Wasted $80 on a bootcamp before realizing the free path was better

I signed up for a 6 week JavaScript bootcamp last month thinking I needed structure to learn. Paid $80 upfront for videos and a Slack group, then realized the content was just free YouTube tutorials with extra fluff. By week 2 I was following along with freeCodeCamp and MDN docs instead. The only thing I really got from it was a fake sense of progress. Anyone else shell out for beginner courses and end up learning more from the docs you could've opened for free?

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the_jessica21d ago

Consider paying $80 for a course to be more like buying a map before a hike. Sure, you could wander and find the trail on your own, but that map forces you to start moving and shows you the main paths even if some are detours. The free docs are great, but they don't push you to finish a topic on a deadline, and that push matters when you're new and easily distracted. Also, that Slack group, even if it was quiet, gives you a place to ask dumb questions without feeling dumb in public. So maybe the money wasn't for the content, it was for the kick in the pants to actually sit down and learn.