Learn computer science with CodeRx and CS50

Take Harvard's free CS50 course along with the CodeRx community

In my little niche of pharmacy and health tech, I hear the following somewhat frequently: “I’m a [pharmacist / pharmacy student / pharmacy resident / pharmacy technician] and am looking for a way to get into [computer programming / data science]”. My advice is usually to take some free tutorials online or pick up a book from the library (old school, I know) and start working on a project to add to a personal portfolio on GitHub. It’s not bad advice, but without any support or accountability, I’m doubtful that the advice ever turns into action.

So I’m trying something different. Harvard University (via edX) offers their Introduction to Computer Science (CS50) course FOR FREE. It’s a high quality course that’s been updated in 2022. It touches on general programming concepts as well as Python, SQL, and web development languages (HTML, CSS, JavaScript). To add a level of support and accountability, several CodeRx admins (and me!) will be taking this course starting next week and through the end of this year. We have a public channel in our Slack group specifically for people taking this course in 2022 to help if you get stuck and to remind you to keep going.

If you’re interested in playing along (all for FREE), just:

1. Sign up for the course

2. Join the CodeRx Slack

3. Jump into the #cs50-intro-to-cs channel

It’s a 12 week course, but you can participate at your own pace, as long as you complete everything by 12/31/22. Again, everything is free, but if you want to get a certificate of completion (from edX - totally optional and just up to you if you want something to show off), you can pay edX up front (to even further increase your motivation because $$) or decide to wait until 12/20/22 at the latest to change your mind.

Happy coding!