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Silicon Valley professional software engineer/tutor - great explainer
Thurston N.

4.8 (99 ratings)

650 hours tutoring

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Hourly Rate: $73
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About Thurston

Bio

I have 15+ years experience as an active software professional in the Bay Area, working on the full stack (from the front end to the back end to the database), in addition to building/hiring software teams and providing recruiting consulting services, so I know what software companies look for and how decisions get made.
I have run bootcamps for the Ironyard in addition to providing private tutoring.
You will learn by *doing*; that's the only way to learn programming.
And last but not least,...

I have 15+ years experience as an active software professional in the Bay Area, working on the full stack (from the front end to the back end to the database), in addition to building/hiring software teams and providing recruiting consulting services, so I know what software companies look for and how decisions get made.
I have run bootcamps for the Ironyard in addition to providing private tutoring.
You will learn by *doing*; that's the only way to learn programming.
And last but not least, programming is fun, and you'll have fun doing it.

I'm multilingual (in computer languages), with Java as my "native" language. But I'm also quite fluent in dynamic/functional programming languages (Javascript, clojure, Python, etc.), as well as databases (SQL), and front-end development (HTML, CSS, javascript). And of course computer science fundamentals -, data structures and algorithms. And also the modern software development process, which is an important part of any software project

All I ask of students is that you come with a genuine desire to learn (that you need to provide), and you will learn by doing (not the dry stuff of textbooks). I am just naturally good at explaining things; demystifying the jargon and alphabet soup of my profession into simple, understandable concepts - and you will be surprised how much you learn and how quickly. And it will be fun building things.

A note for students looking for help with assignments:
Although I certainly have helped and am willing to help students with a particular assignment, I do not do your assignment for you. An assignment can be used as the jumping-off point for learning a subject(s) in greater depth, and it is natural within that process that progress will be made on completing the assignment. But for students who are looking just to complete an assignment (often at the last moment) and are not concerned with learning the skills required, then please look elsewhere.

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Education

B.A. Syracuse University - dual degree
public economics and journalism
Harvard JFK School of Government
Graduate Coursework
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, Phd program in statistics
Graduate Coursework

Policies

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Approved Subjects

Computer Engineering

Computer Engineering

I've been programming professionally for over 15 years, and am expert in data structures and algorithms (with particular focus on persistent data structures and concurrent/parallel programming). As part of running month-long bootcamps, I have developed lessons and curricula for basic data structures, computational complexity (big-O notation). I also have contributed to major open-source projects (e.g., am a Clojure contributor).
Computer Programming

Computer Programming

I've been programming professionally for over 15 years, and am expert in data structures and algorithms (with particular focus on persistent data structures and concurrent/parallel programming) As part of running month-long bootcamps, developed lessons and curricula for basic data structures, computational complexity (big-O notation). Also have contributed to major open-source projects (e.g. am a Clojure contributor)
Computer Science

Computer Science

Well. I've been programming professionally for over 15 years, and am expert in data structures and algorithms (with particular focus on persistent data structures and concurrent/parallel programming) As part of running month-long bootcamps, developed lessons and curricula for basic data structures, computational complexity (big-O notation). Also have contributed to major open-source projects (e.g. am a Clojure contributor)
Data Science

Data Science

I have a bachelors in public economics (which is more or less and econometrics) and was a PhD student at the University of Chicago, before deciding to pursue a career in software engineering. As a software engineer, I've done a lot of data analysis and statistical modelling (factor analysis, logistic regression, Bayesian classification, etc), primarily using the python data stack, and I've tutored dozens of students (including undergraduates, post-graduates, and data science professionals) both in how to use the data science software and in statistical inference. Data science is *not* about the mechanics of running a logistic regression or k-means clustering, anyone can do that; it's about how to properly interpret data, design studies, and use statistical tools to draw conclusions and glean insights about the state of the world.
HTML

HTML

I have over 10 years experience developing rich client web applications, including single-page applications. I ran bootcamps training federal employees for the Ironyard, with HTML and web UX part of the core curriculum.
Java

Java

I've been programming in Java for over 15 years, mostly for Bay Area companies and consulting with global companies, as well as running coding bootcamps for students that use Java as the main language.
JavaScript

JavaScript

I have over 10 years experience developing rich client web applications, including single-page applications. Ran bootcamps training federal employees for the Ironyard, with Javascript part of the curriculum and students developed full web applications using modern Javascript frameworks (angular, jQuery) And have authored a lightweight Javascript library in use for my companies internally
Python

Python

I've been using Python professionally and personally for a half dozen years now (especially the Python data stack (numpy, pandas, etc. plus flask)),; it is one of my favorite languages to program in and probably my favorite language to teach. Many of my students are Python programmers (or programmers-to-be), and in a very short time can write meaningful programs. Python is fun.
SQL

SQL

I've been designing and administering databases for over 10 years, mostly MySQL with some postgres and Oracle as well as NoSQL databases (Cassandra); here are a few areas of specialty: SQL optimization, database design (tradeoffs of (de)normalization), transactions and isolation levels, accessing databases from applications (JDBC), stored procedures. I also have taught intensive training bootcamps, where students with no experience are taught how to design and use databases as part of building professional web applications.
Statistics

Statistics

I have a bachelors in public economics (which is more or less and econometrics) and was a PhD student at the University of Chicago, before deciding to pursue a career in software engineering. As a software engineer, I've done a lot of data analysis and statistical modelling (factor analysis, logistic regression, Bayesian classification, etc), primarily using the python data stack, and I've tutored several students both in how to use statistical software, but more importantly in the statistical inference. Statistics is *not* about how to run a regression, anyone can do that; it's about how to properly interpret data, design studies, and use statistical tools to draw conclusions and glean insights about the state of the world.
General Computer
Government & Politics
World History

Examples of Expertise

Thurston has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 2 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

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Thurston N.'s Photo

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Ratings and Reviews

Rating

4.8 (99 ratings)
5 star
(91)
4 star
(3)
3 star
(2)
2 star
(1)
1 star
(2)

Reviews

Best tutor

Thurston was really patient and kind given the fact that I’m new to programming. He made sure not only to explain in depth the material but also that I really understood it. Now, I feel so much better about my course and would definitely like to work with him again. I’m so grateful for his help and positive attitude.

Violet, 4 lessons with Thurston

Amazing Wyzant Tutor for Coding

I have used many Wyzant tutors in the past, and Thurston is the best one I've ever come across for Python tutoring. He's extremely knowledgeable and presents everything in a clear way. He is filled with creative ideas and helpful advice. I can't recommend him more highly.

Kimberly, 1 lesson with Thurston

Thurson is an excellent tutor

He has been helping me for a month already. I am still continuing with him for 1-2 months more. He teaches me Java PROPERLY. He was a backend engineer, so he is very knowledgeable. I am much more self-confident after one month. Imagine what how I would be after three months? I would walk into corporate America, doing backend engineering, easily and effortlessly.

Hana, 20 lessons with Thurston

very knowledgeable and patient tutor.

Thurston is very knowledgeable about computer science and does a great job of making complex concepts easy to understand. He is patient and gives great examples. Highly recommended!!

Benjamin, 15 lessons with Thurston

Excellent tutor

Very good tutor who is an expert in his field and will work to make sure you understand the concepts. I felt he wasn't patient or empathetic enough sometimes but he ensures your learning and growth as a student.

Justin, 1 lesson with Thurston

Very knowledgeable with real life business perspective

I reached out to Thurston not for a normal student homework tutoring request, I am preparing for my interview. I know I am weak in stats and A/B testing, so I wanted to have someone who knows this area. Since there is no textbook or homework to go with, it's definitely not easy for anyone to know how to teach. Thurston called me ahead of time to make sure he knows what I am looking for, and asked me to provide some example of the interview questions. I was pretty impressed by the way he went through the basic concepts. He made sure to help me build up the intuition rather than memorizing the formula, and made clear of the different terms. He asked me questions along the way to enforce thinking on my part. What's more is he incorporated with real-life A/B test knowledge and told me about the common mistakes people make, and answered some of my testing questions too. I left the session with a much clear understanding of stats related to A/B testing. Would definitely recommend him to anyone!

Qingling, 1 lesson with Thurston

Thank you

Thurston gave me an overview of how things worked and answered questions on how we did what we did last time. We went over how the servers and browsers communicate and how python and the IDE works and learned a bit about modules. It helps a lot to get my bearings and learn how programming decisions are made.

Siew, 5 lessons with Thurston

Very helpful

You definitely learn a lot from the lesson. He's very knowledgeable and uses tries his best to explain clearly. I would recommend as a tutor.

Leonid, 4 lessons with Thurston

Very Patient

Thanks to Mr. Thurston for his patience and his clarifications while creating this project also explain things in a calm manner and understanding my not so much knowledge. Great tutor, I will recommend 100%.

Jorge, 3 lessons with Thurston

In a class of his own

Thurston has a sophisticated understanding of Computer Science and a mature and thoughtful approach to understanding a student! I am looking forward to additional lessons.

Samuel, 6 lessons with Thurston
Hourly Rate: $73
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