RealToughCandy.io Review
RTC courses fill a gap.
There are a few web development courses that go over interviewing. But always from the algorithm perspective, they're never great at covering different situations. There are a few that build a portfolio, but as a project, they don't teach you a process for improving on an existing portfolio so that it really stands out as something unique. There's a couple of mentions of freelancing here and there, but no real help in getting started.
That's where RTC has come to save the day. I got into web development from trying to maximize the SEO and performance of WordPress sites, handing out free audits to try to get jobs. That's what eventually led me to move away from WordPress and into the JamStack with backend CMS' like Sanity. It's that knowledge that got me started that I take for granted today.
So I really appreciate RTC focusing on this valuable knowledge that other courses just don't really cover.
However, there's one major flaw to her courses. They are very short. Every page has the same note in bold letters:
“For every ten minutes of video, you can expect to spend between 1-3 hours doing hands-on work outside the classroom.”
This is an expectation you should have for every course you take. “Outside the classroom?” I think the copy here is going for an unrealistic image. These courses are 1-3 hours of tips and tricks. There are no full, detailed courses on the entire process.
Don't get me wrong. The subjects here are hard to teach online. It's probably why no one else is doing it. With a course on freelancing, for example, all any instructor can do is point you to the right resources, give a few tips, and walk you through what the tools you'll use look like. So yes, most of the work will be in applying that. But again, you should have the same expectation for every course.
The course, or the instructor, does not get credit for how you applied what they taught. Those 1-3 hours doing “hands-on” work “outside the classroom” are all you.
And by that I mean, RTC places way too much value on these very short courses. $80 for a one-time purchase of one course. $25 monthly for all courses, and $200 yearly. None of those price points are fair.
It is just reasonable enough to pay for one month, power through all the courses and take lots of notes, and immediately unsubscribe. At the moment, that gets you 12 hours of content. That doesn't get you 720-2160 hours as the copy says. That's your time, that's your work, that's 100% your value, RTC doesn't get to charge you for that.
Because they are teaching subjects that aren't often covered, and because the sections of mock interviews or mock conversations are well put together, these courses will remain on my recommended list.
But my advice is to subscribe, knock out the courses and take notes, then unsubscribe to avoid paying an unreasonable amount of money .