I've been working as a software developer for about two years now, and I've gained a lot of practical knowledge about software engineering through my job. However, I want to go back and refresh my understanding of the core concepts from my CS degree. While I know personal projects are important for learning, I'm specifically looking for structured and free courses that can help me brush up on data structures and algorithms, as well as networking, which I find challenging. I've heard about free resources from Harvard and Berkeley, but I'm curious about other recommendations too!
4 Answers
For a structured yet free approach, definitely look into CS50 and MIT OpenCourseWare. They make revisiting fundamentals feel less like a chore and more like an exploration. If you want to improve your networking skills, consider courses that teach using a 'Top-Down Networking' approach—it helps with understanding the concepts rather than just memorizing them. Pairing your theoretical knowledge with small projects can really help reinforce what you learn.
One solid suggestion is to check out the book *C Programming for System, Network, and Cloud Engineers*. It’s not free, but it covers a lot of useful material if you're looking to deepen your understanding about these areas.
I totally relate to your situation! After a couple of years in the field, I began to wonder what’s really going on beneath the surface. CS50 is a great place to start. MIT OpenCourseWare also helped me a lot, especially their lectures on algorithms and systems. They dive deep into the material but in an engaging way. For networking, check out Stanford's CS144; it's very practical. Also, Princeton's Algorithms course on Coursera is fantastic—it’ll help you learn things in a fresh context now that you have industry experience.
You should definitely look into OSSU - Open Source Society University. They offer a free online computer science degree made up of various resources. You can find their GitHub with all the material you need!
Thanks for that! OSSU sounds like an incredible resource.