Bloc.com FAQs

The meaning of `this` is flexible. Learn how to bind it to a particular value and how to avoid rebinding in this video.

(This was not recorded in one take, there are a few cross-dissolves throughout the video. I tried to keep the code pane consistent across cuts, but other parts of the screen may fade in and out during the video.)

Mentors are available to provide technical help and answer questions about the curriculum. To learn more about how to get help in Slack, please review this guide.

We do not offer extended freezing so make sure to save this option for only when it's necessary. However, be aware, if you fail to complete your program within two years of your program Start Date (three years if you're enrolled in our SET pace of 108-weeks, and four years if you're enrolled in our SET pace of 144-weeks), you will be dropped out of the program without eligibility for a refund.

If you have an emergency situation and need additional freezes beyond the maximum, emailemail [email protected] (business hours: Mon-Friday 9-5 PST) with detailed information about your request. Requests will be evaluated on a case by case basis and may not be approved.

The un-official guide to solving all your development problems..

Web Browser Development Console

Possibly the best tool in your arsenal, the development console provides you access to error messages, console.log statements, and tons of super important information about your website.

How to access the browser console?

How to use console.log?

Debugging Tips & Tricks (Coming Soon)

Coming soon!

Rubber Duck Debugging Method

Beg, borrow, steal, buy, fabricate or otherwise obtain a rubber duck (bathtub variety).

Place rubber duck on desk and inform it you are just going to go over some code with it, if thats all right.

Explain to the duck what your code is supposed to do, and then go into detail and explain your code line by line.

At some point you will tell the duck what you are doing next and then realise that that is not in fact what you are actually doing. The duck will sit there serenely, happy in the knowledge that it has helped you on your way.

Note: In a pinch a coworker might be able to substitute for the duck, however, it is often preferred to confide mistakes to the duck instead of your coworker.

Source: https://rubberduckdebugging.com

console.log is every Javascript developers best friend. It lets you know what's happening and when. Below is a quick tutorial on how to utilize console.log.

How to access the browser console?

Slack is a user-friendly chat client but there is a learning curve. These guides can help you to get started and get the most out of slack.

Slack's Getting Started Guide

The Ultimate Guide to Slack

If you are having trouble using Slack after reviewing these guides, email [email protected] for help.

You can find instructions for requesting an invitation to Slack here. This link also includes our Code of Conduct policy which all members of our community must abide by.

There are a number of channels for Bloc students based on their program and interest. -At the minimum, you should join the following channels:

#welcome-general

Your program-specific channel: #wdt-students or #design-program

The channel for your module. Module channel names can be found here.

#careers-general (when you get close to completing your program)

Your local metro-area channel: #local_[CITY] for example: local_pittsburgh

There are also channels for underrepresented groups in tech that you are welcome to join if you are a member of one of these groups

Bloc is a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone. If you ever feel like you experienced or witnessed something inappropriate, send an email the Student Success team at [email protected] and we will address it confidentially.

If you complete your program, you are part of the Bloc community forever. We encourage you to stay connected during your job search and as a Bloc alum.

At Bloc, we teach with a flipped classroom model: you learn, complete assignments, and tackle challenges on your own, consulting your mentor to discuss broad concepts and get advice. When you get stuck throughout the week, you should utilize the comprehensive technical support in our program-specific slack channels. During your weekly video call appointments, you'll dive deep into tricky concepts, seek professional advice, or discuss your progress. In return, your mentor will push you in ways that a typical online curriculum can't. Your mentor will work with you to develop good habits and pair program with you on tricky problems.

A day or two before your first session, your mentor will reach out to you with information about how to attend your session. Most sessions are held through Zoom or Skype so you may need to download some software before your session. If your first session with a mentor is in less than 2 hours and you have not been contacted by the mentor with information about how to attend, please email [email protected] (business hours: Mon-Friday 9-5 PST).

If your meeting is within 24 hours, you will not be able to reschedule, please reach out to your mentor directly to figure out how to make up this meeting. If your meeting is in more than 24 hours, simply go to your roadmap and click on the "schedule" tab at the very top. From there you will be able to reschedule one or all of your currently scheduled meetings. If you are scheduling your meeting at a different time than your normal meetings, message your mentor to confirm that they are available. Remember to treat mentor meetings like important work meetings and try to avoid missing or cancelling meetings whenever possible.

If a mentor misses a meeting or is late, you will not be penalized. Contact your mentor directly to find out how they can make this up to you, but do not reschedule your meetings on platform. If you are unable to contact your mentor, email [email protected] (business hours: Mon-Friday 9-5 PST).

Absolutely! We take all mentor change requests seriously, so please email us at [email protected] (business hours: Mon-Friday 9-5 PST) and let us know why it's not working out. We cannot switch you immediately, but will take the necessary steps to get this resolved as soon as possible.

Different mentors specialize in different subjects so as you move through the program you will pair with different mentors to get exposure to their expertise. This is a great opportunity for you to learn from a variety of engineers or designers with diffe

Your assignments and checkpoint submissions are graded by a specialized team. This team will review your work, evaluate it, give feedback, and request revisions when it's not quite where it should be. The grading team will share the results of their review with you and your mentor so that your mentor can use this information to advise you in your sessions.

Our goal is to respond to all checkpoint submissions within 24 hours.

Our goal is that all checkpoints are reviewed within 24 hours of submission. If you have waited significantly longer than that, please email [email protected] with your submission time and the link to your checkpoint.

Slack is where Bloc students get technical support when working through the curriculum. It is also where Bloc students network, help each other, share ideas, and build a community of smart, dedicated people working to transform their lives. The answers to your questions when you are stumped are often right there on slack.

Bloc's "Git Basics" Group Session

Bloc Resources

What is git?

More coming!

Git Tutorials From Atlassian (Makers of Bitbucket)

https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials

https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/what-is-git

https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/atlassian-git-cheatsheet

https://www.atlassian.com/git/tutorials/what-is-version-control

More Helpful Resources

Practice & Learn Git (Interactive Tutorial)

https://git-scm.com/book/en/v1/Git-Basics-Getting-a-Git-Repository

https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Getting-Started-Git-Basics

GitHub's Tutorial on how to set up SSH keys: https://help.github.com/articles/generating-a-new-ssh-key-and-adding-it-to-the-ssh-agent/

The developer console is a tool which logs the information associated with a web page, such as JavaScript, network requests, and security errors. (It does other things, too, but this is all that really matters for this article.)

The information displayed in the developer console can be extremely helpful for the Bloc Technical Coaching team when we're trying to figure out how to solve an issue.

The following are instructions for how to open the developer console on various different browsers.

Chrome

Edge

Firefox

Safari

Chrome

To open the developer console window on Chrome, use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+Shift+J (on Windows) or Cmd+Option+J(on Mac).

https://support.airtable.com/hc/en-us/articles/232313848-How-to-open-the-developer-console

Alternatively, you can use the Chrome menu in the browser window, select the option "More Tools," and then select "Developer Tools."

Edge

To open the console on Edge, hit F12 to access the F12 Developer Tools. Once in the F12 Developer Tools, navigate to the Console tab.

Firefox

To open theconsole on Firefox, use the keyboard shortcut Cmd+Shift+K (on Windows) or Cmd+Option+K (on Mac). The toolbox will appear at the bottom of the browser window, with the Web Console activated.

Alternatively, under the header Tools in the Mac menu bar, navigate to the sub-menu Web Developer and select Web Console.

Safari

To open the developer console on Safari, you will first need to turn on the Develop menu. To do this, open the Safari menu in the Mac menu bar, then select Preferences.

Once in the Preferences dialog, navigate to the Advanced tab, then check the "Show Develop menu in the menu bar" box.

Once the Develop menu has been enabled, you can go to the Develop menu in the menu bar and then select the "Show Error Console" option.

The Error Console will show up on the bottom half of the active browser window!

Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcutOption+Cmd+C, though note that you will need to enable the Develop menu in your Safari Preferences for this shortcut to work.

Originally:

You can update your card on file from your Account tab under the payment section. If you need to pay by any other method, please contact us at [email protected].

Please contact us at [email protected] and we can help you process payments in advance.

Please email [email protected] and we can help adjust your payment schedule.

No.1098-T forms are only issued by colleges and universities. Bloc is not eligible to issue these forms.

No. Each program is designed to help you achieve a different outcome. That means that we work with you from day one to help you achieve a particular goal. As a result, we don't allow students to switch from one to the other. If you want to change programs, you'll need to drop your current program and enroll in a new one from the beginning.

Yes. Bloc graduates get lifetime access to their program curriculum, including all major updates and improvements, so you can stay sharp with a world-class curriculum as a reference.

See our Tuition Reimbursement FAQ for detailed information about our policies. If you have further questions about this policy, please email [email protected].

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other related US laws, Bloc will make concerted efforts to accommodate students with special requirements by making reasonable adjustments where appropriate. Each circumstance will be considered on an individual basis according to the means, limits, and experience of Bloc and the special request under consideration. Students requesting special accommodations are asked to do so in writing following admission to Bloc and at least 30 days prior to the date accommodations will be needed. Documentation must be from a professional who is qualified in the testing and diagnosis of the disability. Please email the Student Success Team to discuss the requested accommodation with the Head of Student Success and/or Program Director before your program start date.

Key Terms

Distributed

Version Control

System

Payments process every 30 days after your start date for the length of your payment plan. You can find your pay plan details under your Account tab. If you need to update your plan, please contact us at [email protected] (business hours: Mon-Friday 9-5 PST).

The best way to reach Skillsfund is by emailing [email protected].

Send an email the Student Success Team at [email protected] (business hours: Mon-Friday 9-5 PST) with information about when you would like your freeze to start, how long you would like your freeze to last (in week increments), and the reason for your freeze.

Keep in mind that your schedule will be reset to allow for the freeze and your meeting time may no longer be available when you get back so you may need to find another time that will work for you. If this is problematic, we suggest that you reach out to your mentor first to discuss your schedule before the freeze is applied and if they can preserve your spot, they will.

You have the option to freeze your program in one-week increments for a total of two weeks for Web Developer Track, four weeks for the Designer Track, and six weeks for Software Developer Track. This only includes freezes that were initiated at your request not administrated freezes initiated by Bloc.

When your account is frozen, the clock is paused and you will not have your regularly scheduled mentor meetings until you unfreeze. You will be able to continue working on the curriculum in your own time, submit checkpoints for review, and can continue using the Slack network at any time. Once you are unfrozen, your program end date will adjust based on the length of time you were frozen and you can reschedule on platform or coordinate your meeting time with your mentor.

During the holiday season (December 1 - January 10), you may freeze a maximum of one additional week. If you celebrate religious holidays outside of these dates, please email [email protected] (business hours: Mon-Friday 9-5 PST) to request your freeze. This holiday freezes will not count towards your freeze maximum.