Are you learning how to program, but sometimes find yourself lost when facing a blank screen, or frustrated by the funny looking symbols or the unhelpful error messages?
Are you in enrolled in a data structures or discrete mathematics course and are looking for explanations of the abstract concepts using everyday terms, relatable analogies, and applicable visualizations?
Or are you about to enter the job market and want help and practical advice about interviews, companies, and different career tracks?
If any of these apply to you, my name is Jimmy Zhang, and I would love to speak to with you!
I graduated from UC Berkeley with an Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences degree in 2014. Since then, I've worked at a prominent tech company (LinkedIn), a mid-size startup which was acquired, and was the 5th engineering hire at Observable, a company founded by the creator of the popular d3.js library on GitHub (100k+ stars on GitHub). Here's a link to my LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jzhang621/, and my tutoring profile on Wyzant (5.0 starts on 11 ratings): https://www.wyzant.com/Tutors/cstutoringwithjimmy
I recently quit my engineering job to focus on teaching full-time. I did so because I love teaching, and want to devote myself to being the best teacher I can be.
There are no stupid questions or wrong answers in my tutoring sessions, only ones that lead closer to understanding. My primary responsibility as a tutor is to listen. My secondary responsibility is to ask questions. I do so to understand how you are making sense of the material in your own mind. After doing so, we can then begin the learning process by first "unpacking" the new concepts using familiar language (everyday terms, diagrams, analogies). We then establish the links between the familiar language and the new concepts, before working through examples that integrate the new and the familiar together. I then like to ask you solidify your understanding by restating the material using your own words, analogies, or diagrams.
Testimonials
"Working with Jimmy as my tutor has been an absolute pleasure! He is very knowledgeable on the subject matter. Jimmy is friendly, passionate, and he genuinely cares about his student's success. The tutoring sessions are deep and engaging, Jimmy gives detailed explanations, along with pictures to hammer down Computer Science concepts. In addition, he provides tidbits of homework assignments to help strengthen your understanding of the topic at hand. Lastly, he asks you to recite what you have learned, in order to activate your muscle-memory which really helps to understand these concepts in your own words. I highly recommend Jimmy if you want to understand Computer Science and programming. He is the "Coding whisperer" with respect to Computer Science and programming. I am very happy to come across Jimmy." - Jay P, 3rd year college student
"I reached out to Jimmy because I was comfortable with logical statements, but not syntax which left me with a laundry list of issues. Being a senior in college, I felt embarrassed needing to seek help, but Jimmy never talked down to me and always sought to understand while trying a new teaching approach. Additionally, he draws diagrams in the moment that are applicable to your specific learning style. Simply, Jimmy provides the interactive tutoring style that is lacking in modern day higher education which you too will find brings back the fun of coding!" - Logan A, college senior
If this approach resonates with you, please reach out to me at cstutoringwithjimmy@gmail.com