr. <redacted>, the supervisor of Patient Advocacy; he tells me that Tricare only approves procedures that have a large number of finished studies for that specific procedure addressing my specific condition, and that the DoD has given HealthNet sole authority to determine what is and is not covered. He wouldn't address my questions regarding what responsibility, if any, Tricare bears in getting me healthy. He was very forthcoming in advising me on filing for the Defense Health Agency waiver referred to in the letter: he said it was "worthless," since "in three years of being here, I've only seen it succeed once, and it was almost too late for the person who needed the lifesaving cancer treatment." Mr. <redacted>also told me that in his opinion, my only recourse is to call my Congressional Representative(s).22Dec14 - CDR <redacted>, Portsmouth Hospital Plastic Surgery: " I apologize for this inconvenience that you are going through. I called around and I was told that there should have been "appeal" instructions on the letter that you received. If not, I was told to instruct you to contact your congressman to help get this resolved. Please let us know if there is anything else you might need assistance with. Have a Happy Holiday Season."29Dec14 - My primary care manager, LT <redacted> writes referral to Walter Reed. Referral sits in limbo for 2 weeks. I also officially request a waiver through LT <redacted> for the fat graft procedure.15Jan15 - Portsmouth attempts to take the referral away from Walter Reed per right of first refusal. I spend an hour on the phone to get it reconsidered.22Jan15 - Podiatry clinic at Portsmouth approves transfer of referral to Walter Reed.26Jan15 - Walter Reed appointment line tells me that all National Capitol Region clinics are full until April and to call back on 30Jan15.30Jan15 - Walter Reed appointment offers appointment 37 days away . I ask about the 28 day Tricare standard of care for specialty appointments; the appointment desk tells me that if I want to inquire about the procedure for when the clinic cannot meet standards of care, I should leave a message with referral management and someone will call me back. I leave a message asking for a nurse to call me back so we can discuss a way forward to get my foot treated.04Feb15 - Nurse <redacted> at Walter Reed cancels my appointment without contacting me. The reason given in the notes was “Service member refuses available appointments.”06Feb15 - I call Walter Reed to check on the referral and am told the referral is canceled.09Feb15 - I speak to <redacted> in Patient Advocacy at Walter Reed who doesn't help until I tell her that I want to file an official complaint against Nurse <redacted>. She tells me that active duty never get appointments that meet the 28-day requirement and that I need to stop insisting on being seen within 28 days or I'll never be seen.11Feb15 - <redacted> calls me back and says my referral is reinstated, but I will have to wait until 13Feb15 to make an appointment.13Feb15 - First available appointment is 20Apr15. I make the appointment, and specifically ask whether they had the ability to perform fat grafts and/or Restylane injections, and the appointment line said someone would get back to me.02Mar15 - Mr. <redacted> at Portsmouth takes first official action on my waiver request of 29Dec14. He forwards it to the grievance coordinator, Ms. <redacted> and promises a phone call from her on 03Mar15.09Mar15 - No contact from Portsmouth. I call Mr. <redacted>, who promises Ms. <redacted> will call on 10Mar15.11Mar15 - Ms. <redacted> via email: "I wanted to follow-up with you regarding your request for the fat pad graft procedure and/or treatment. I have emailed both Dr <redacted> and Dr <redacted> requesting that they both chime in with my leadership so we can try and formulate a decision. I am waiting still and as soon as I have something to pass on, I will contact you."16Mar15 - Ms. <redacted> via email: "Your request is being discussed among leadership. Im waiting for confirmation on who will draft the request for waiver for DHA. As soon as I have a definitive decision to forward, rest assured I will."18Mar15 - Ms. <redacted> via email: "It is my understanding that the DHA waiver is being drafted by the Plastics clinic folks. Im standing by waiting further details."20Apr15 - Dr. <redacted> at Walter Reed walks in to my appointment and immediately states "I'm not sure why you're here. We don't do the kind of thing you're requesting here at Walter Reed." He couldn't answer me as to why Walter Reed accepted a referral for something they don't do and/or didn't call me to inform me that the appointment would be a waste of time. I mention to him that I requested information as to their ability to do the procedure and no one got back to me. He prescribed insole and recommended that I see a pain management specialist as well as a rheumatologist for my hip and knee pain <as of 2017 this still hasn’t been approved either>. I made an appointment with the PCM for Monday, 27Apr15 to get these referrals and discuss the way forward.I forwarded my concern to the Officer in Charge at <redacted> Clinic, LCDR <redacted>, about how I was referred to a clinic who can't do the procedure requested. His response was "My only suggestion is that you contact the Patient Relations Department for Walter Reed at (301) 295-0156 and voice your concerns."22Apr15 - Ms. <redacted> via email: "I am touching basis this morning with my Chain of Command as well as Health Benefits regarding the current referral concerns you are experiencing. Please allow me a little time this morning to reach out to a few of the folks here at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth regarding what is best needed at this juncture to better assist you."24Apr15 - Commanding Officer Portsmouth returns Waiver for more information. <redacted> at Patient Advocacy tells me he will keep me informed.29Apr15 - I discuss my situation with Maj. <redacted> at Walter Reed Podiatry, who states she will not authorize Walter Reed to assist me beyond providing orthotics.May15 - Dr. <redacted> at Walter Reed Podiatry convinces his chain of command to allow Ossatron and Stem Cell Therapy. I make the appointment for surgery.10Jun15 - Ossatron and Stem Cell Therapy surgery is conducted at Walter Reed. As of 15Jul16, this has not improved the situation.17Jul15 - I request an update on my Waiver Request from Mr. <redacted> at Portsmouth Patient Advocacy via email. No response. I request Physical Therapy through my doctor to address the continuing degeneration of my Hips and Knees due to the lack of treatment for my foot.31Jul15 - I request an update on my Waiver Request from Mr. <redacted> at Portsmouth Patient Advocacy via email. No response.17Jul15 - I request an update on my Waiver Request from Mr. <redacted> at Portsmouth Patient Advocacy via email. No response.03Aug15 - I request an update on my Waiver Request from Ms. <redacted> at Portsmouth Patient Advocacy via email. No response.17Aug15 - I request an update on my Waiver Request from Mr. <redacted> at Portsmouth Patient Advocacy via email. No response.19Aug15 - I request an update on my Waiver Request from Mr. <redacted> at Portsmouth Patient Advocacy via email. He emails me back and states, "this has gone up the chain to Navy Medicine East. Mr. <redacted> and Mrs. <redacted> are aware of you contacting me regarding this matter and Mr <redacted> is following up with NAVMEDEAST on the status. I will contact him again today and advise to contact you regarding this matter." No one contacts me.I never hear from Ms. <redacted> or Portsmouth Hospital Patient Advocacy again, even after repeated phone calls and leaving messages asking them to assist.25Aug15 - 14Sep15: Pool Physical Therapy at Fort Eustis. They have me "run" and jump in the water 2-3 times a week. It takes me up to 30 minutes to recover from the pain enough to drive after the therapy. I call it off after 6 weeks because I can't take the pain any more.11Sep15 - I request an update on my Waiver Request from Mr. <redacted> at Portsmouth Patient Advocacy via email. No response.24Sep15 - I call the Patient Advocacy desk and don't take "no" for an answer. I never am able to talk to anyone, but the front desk refers to CAPT <redacted> at Navy Medicine East. He tells me that the waiver has been sent back a few times for format errors and still has not left Portsmouth since I requested it in Dec14 and/or when it was drafted in Mar15.30Sep15 - I call Dr. <redacted> at Walter Reed and ask if there is anything to do since the stem cell treatment failed. He recommends another round of treatment.27Oct15 - CAPT <redacted> forwards waiver to BUMED. No response through the rest of 2015.15Jan16 - I contact Dr. <redacted> for another round of shockwave/stem cell therapy while I wait for fat grafting. He forwards the request to a Ms. <redacted> to set up the surgery.29Jan16 - No response from Ms. <redacted>. I call her and leave a message requesting for her to call me back to set up surgery.10Feb16 - I email CAPT <redacted> to request an update and find out he has retired. I spend most of the day trying to find out who has action. A LT <redacted> is able to find hard copy information and request an update the same day. No response.15Feb16 - No response from Ms. <redacted> on my stem cell surgery. I call her and leave another message requesting for her to call me back to set up surgery.15Mar16 - No response from Ms. <redacted> on my stem cell surgery. I call her and leave another message requesting for her to call me back to set up surgery.16Mar16 - Receive a response from BUMED contractor <redacted> who states that the waiver (initiated in 2014) was submitted to Defense Health in early March 2016. I inform her that I will be changing assignments in July and that I need surgery before then. I also identify a target date of the last week in June for surgery due to my PCS. She promised to update me by close of business on 17Mar16. The update never occurs.12Apr16 - I have not heard from <redacted> since 16Mar16. I request a response and update, and remind her of the target date of the last week in June for surgery due to my PCS. She says she is "still working on my case" and will update me on 15Apr16 by COB. The update never occurs.14Apr16 - LT <redacted> at Portsmouth transfers, turning over my case to LCDR <redacted>.13May16 - No updates from <redacted> or LCDR <redacted>. I email both. <redacted> leaves a message on my voicemail telling me she wants to talk to me, even though my voice message says I’m on leave.26May16 - I hear the email and respond to <redacted> via email asking if I can provide any information, and remind her of the target date of the last week in June for surgery due to my PCS. She says she doesn't need anything and is still working on my waiver, but provides no actual information.06Jun16 - I request an update from <redacted> via email, and remind her of the target date of the last week in June for surgery due to my PCS. No response.20Jun16 - I request an update from <redacted> via email, copying my boss, and remind her of the target date of the last week in June for surgery due to my PCS. Her response is "As discussed I have submitted all of your paperwork to the DHA for consideration of your waiver request. I will send you a status update this Friday (and every week on Friday as previously stated) via email."It is important to note that at this point, not only have I not received "every Friday" updates, but I have received no response at all to many emails, and no information beyond "still waiting" since March 2016.24Jun16 - At 4pm I ask <redacted> if I will get an update and ask when I should schedule travel and surgery. Her answer: "I inquired this week on the status of your case. As of today I have not received an approval/disapproval decision from the DHA. I have a meeting scheduled on Monday of next week to specifically discuss your waiver request. I hope to have an additional update for you on Monday following my meeting."Tuesday, 28Jun16 - <redacted> asks me for my Primary Care Manager's name with no explanation. I provide this information along with all of the Podiatrists and other doctors who have referred me for fat grafting. I also ask when I should schedule surgery, and remind her that I start MBA classes 08Jul16. I also tell her that due to the compressed MBA schedule, I have a single open week starting 08Aug16 that I'm available for surgery.****At this point I have now transferred again, away from a friendly unit who knows my community and my job and into a bureaucratic student unit****11Jul16 - No updates since June. Requested an update from <redacted> via email. No response.14Jul16 - Request update again from Ms. <redacted>.15Jul16 - Email from Ms. <redacted>: "Your PCM will need to request a referral for an evaluation and treatment (to Dr. <redacted> who does the surgery) and submit that to Health Net for approval/disapproval. Once we receive an approval/disapproval from Health Net we can move forward to:(1.) get the surgery scheduled and paid via Health Net or (2) resubmitting the SHCP waiver request to DHA (with the updated information from Health Net) to get the surgery scheduled and paid via the DHAAs discussed during our phone call, I will contact your PCM (Yorktown Clinic) and assist with the request for a referral. I will contact you on Monday if there are any additional updates. Please contact me if you have any questions."It is important to note that I received disapproval from Health Net on 19 December *2014*, and it is only due to the lack of action by Tricare that it has taken this long.18Jul16 - I go to Clinic <redacted> and can't find anyone who knows anything about my issue. They insist I make an appointment, which is backed up until early August. I ask Ms. <redacted> who she spoke to and she emails back that she can't remember but that she would get back to me by COB. LPN <redacted> at the clinic takes my information and promises to discuss with LCDR <redacted> (my PCM) and get back to me by COB. Neither update happens.19Jul16 - Ms. <redacted> emails that she remembers who she spoke to on 15Jul16: Ms. <redacted>, the health benefits coordinator, who evidently did not speak to my PCM team. Ms. <redacted> says that she will coordinate with my PCM team.20Jul16 - A different nurse from the PCM team at Yorktown calls and says that LCDR <redacted> is unwilling to put in the referral (see 15Jul16 above) without an appointment. She sets up an appointment for 22Jul16.22Jul16 - I arrive and LCDR <redacted> doesn't know very much about my case. I ask him what he needs to write a referral, and he tells me I will need to go to Portsmouth Podiatry for an assessment. I relay this information to Ms. <redacted>, who responds "Please allow me to do my job and work through the TRICARE Health Plan program requirements. I will follow up with you and provide you with an update by close of business today regarding referral."She later emails to me: "I spoke with Dr. <redacted> this morning after your visit and he is generating a referral for Dr. <redacted> for an evaluation and treatment. You cannot schedule an appointment until the referral has been approved and an authorization number has been issued. Once the referral authorization number has been issued the appointment with Dr. <redacted> can be scheduled. I will contact you today when I have a status update on the referral request. Please do not make any Podiatry appointments at this time."26Jul16 - I ask whether my unit will need to fund the travel and when I will know what my surgery date is, and Ms. <redacted> response is:"I did not state that any appointments or medical services would be funded due to the fact that an authorization had not been issued. I will be contacting Health Net Federal Services, TRICARE Regional Contractor for the North Region) to confirm if an authorization has been issued. If a referral authorization is issued then funding can be coordinated.**Once again please do not schedule any appointments or initiate any requests for funding at this time. I will provide you with an update no later than 1700 today."Ms. <redacted> then spends a lot of time trying to coordinate a phone conversation with her supervisor without responding to my requests for an actual date of surgery. At the end of the day, she tells me that she will try to coordinate a surgery consult in Pittsburgh for 06Aug16, and will be contacting me with an update by COB Wednesday, 27Jul16. No response until I email her on Friday.29Jul16 - I ask Ms. <redacted> what the status is since I didn't get an update on Wednesday as she had promised, and I need to know what's going on so that I can schedule travel. She emails me back the Tuesday email, implies that I'm being impatient, and says that she will update me by COB Monday, 01Aug16.—————————————————Cue 5 or more additional pages of similar non-effective medical treatment and you’ll understand why I cringe inside anytime I hear anyone say they want to “give the whole country access to the level of care the active duty have.”Edit in response to some questions:1) AHCA doesn’t apply to military Tricare, as it was not only exempted but Tricare is considered full coverage.2) One of the biggest misunderstandings about health insurance, not just in the US but worldwide, is that insurance = care. Charlie Gard’s parents are finding out that there isn’t an unlimited checkbook when it comes to medical care - even government care has limits.3) For military healthcare, only those treatments specifically listed in the care handbook are covered. These treatments have billing codes and rates assigned. Tricare isn’t really a medical treatment plan, it’s a reimbursement plan for those items in the book. If you have a problem that requires a treatment not in the book, there is no burden on Tricare to find a way to treat you, they simply shrug and say “it’s not in the book.” It’s on you to prove that the treatment you want has been studied and the studies must have been published in multiple medical journals. If that’s the case, and you can find them, you might be ok, but otherwise you’re SOL.4) Tricare only allows military doctors to address one problem at a time. Thus, when I go to the doctor to address my back, hips, and knees that have degenerated due to the way I walk after the foot tumor, they tell me I need to make separate appointments for each knee, each hip, and my back - there is no concept of holistic medicine in the military medical system, or at least not since I joined in the mid-90’s.5) I personally know at least 10 people who have been or are currently being medically discharged due to preventable permanent injuries sustained due to the many month wait times in the military. Many have ACL, MCL, Hip, Shoulder, and other injuries which could have been easily fixed but healed improperly while they waited. All of these people will be at least partially supported by the taxpayer for the rest of their life, but there is zero ability to hold anyone in the military accountable to improve the system.

Mayank gave an excellent answer with go-to references to use throughout your web development journey. While his "where do you learn this crap" section includes the most relevant sources possible (the documentation itself), a beginner will need other resources to actually learn the material.Luckily, we live in the age of the Internet and there are quite frankly hundreds of websites/programs that will teach you both web development (Front-End) and the programming behind it (Back-End).Before I begin, here's a list of almost a hundred free programming textbooks on Stackoverflow if you prefer that medium:http://stackoverflow.com/questio...Anyways, at one end of the spectrum there are programs that accumulate a wealth of content for you to learn on your own with videos and interactive web apps:Free:[Codecademy] http://www.codecademy.com/: If you're just starting to learn - this can get you introduced to basic concepts. I'd describe it as "coding on training wheels"[Code.org] http://code.org/learn - Interactive tutorials/games for general programming concepts. They were the ones who organized Hour of Code![Khan Academy] http://www.khanacademy.org/#comp...: Salman Khan's a great teacher. I've seen all his Organic Chem and Bio videos when I was studying for the MCAT. Great introduction to fundamental CS conceptshttp://www.skillcrush.com/terms/: They provide an excellent list of common terms you'll hear in any programming/web development conversation. Very easy to understand definitions!http://www.bentobox.io/: interactive tutorials of everything from HTML/CSS to Angular, Backbone, Coffescript and more![CodeYear] http://www.codeyear.com/: Looks like a supplement to codecademy.Next, we move on the programs with monthly/course fees:[Codeschool] http://www.codeschool.com/ - grouped by specific "tracks" with additioanl screencasts[Treehouse (company)] http://teamtreehouse.com/[Tuts+] http://net.tutsplus.com/[lynda.com (product)] http://www.lynda.com/[Udemy (company)] http://www.udemy.com/courses/Tec...[Coursera] https://www.coursera.org/ deserves their own section for being the emblem of a MOOC:As an example, here's my current dashboard of courses:There are also quite a few CS courses all hosted online!Introduction to Computer Science and Programming - MIT OpenCourseWareIntroduction to C++ - MIT OpenCourseWareIntroduction to Computer Science: Programming Methodology - Stanford Engineering EverywhereData Structures - UC BerkeleyAn Introduction to Artificial Intelligence - UMass (Boston)Now at the OTHER end of the spectrum you have "bootcamps" which are considerably more expensive (8-15k) but provide extensive support. Depending on which you choose [get accepted to], you'll be coding 40-80 hours a week.http://www.thinkful.com/bootcamps/ - Has information on almost every in-person "bootcamp"The Ultimate Guide to Coding Bootcamps: The Exhaustive List - a comprehensive article from SkilledUp that provides additional information on all of them - check out their "most selective" article as well!That was me just 3 months ago. I was looking for a way to learn how to become a web developer [eventually full-stack] and needed a course that fit my needs. I tried to use the free resources referenced in the beginning of this post but realized I needed a project based curriculum to actually apply the new skills. I also became quite frustrated when I would get "stuck."After doing extensive research, I chose Thinkful (company) (http://thinkful.com). Many of the students have full-time/part-time jobs or are current college students (they recommend ~10 hours a week for Front-End and ~15 for Python). They also had the structured path and most importantly a personal mentor to do live code reviews (via screenshare on Google Hangout). Two months into the course, I applied for a marketing/front-end internship for the school and was accepted full-time :) Here's a post from my first day: Has anyone "attended" Thinkful and what was their experience? Is there any additional value derived from Thinkful?Bit more info: Flexibility is the biggest strength of our program. The mentors [and students] are all over the world, so we'll be able to accommodate any requests. Whether you're a complete beginner (like I was) or have significant experience, you'd gain significant value from the curriculum. Since the payment is for monthly access to the whole program, you'd able to work on the parts of the curriculum that you need. At the recommended pace, our students finish in 3 months but some may finish in 2 or take another month! If you finish the course, you'll get permanent access to the curriculum :) The final product of either course is pretty awesome (a personal website for Front-End, an capstone project for Python & Rails, and an iPhone app for iOS). If you'd like see some examples of student projects read blog.thinkful.com.Feel free to send me a message if you'd like to view some sample projects or have ANY questions about either course :)--------------------*Update (3/1/16)* Hello! So. A lot has changed over the years. We’ve added some exciting new courses like the Web Development Bootcamp. I can go on and on about the evolution of Thinkful but I’m going to focus specifically on the education. Here’s what learning looks like as a Web Development Bootcamp student:Outcomes-driven. This is probably most important. It’s a subtle shift we made in our mentality that’s led to some exciting changes. First of all, every student who graduates from the Web Development Bootcamp is guaranteed a job or 100% of their money back. Second, we publish all of our stats (in real-time) as a jobs report. We’re proud to be the first online school to do so! Third, our Career Services has been fully revamped. It starts at Day 1, continues throughout the program, and doesn’t end until you’ve negotiated the best possible job offer.Universal and flexible. The first sentence of our mission statement reads: anyone with a strong will to learn can become a programmer. There are no technical prereqs barring you from admission. You won't have to move or quit your job. You can start at anytime and learn from anywhere. You’ll still be held accountable for your goals but we know you have a life outside your studies and need a flexible environment to support that.Human. Relationships drive learning. Plain and simple. It’s been proven that students succeed when paired 1-on-1 with an expert (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom%27s_2_Sigma_Problem). You’ll talk to engineers you can trust at every step of the program starting with Derek, a former student, who onboards you to the program and is available any day. You’ll meet with your personal mentor 3x a week during the course and a career coach that will guide you through the job placement phase. And that’s just counting the 1-on-1 sessions. There’s an entire community of Students on Slack to talk to in real-time and a 30 hours of weekly office hours in group video sessions. This isn’t your typical online class - you’ll never feel alone.If you’re interested in the Web Development Bootcamp or need general career advice, feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected]. I’d be happy to answer any questions or connect you with a mentor, current student or alumni.Anyway, this is just one of many options to start your learning. If you found this post helpful, let me know and I can post a more advanced learning guide as well as a back-end version.I wish everyone who reads this the best of luck on their programming journey!

I took a job a little over a year ago and realized within the first week that I'd made a huge mistake.For background, the place I worked before this job, American Express, was really a great place to work, and when I was hired, I truly thought it was the place to be: great pay, great benefits, working with a good team, close to home, flexible hours…it was perfect. Well, until they decided to cut costs by sending my job overseas.Thankfully, they gave me advanced warning so I could find a new gig, and after updating LinkedIn, I started to get hammered by companies and recruiters.It took a while for me to find a good fit, and it was a damn good fit: pay was going to be even higher, cheaper medical insurance, location close to my parents…it sounded great. They were converting an existing Angular 1.3 web application , a financial reporting dashboard, to React, so it was right up my alley.(for you non-tech people, these are two different ways to build a web page)The company will go unnamed, but I will say it's the parent company overseeing multiple smaller corporations that spread over a wide range of industries; each company was a pet project of a millionaire who likes to brag about his amazing business acumen, which is utterly false.During the interview process, I asked a good series of questions; since I didn't need a job right away, I could be picky. Yes, benefits started after 90 days, great. I verified that on days when my kids had school activities, I could come in early and leave early. My primary duty was to work on the conversion and set up a high-quality React application, with a goal being a series of future applications for other areas of the company.It took me a couple days to see the first issue. We were a very small, 5-person team, working in a 20'x20′ room, and one of my co-workers, “Jeff”, was very clearly on the autism spectrum; he demanded absolute quiet in the office, and because he was talented, our supervisor tolerated it. I'm not sure if you get the vibe from me, but…that is NOT a good fit for me. I'm loud, sarcastic, and I laugh and joke…this was bad.We started clashing quickly, so I tried accommodating him. As soon as he would go to lunch or the bathroom, the whole room went nuts, then settled down when he returned.After my first two weeks, my daughter started her basketball season, so I came in on a Tuesday at 6am and left at 3pm to make it to her game. The next day, I was called into my supervisor's office and told that there was a misunderstanding in my interview; I was welcome to come in early, but I had to stay until 4pm every day.This one pissed me off. Not only is it generally accepted that coders work varying hours, but I'd discussed this particular item before getting hired.I put my foot down and said that this was a condition of employment…if the job interfered with my family, I would leave. She caved, but it still took far too long to make my position clear.My first day was also the day our Quality Assurance lady put in her notice. One of her primary reasons was because every time we pushed up code, something else in the application broke. This was a major concern for me, but I thought, “I’m amazing…I’ll fix this.”Our level of security was obnoxious, and it was a major detriment to our progress.Every entrance and every door required a security badge. Garage entrance: badge. Elevator: badge. Doors: badge. By the time I got to my desk, I would swipe my badge five times. Going to the bathroom and back took four swipes.Even from inside the building, I had to sign into a VPN that automatically timed out after 30 minutes. Signing into the VPN required a user ID, a password, and a revolving token. Signing into our application required a user ID, a separate password, and a separate revolving token. If you lost your Internet for any reason, you had to start over.I tracked it once; I had to generate a token for logging in 26 times in a single 9-hour day.I started the React application, working to get a good solid “base” to work off of. Jeff, who had never done more than a tutorial to setup a sample application, immediately began telling me I was doing things wrong, despite me working in React for several years. I would politely explain why I was doing things the way I was doing them; there would be much sulking, there would be much pouting. I got the sense that Jeff had initially planned to head up the React conversion, but the Team Lead wanted somebody experienced.At one point, Jeff grew tired of not getting his way and just re-did a huge chunk of my code. I was not amused.I ended up determining that a major reason why the existing Angular application was so slow was because the back-end was a nightmare of inefficiency. Looking at the code made it pretty clear that the API was written in Node by a student-level Node developer who was so excited to be writing in Node that he neglected to ask himself “Should this be written in Node?” The nightmare of spaghetti code and callbacks was next to impossible to debug, and after a while I was able to determine that a full 50–60% of the code was dead code, it did nothing.We had no unit tests or functional tests. When I asked why not (and I don’t even like tests), I was told that tests were a waste of time for good developers. I remembered what our QA lady had told me and thought, “Hmmmmm….” I pressed that we should do this and was rebuffed, despite the fact that bugs were a massive issue.Continuing on from the security discussion, every separate call to our APIs from the web site first required a request for a new web token from a “token server”, which we then had to attach to a single web request; it timed out immediately after use. It was the most inefficient application I’ve ever seen.As soon as I started the conversion, my role changed. As soon as I setup the basic React application, I had to start modifying the existing Angular app due to requests from the owner, who had zero interest in the conversion work.And when I say requests, I mean random, stupid requests that were always the new primary focus, and we had to get them done immediately. I spent Christmas Eve making a massive change to a page, staying until 7pm, only to find that the owner forgot that he requested it the next week, demanding that we revert it. The owner would call our team lead randomly and make these demands, and just so we’re entirely clear: this was a financial reporting dashboard, of a rather small company. This application didn’t save lives. It didn’t do anything of value, to be honest, aside from tell a rich man how much money he had. There was no reason for there to ever be a change that couldn’t wait for a week to pass.After 90 days, I inquired about my benefits. It turns out that benefits start the first of the next month after your 90 days; I started on the 4th, so I had to wait almost 4 months.We didn’t have “holidays”, we just had extra Paid Time Off to give us holiday pay; however, I had to accrue the PTO, so it took me a couple months to have it…I had to work extra hours the week of my first holiday so I could have the day off.As time wore on, things continually came to light that just made it clear that the company simply sucked. Absolutely horrible.I started to notice that there was a rather odd lack of minorities that worked there. Now, I was in one office, and there were about a dozen offices we occupied, but it seemed odd. So, I had access to a file server with pictures from corporate functions; surely I'd find some non-whites at the pictures from the last Christmas party, right? And I did! At a party with about 2500 people, I saw…a single black man…with his white wife…who was the employee. There were several Latino men at the party though, so I didn't feel quite so bad….The owner was a former Marine who enjoyed spending his money on big-game hunts of endangered species. There were reminders of it everywhere, like pictures of him with a dead rhino or tiger. Somebody had access to a video of him killing an elephant; I was not amused.In our office, there was a small server room, with just a couple servers; nobody could connect to them (our data centers were off-site), and from what I understand, only the owner and the head of IT ever touched those servers. I still don’t know what was on them. That creeps me out to no end.After about 5 months, my job had been reduced to about 10% of my time on React, 30% updating the existing Angular app, 30% working in Node, and the other 30% was taken up by Tableau, a data-analysis tool that had really pretty graphs.Just a reminder: I’m a React developer. It’s what I do. It’s what I love. It’s what I was hired for.I slowly started inquiring about new opportunities.We had our company Christmas party. I’d been there for almost 9 months. It was here that I found out I wasn’t eligible for an annual bonus, as I had to have been with the company since January 1. That was nice.I looked around me and saw a total of two African-Americans in the swarm of people; both were with their white spouses.I saw the collection of Latino men, mostly the same as in the photos I’d seen previously, but now I understood: the owner also owns a golf course. They were the groundskeepers and gardeners.A company with over 2500 employees, and not a single minority was employed for a position aside from “landscaper”.I left in February; in hindsight, I should have left much, much earlier.