As a self taught developer I get asked a lot about the web development field and how I got started, and if it is something they should pursue. Excitingly I tell them that they should, but I do stress the fact that becoming a web developer doesn’t happen overnight, it takes dedication, commitment and hard work.
The internet has made access to information one click away (literally), so it’s safe to say that the internet is a great place to learn how to become a web developer! The purpose of this post is to provide a brief comparison of the most popular Online Courses available. It will not compare traditional education and Online Courses, as that is a hot topic in the Web Industry.
There are many resources I would recommend, we are going to compare Code Academy, Code School and Treehouse.
Code School
While Code School isn’t free, in my opinion it is the most comprehensive online course available. Code School has 6 tracks to offer, and even includes an app for your smartphone. The tracks include IOS , HTML/CSS, Javascript, Ruby, Git and a bunch of electives.
The Good
- Breaking up a complicated topic into digestible, sequential courses.
- Each course has a theme, and makes it seem like you’re experiencing a video game in a way.
The Bad
- Learning Curve
- Video Based
Lynda
Lynda is the largest and oldest online resource available. With high quality recordings and a plethora of courses, it is easily the best resource online for learning anything!
The Good
- High quality courses, from well renowned developers
- Offers a 10-day free trial
The Bad
- Strictly Video Based
Treehouse
The Good
- Bite sized tutorials
- Course Based
The Bad
Code academy
The Good
- Getting started
- API Tutorials
- Offers languages such as Angular
The Bad
- Explaining the concept / importance behind the task given.
- Has you copy / paste code.
Well, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed a high level comparison of the most popular Online Courses Available.
I hope this post was motivational for those of you who are interested in learning about the Web!
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