The premium version of Taro is far better in terms of usefulness for amount of time spent learning than anything else I have tried to level up software engineering skills: better than trying to sift through YouTube, LinkedIn Learning, or asking ChatGPT. this app does not teach specifics of syntax or “how to code” so much as a focus on how to think like a software engineer on everything from code quality to career growth. Thus, the principles apply across programming languages. The difference in thinking that can be gathered from Taro matters a lot for transitioning from old ways of programming I learned in grad school to being a professional. I watched 3 courses over the past week! I was impressed by how well done it was and will continue watching more. The founders are very involved with answering questions during live office hours and on this app’s forum. This is clearly made with great care and curation.
Is it perfect?
Gave 4 stars because some aspects of the user experience can be improved:
-The iOS and iPadOS versions only allow me to watch at up to 1.75x speed rather than being able to go up to 2x speed in the web version.
-Hard to tell which courses I have in progress or have completed. For some I have totally completed, it does not have an indicator that shows I completed it in the catalog of courses. For some that I am in progress with, I have to scroll down the catalog list or go into History to find which one I am on. There appears to be 26 courses available and many more masterclasses and forums. I think knowing the information available in this app will improve the earning potential of most people who program for work.
Would I buy the premium membership if I could turn back time? Yes!
Would I recommend it to a friend who wants to become better at software techniques? Yes!
Do I wish I knew about and bought it sooner?
Yes, I wish I had this right after taking my first computer science course about a decade ago! I am not actually a software engineer, but I program for scientific work.
this app continues cooking: I have a feeling that soon, the user experience aspects of the iOS/iPadOS app will be resolved.