For those who don't know, FreeCodeCamp is a free (duh!) learning platform for coders. It currently offers 11 certificates. Most focus on web development, but there are a few Python certificates as well. Earning a certificate works like this: there are a series of interactive lessons, and then there are 5 projects to complete.
It took me many months, but I completed all 11 certificates (55 projects total). Here's a quick review of each certificate, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
Responsive Web Design Certification
This is probably the most polished certification of them all, and it’s one I recommend to anyone considering going into front-end web development. It covers HTML and CSS for beginners. There’s a lot of repetition, and the projects are integrated pretty nicely into the curriculum to help all the information stick a little better.
My only real criticism is that the CSS lessons can feel like you’re being told *what* to do but not *why*. And afterward I had to find other tutorials on Flexbox and Grid to understand that content better. But I don’t blame FreeCodeCamp much for this because, honestly, CSS can feel pretty counterintuitive no matter what.
Prerequisites: None
Difficulty: Easy
JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures
This certification acts as a good intro to programming concepts and a guide to working with JavaScript, and I think it does a very good job of teaching the basics (variables, loops, conditionals, etc.).
However, there’s a certain point - about halfway through - where the lessons quickly become much more difficult, and I’ve seen a lot of people struggle. I think this certificate could be improved be flatting out the learning curve.
Fortunately, you really don’t need to know OOP, advanced array method, or ES6 in order to complete the certification (though you will definitely want to learn this stuff at some point). And I think the projects are all good challenges, not too easy and not too difficult.
Prerequisites: None
Difficulty: Medium
Front End Development Libraries Certification
I have to mention here that my biggest gripe with the FreeCodeCamp curriculum is that it completely skips over teaching basic DOM manipulation with JavaScript. Instead it jumps right from JavaScript DS&A to Front End Libraries, so you’re probably going to want to find a tutorial or course somewhere on DOM manipulation. Otherwise this certification is going to be ten times harder to complete.
The lessons begin with an overview of Bootstrap, JQuery, and SASS. They’re a little short, and if you really want to learn these libraries you’re probably going to have to find a more in-depth source.
After that you learn React and Redux. These lessons are not only difficult, they’re also fairly outdated at this point (it only teaches the older ‘class component’ version of React) . If you want to learn React, it’s probably best to find a more updated tutorial.
The projects are not too difficult once you've learned a framework, and you don’t have to make them too flashy.
Prerequisites: Responsive Web Design, JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Data Visualization Certification
I have a love-hate relationship with this one.
Here you learn the D3 library (used for creating graphs and charts on web pages), as well as the basics of fetching data from APIs. Compared to the previous certificates, there aren’t many learning modules. You get to the projects pretty quickly. Once I got the hang of things, I had a blast making them. These might be my only projects in the entire curriculum that actually look good. I just really enjoyed taking a ton of data and then compacting it into an easy-to-understand visual.
On the other hand, it seems like whoever wrote the lessons and whoever designed the projects didn’t communicate very well, and this caused me a lot of frustration. For example, the D3 lessons show you how to create a tooltip, which (you’d think) is a good thing because every project requires the use of tooltips. Unfortunately, the projects require you do create tooltips in a completely different way, which you might not realize until after you spend tons of time debugging. There’s also an instance where an entire library is needed to complete a project, but the nowhere in the certification is this library mentioned at all.
There's a lot of frustration in this one for no reason. Add that to the fact that D3 isn't typically used in most web development jobs, and I'd say this certification is skippable. But if you do skip it, you'll probably still want to learn how to use APIs somewhere else.
Prerequisites: Responsive Web Design, JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms, Front End Development Libraries
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Relational Database Certification
This is actually my favorite certification in the entire curriculum. It’s taught very well with a lot of repetition, and the projects are nicely integrated within the lessons. I learned so much.
This certificate teaches the basics of relational databases (using PostgreSQL), of course. But also nano, bash, and git.
I highly recommend this one.
Prerequisites: JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms
Difficulty: Medium
Back End Development and APIs Certification
The lessons offer a pretty broad overview of Node, Express, and MongoDB, but it gives you enough knowledge to complete the projects.
For the projects, a boilerplate is provided with a completed front end - you just need to complete the back end. Four of the 5 projects are microservices, some of which can be completed pretty quickly.
I didn't think this certification was too difficult at all, but I also didn't come out of it feeling like I understood Node/Express/Mongo very well.
Prerequisites: JavaScript DataStructures and Algorithms
Difficulty: Medium
Quality Assurance Certification
There are two learning components to this section. In the first you learn how to write functional and unit tests with the Chai library. This doesn’t take too long to get the hang of. The second is a series of lessons on “Advanced Node and Express,” and honestly this has nothing to do with this certification. You do not need this “Advanced Node and Express” section to complete the projects (though you will need it in a certification down the line).
The projects are very similar to the ones found in the Back End Development and APIs Certification, except they’re all more complicated to build. One of the projects here is a “Sudoku Solver” where you actually have to write an algorithm to solve Sudoku puzzles! Once you have the projects built, you need to write tests with Chai, and, funnily enough, that’s the easy part. Writing tests actually becomes tedious by the end of this certification. But creating the logic and routes for the back end is still kinda hard.
Prerequisites: JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms, Back End Development and APIs
Difficulty: Hard
Scientific Computing with Python Certification
We take a sudden switch to Python, and I need to say that I do not like FreeCodeCamp’s Python certifications very much. The lessons are no longer very interactive. Instead, each lesson is just a 10ish minute YouTube video with a quiz question tacked onto it. It’s a difficult way to learn.
That said, I’d describe this certification as more of “Python for Beginners.” A lot of topics are covered, but I’d say 50% of it isn’t needed to complete the projects. And the projects - oh, boy - I hated some of these projects. Some have unclear instructions and, worse, some have the most tedious outputs you’ve ever seen. Honestly, be prepared to count white-space between elements.
I never want to think about the Budge App project ever again.
Prerequisites: None
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Data Analysis with Python
Here you learn about the Python libraries that are heavily used in the sciences: NumPy, Pandas, and MatPlotLib.
Again, it’s all taught in videos, but the projects are much more straight-forward (the only issue is that they have to be made in Replit, which has its issues). Honestly, I’d describe this one as learning Excel on ‘Hard Mode.’
Prerequisites: Scientific Computing with Python
Difficulty: Medium
Information Security Certification
This is an odd one because half of it is back-end web development, and the other half is learning a couple of new Python libraries.
The Python stuff is interesting. It's still video lessons, but I found two Python-related projects are actually pretty easy.
The back-end stuff is mostly about learning HelmetJS, a library that helps secure websites. However, the back-end projects are all very tough. Two of the projects are similar to the ones found in the Quality Assurance Certification - you have to build an Express, Node, Mongo back-end, add testing using Chai, and now also add security with HelmetJS.
The final project, Secure Real Time Multiplayer Game, is another beast entirely. It’s still mostly a back-end project, however, you also have to find some way of learning how to make a game using the Canvas api (this isn’t taught by FreeCodeCamp, you need to find a tutorial elsewhere). And remember the Advanced Node and Express lessons from 3 certifications ago? You now have to use SocketIO to make the game multi-player. This one took me a good amount of time to complete.
Prerequisites: Scientific Computing with Python, JavaScript Data Structures and Algorithms, Back End Development and APIs, Quality Assurance
Difficulty: Hard
Machine Learning with Python Certification
Aside from the fact that I still don’t like the Python video lessons, this one wasn’t too tough to complete. You basically get an intro to TensorFlow and a bunch of ways to use it.
The projects are mostly straight-forward, and you can find lots of tutorials online that will help. However, there’s one project that isn’t *at all* covered by the videos, and there are some projects that don't have the clearest instructions. So there’s a lot of unnecessary frustration involved with completing this certificate.
Prerequisites: Scientific Computing with Python, Data Analysis with Python
Difficulty: Medium-Hard
Is there a particular course that I would be best of starting with?
I have pretty much no coding knowledge so would be starting from scratch.
Videos
Are the free code camp courses good for learning Web development, dsa and other things. Do there certificates have any value Seen some reviews some say they are good for beginners and some say that they create a sort of illusion for you that you are learning something.
Can someone tell me about there experience on it . And also please suggest some good free resources to learn JavaScript and backend Web Dev.
Hello experienced programmers, is freecodecamp actually worth something if I want to switch profession?
Currently I work fulltime in construction, but I’m learning html, css and JavaScript (after that React, firebase, node.js, react query, tailwind css & vercel.
To get a full stack skillset. I like coding, and I want to pursue a career as freelancer / entrepreneur (my own projects)
I was wondering, is freecodecamp + portfolio worth something ? Or is a degree more important?
Hi my aim is to learn web development this year and potentially get a few clients after showing a few of my projects and my own website when I learn how to make one.
Which course should I take? I literally am new to the whole programming/coding world. I know a bit, as I have taken CS50 Lecture 0 but realised quickly it wasn't for me.
Which is it that I should take?
I have just started the Legacy Responsive Web Design Challenges and I am on Basic HTML and HTML5, but then I saw another one called Responsive Web Design Certification.
Much appreciated some advice, thank you
I am a complete beginner, literally no knowledge or background about programming. I did some research on free courses on the internet and these two - freeCodeCamp and TheOdinProject - are the ones where I don't feel so lost lol
For some background, I want to focus as a web developer (fullstack)
So, which course should I take? The freeCodeCamp (the Certified Full Stack Developer Curriculum) or the full curriculum of TheOdinProject?
Hello everyone,
Recently I decided to start learning programming, and I've found about freecodecamp. I'm wondering if the curriculum from the site's main page is made out of topics that cover the entire spectrum of what programming means, does, how to learn and use it. If it's structured in a progresive way, having to get through all courses entierly, from first to last, in order to understand - yet again - what programming means, does, how to learn and use it. More specifically, is it imperative to get through all the courses listed there (11, out of which 10 have 300 hours duration each, total of 3000 hours) in order to learn any programming language (e.g. Python), or the attention should be focused on the courses that cover the programming language desired, combined with separate work on it?
Thanks in advance for any insight or advice!
Hey friends! The freeCodeCamp community is still very hard at work on the rest of the coursework for our full stack curriculum. It’s only been a few months, but there are many campers who have been going full force at this new content. And I am excited to share our next wave of updates with you all.
New Curriculum Coursework
We have just released three new sections of the curriculum: The React Hooks and State section, the Performance section, and the Testing section.
This new material includes roughly 50 lecture videos, a dozen workshops and labs, three new review blocks, and a bunch of content to keep you on track for your learning goals while we keep working on even more.
Some of the projects you will build include a Tic Tac Toe game, a color picker, and a superhero application form.
Exams
We know many of you are eagerly awaiting the release of the exams at the end of each module. We are still working hard on these, but they aren’t quite ready yet. We have been building our own custom environment you can use to take these exams, striking a balance between respecting privacy and preserving academic integrity.
We are just as excited as you are for these exams to be available. Thank you for your patience while we ensure we are delivering the best experience possible.
What’s Next?
Our team is pivoting over to focus on the CSS Libraries and TypeScript modules next, but we are also starting some of the earlier Python modules. We have a lot of stuff coming out in the next few months, so keep an eye out in our communities and on the learn platform for new content.
A super early sneak peek of some of the projects coming soon: You’ll get to build your own RPG character, a trading card game, a medical data validator, and more!
Get Involved
Are you interested in helping bring our full stack curriculum to life? We have plenty of opportunities to contribute – you can see all of the open issues on our GitHub repository.
Be sure to read our contributing guidelines, and hop on over to our Discord community if you have any questions.
We look forward to seeing you all continue progressing through our new curriculum. Happy Coding! 💜
I have pretty much no experience with programming, aside from scratch, but I don't know if that counts.
As for what I want to do, I want to do a mix of everything, making games, apps, and websites. But right now, I want to do web development.
Right how I’ve been stuck on one specific sector of beginners JavaScript on the Odin project, I’m considering supplementing it with FCC, but I see so many negative reviews that’s I’m hesitant to give it a shot. What’s your honest opinion of FCC?
Honest opinion is dont be afraid to give a resource a shot just because it didnt work for someone else. There are so many resources out there, and not everyone learns or likes to learn in the same way....one persons best of all time can be anothers worst experience.
That being said, Im a huge supporter of FCC, cause it was the first thing I came across that actually helped me learn and put me on the track that helped me get to where I am now. The reason I love it, is the same reason some people dont. FCC doesnt hold your hand and do everything for you. Its not like following a tutorial or just plugging in whatever code it tells you to. It gives you a goal problem to solve, and is layed out in a way you have to do read docs and do research so when you complete a task, you actually understand what it is youre doing.
Also, the community is engaging and super welcoming and helpful...I made a goal when I started to give back, because I got so much help along the way. And I felt amazing the first time I was able to help someone else out. Teaching is also a great way to learn, because I would often look things up to get a better understanding while trying to help someone else out with a problem.
Im now coming up on 3 years in the industry, and literally.....everyone who asks about my path gets an earful about FCC, cause it really made a huge impact and means so much to me. And doesnt bother me at all if someone else totally hates it. Thats why there are so many different resources, and also why FCC encourages people to get their hands on other resources too...no one source is going to make everything you need to learn click in place.
So yeah, thats my opinion....give it a try, either you will like it, or you wont. But just cause someone else loves something doesnt mean its your only hope and feel discouraged if youre struggling, and just cause someone else hates it doesnt mean you should feel awkward for thriving. But you wont know unless you try....and I kinda feel like its worth it to at least try.
I think their Youtube videos are some of the best and really nice for just getting some of the fundamental knowledge and such
Hi all,
I am beginning to learn to code and I chose the "FreeCodeCamp" "Responsive Web Design" course.
Is it the right course for someone who doesn't know anything about code.
Thank You!
P.S. Your opinions are welcome.
I have a lot of time on my hands, and I really want to learn how to program/code, but I don't know where to start, whenever there isnt a clear path i always get overwhelmed by the options and end up never starting, so a bit of directions are welcome.
If that information helps in any way, I think my main objective right now is game development as a hobby but i may eventually want to get a developer job if I end up liking programming (and im pretty sure I will), so which course(s) should i start with or should i even use FreeCodeCamp at all?
Sorry if this isnt the kind of posts wanted on the subreddit, I know that there already is probably like 3000 posts identical to this one
I have a question about freeCodeCamp courses. I'm starting a programming course through this website. I found it quite good.
Has anyone who knows or has done/is doing freeCodeCamp courses recommend it to me to start programming?
Basically I'm looking at all the courses on freecodecamp but each certificate (11) is 300 hours. I assume I don't need to be full stack to get a job. What's the best course to either get a job or do freelance work? Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated. I'm not even sure what i'm learning but the idea of remote work is a great motivator
Responsive web design is the most beginner-friendly way to get into the industry. It'll teach you the basics of HTML and CSS which are the foundation of making the visual part of websites.
After that you can learn either Angular or React, two of the most common frontend libraries used throughout the industry. Having basic knowledge on either should be enough to have a chance at interviewing for front-end jobs.
u/Kimgss has the best suggestion. Some of the courses seem to require more math such as
-
Scientific Analysis
-
Data Analysis
-
Machine Learning
It seems interesting they use Python, but FCC doesn't seem to have a Python course.
Most people tend to say it's easier to do front end work and to start with HTML, CSS, Javascript, then learn a front end framework after that, usually, React (but there's also Vue). It's not super easy (esp. learning a framework).
FCC's courses do seem aimed more at jobs. For example, CS50 (which is not part of Free Code Camp) is taught more like a traditional intro CS course where you learn C program, some computer science concepts, and code up standalone projects to get better at programming. Somewhat similar is https://java-programming.mooc.fi/ (for Java) though it doesn't have videos and doesn't cover as much in general CS concepts. It is more focused on teaching you programming in Java, again without specific job goals in mind.
Learning web front end would get you closer to a job. The more traditional CS courses would require some followup such as data science or machine learning or even web development. It's just a more indirect path and takes more time.
This is just my experience but I’ve tried multiple paid udemy courses and it’s just too many videos that are 15+ mins long and really is just a code along which for me didn’t help me at all. I’ve been doing freecodecamp and I’ve learned much more through actually coding and problem solving with their projects than sitting back and watching somebody explain to me how to do something that I’m gonna forget in minutes.
I am mainly interested in learning about computational math, algorithms, data structures and machine learning. I will take these FreeCodeCamp courses and get a certificate for each in the end, but do I need to take all the other courses as well?
Also for additional context, I don't have the money to go for a formal college education on computer science. My aim is to get the certificate for the organized formal training in the fundamentals and as legitimacy to bypass HR filters. But I aim to make my main presentation in my resume to be my skills demonstrated ie my own portfolio apps that go beyond the fundamentals taught at FCC.
I stumbled upon this a few days ago. Freecodecamp. It has data analysis, ml, database and other free certifications. Has anyone tried them? Would anyone recommend them for data science and data analysis? I am a beginners and wanto to learn data science and analysis with projects. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!!
...was it worth it and did it help you get a new job or start something on your own? If so, what do you do now? Finely, is there anything you would change about the course, or any advice on extras to look at?
I realize this isn't a new question; but 2023, I begin my programming journey at last. The only problem is; there is so many different sources with which to get your knowledge from. I can't believe I'm saying this but I kind of wish there were LESS options - how dumb, right? I should be happy there's so many options.
Anywho, I'm signed up to a few coding learning sites and I'm sitting here in utter confusion. I have notepads and pens I bought ready. I'm an empty cup ready to be filled with Python-flavoured Lemonade.
FreeCodeCamp is, well, as the name suggests; free. Free is great. But the word 'free' should always be taken with caution. Free means there's compromise, correct? If something is free then it's not as good as it seems to be. is this the case with FreeCodeCamp? Does anyone here know if there are people really that kind and altruistic that they'd design a website and heavy curriculum of classes ABSOLUTELY free for other people to learn with ZERO hidden agenda or reimbursement?And the classes are really well-done and easy to follow?
I'm probably asking too many questions because it's free so I need to not complain about it. I'm just doing the most research I can because I need to pick SOMETHING to learn from.
Now, on the flip-side; there's Codecademy. While not free, looks promising. Plus, because it's paid, that means you get more content, right? More to learn? More promise of getting a job in the programming field? They would have to work extra hard since it's quite pricey so wouldn't they give customers their money's worth?
FreeCodeCamp mentions thousands of people who use it get their first software developer job. And Codecademy from what I've seen, uhhh...doesn't say anything about programming employers picking out Codecademy users who pique their interest and employing them.
BUT IT'S NOT FREE...so it must be good, right?The reason I'm harping on this "not free" thing is because they got a giant sale going on right now (as you can see from the link above) and if I feel like I pass this up, I'll miss a huge opportunity to get a huge deal on something potentially better than FCC.
But, on the flip side, they're a business, and businesses employ tactics like a "holiday deal" that seems huge but it's that price every other time of the year, so they up the price then make you think you're getting in on something good when you're paying regular price. Is this what they're doing? I don't know. Maybe I need to stop thinking about money and just go with FCC.
Truth is, I'm 31 now and I can't afford to not waste my own time with something that won't help me find a job in this field. So, whichever one has the highest success rate and employment rate is the one I'm going for.
ON THE OTHER HAND; I have some classes from CodeWithMosh. Mosh is great and has thorough and well-done classes on different languages. But since they're limited on a set of videos I downloaded (Sorry, Mosh) and not on a website where the learning is seemingly endless....will I learn just as much as I would on the aforementioned sites?
There's also the question if I need to use them at all. There's a wide ocean of knowledge on YouTube (the greatest video platform in the world). FreeCodeCamp even puts their classes on YouTube so I can just quickly search without even going to their websites.The problem with YouTube, however, is that I look up something like "Python for Beginners" and there's thousands of videos. Which one do I pick??! I mean, FCC's classes are HOURS long. So there's a lot I can learn, but who says this guy or girl from this channel has more effective strategies from his/her Python class with a nicely-sized playlist cut up in different parts? Like I said; there's too many options.
Maybe I'm over-thinking everything. Should I just go through different ones, pick one that catches my ears and stick with it? Or just go with FreeCodeCamp 100%?
BUT ON THE OTHER HAND; I'm also registered to sites like 42Heilbronn, w3Schools, GeneralAssembly, CodeNewbie, RealPython and Cisco Identity oh, God, it's too over-whelming!! I'm subscribed to over 100 programming people on YouTube, as well where does it end?!?!?
It's at this point of my thought process that I stop thinking about it and go back to watching stupid videos on YouTube because I get easily over-whelmed with all of this because the first jump is the hardest. It's best for me to not think about this. I'm writing an essay on it, you should see how my brain feels racing 5,000 miles per hour thinking about all of this and my life of laziness and remedial developmental delay-ness.
Ok, I'm out of hands. I'm sorry for this long post, I just needed to get all of this out. Thank you for reading or skimming through all of this, I appreciate it.
All responses are very, very very appreciated. I look forward to one day getting to know all of you.
With love,
Ralph