Link: https://www.theodinproject.com/paths

Choices:

1. Full Stack Javascript

   1. Node.js

   2. Mongo

   3. Express

   4. React

2. Full Stack Ruby on Rails

   1. Ruby

   2. SQL

   3. Ruby on Rails

   4. React

I was leaning towards Full Stack Javascript because I read in stack overflows 2020 survey that people do not like Ruby or Ruby on Rails and like using Node.js. Thoughts?

Hey, I want to know what course would be the best to take in The Odin Project. I was looking on everything that each path contains(currently working on the Foundations course) and have a fe.questions...

How good is Ruby right now in the programing world? Did any one of you took the Ruby path and how worth do you think it is compared to NextJS.?

I have seen what each path contains and I think that the Ruby path has more content but how good is Ruby? Ive seen that Ruby is most compared to Python and Java, because it's a back-end language, what do you guys think about this? Is it better to take a path of a Ruby developer or a Python developer?

Right now I am thinking on sticking with the Full Stack JavaScript path because I have some knowledge with NodejS, and also in the future I want to take on a Python course that I found on google which has related content to what the Full Stack JavaScript path has. Or I might just jump to the Full Stack Open course that I've seen so many people recommending here on the subreddit. What do you guys think about this?

Getting close to finishing up the fundamentals. Obviously I have to choose a path forward.

Which would you recommend? I've heard that RoR is more comprehensive in that it goes into data structures, but I'm also aware that NodeJS is the in thing and there are more jobs out there going the javascript fullstack way.

But more so than getting a job, which path is actually going to help me be a better programmer. For anyone who's gone through the curriculum.

Also I wanna git good with algorithms as well and was wondering what books y'all would recommend?

Cheers folks

As the title says, I just finished TOP Foundation!Even thought I saw posts like this in the sub recently, I'm still exited to post this, as I am proud of my achievements so far (and I hope I don't get much hate ahah).

Here's my story

A little background
I'm a 20 years old guy from Italy, and I had to quit college (an engineer field) some months ago because I was struggling a lot financially and my parents were having hard time keeping up with my education Anyway I thought that the education system is kinda broken. Why do I have to pay for thousands of euros per year, to learn something that is accessible for free on the Web? And is basically taught by some professors that are there to "teach" only because this way they get the funds for doing their researches (basically they don't give a f... about teaching).

During my last semester at university, I had to take a C programming course as long with Data Structure and Algorithms. And dammit, even if I hated my teachers, I fell in love with programming. I remember how hard it was to understand the basics of programming in general...variables, control flow, conditional and loop statements...let alone when I got pointers and memory management.However, as time past, as I said, something clicked inside of me and I fell in love with coding in general. I aced the exam and I kept coding on my own, for fun.

Finding TOP
When I quit college, for the reasons I stated before, I started working on a factory, 8 hours per days, 5 days a week. The usual 9 to 5 job. However, before starting this job, I came across this resource called The Odin Project (maybe from Youtube, not sure tho), and since I was still into coding a lot, I decided to give it a try.

Boy I found it beautiful. It was literally my most preferred way of learning something. Looking at different docs, doing a lot of researches before coding is what made it for me. Idk if it was university that taught me to work this way, but I found this approach of learning very cool and it fit me perfectly.Doing projects at the end of research was like the topping on the cake.

After a week of doing the TOP foundation (maybe the first part until git), I started working, and damn I must say I struggled a lot. I was coming back to work, tired as hell, and managed to study from 5.30 pm to 7 pm and from 8 pm to 11 pm. Sometimes I was falling asleep on my laptop too. It has been two months. Dammit was it difficult. I loved weekends not because I could go out with friends, but because I had more time to study basically ahah, during Saturday and Sunday I managed to study too. Thank god now I have one month free from work and I can relax a little bit more :)

Aftermath
Anyway, after almost 2 months, I was able to finish the Foundation!I understand the basic of HTML, CSS and JS (I guess).I think that I was really helped by the fact that at college I programmed for 6 months in C, hence it gave me a strong foundation of the topics.

In fact, I somehow found more difficulty on learning CSS and Flex layout than JS itself lol; I did not have an hard time learning the basics of JavaScript and arrays, while DOM manipulation was something new for me and I gave it more time.

One thing I really liked is when I discovered how to use git, damn if I knew this thing existed before I would have surely used it even in college!

I have built the projects that the curriculum present, and I'm pretty happy with the results, especially with the last one! It took me a lot of headaches, but I managed to get it working and I think that the calculator is good looking too ahha :)

Here's a link to my Github, if you want to take a look at my projects (I have to say that the calculator is the project I spent the most time on, other ones are pretty ugly and I should restyle them).

Now I'm looking for to start the Ruby path and I'm more exited than ever!

Hello, what path should i choose in Odin project, Ruby on rails or fullstack JavaScript?

Hi! So I’ve been working on TOP for a good while now and I am through fundamentals and I have reached the computer science portion of the JavaScript path. I feel like I have learned so much! To be honest though, I’m really dreading the CS portion and at this point I really just wanna build my own stuff. I am hesitant to start doing my own thing before I 100% TOP. My ultimate goal is to get a job and I don’t want this to stunt my progress. What do you guys think? There are still other sections I have to do like Testing that also sound not fun. I just don’t want to jump the gun but my imagination is running wild at this point, and I feel the most rewarded when building.

Hello all,

I have been learning to code for +- 6 months now. I did the freecodecamp HTML / CSS part as well as the JS.

After this, I started The Odin Project which I am really enjoying, it is way "harder" and really project based. Anyway I finished the foundations part and have to choose between Full Stack Ruby or JavaScript.

Full Stack Ruby on Rails

Ruby (41 lessons)

- Introduction, Basic Ruby, Basic Ruby Projects, OOP Basics, Files and Serialization, Advanced Ruby, A Bit of Computer Science ( ds & algorithms included), Intermediate Git, Testing Ruby with RSpec, Conclusion.

Intermediate HTML and CSS (23 lessons)

- Not worth mentioning tbh

Databases (3 lessons)

- Databases, Databases and SQL, Project.

Ruby on Rails (38 lessons)

- introduction, Rails Basics, Active Record Basics, Assets and Navigation, Forms and Authentication, Advanced Forms and Active Record, APIs, Rails Sprinkles, Mailers and Advanced Topics.

Advanced HTML and CSS (16 lessons)

- Not worth mentioning tbh

JavaScript (42 lessons)

- Introduction, organizing JS Code, JS in the Real World, Asynchronous JS and APIs, Testing JS, React, Conclusion.

Getting Hired (13 lessons)

- .......

_____________________________________________________________________________

The JavaScript path is:

Intermediate HTML and CSS (23 lessons)

JavaScript (42 lessons)

Advanced HTML and CSS (16 lessons)

NodeJS (24 lessons)

Getting Hired (13 lessons)

So basically, by choosing the Ruby Path I am essentially doing the whole JS path minus the NodeJS part, which I can alway end up doing at the end if I want / need. Plus I get exposed to 2 languages. Also the ruby path seems more dense and robust.

In 85% of the places people always say to choose JS because it is much more popular and there are more jobs but I feel that by choosing the ruby path I will end up learning way more, even tho if my end goal in a couple years is to work with JS.

And also there are quite some job offers where I live (Portugal) for ruby, so not bad at all.

Could you guys give me some of the benefits of choosing the Ruby path instead of JS? Which one would you choose if you had just started to code 6 months ago?

Hi all! I am a complete newbie to the world of programming, but looking to learn a new skill and possibly start a new career path.

I think I’ve decided to start with the Odin Project, but I can’t decide which path to take. They offer both a path covering Ruby on the Rails and a path covering JavaScript. It looks like the RoR path also covers some JavaScript as well.

In your opinion which path would be more beneficial to someone who is just starting out in the world of programming?

There's three main programs that I can see:

• Front-end only

• Full stack JAvascript with Node.js

• Full stack Javascript with RoR

Which of the latter two is better? I don't have a big preference, I don't know enough about them to have an educated opinion - other than I feel like it would be easier staying with one language instead of learning a second (but by the time I get to that it could be trivial for all I know.)

Thoughts? Recommendations?

I'm making this post because I saw many people ask the same question..."How long will the Odin project take?". So I decided to time myself while going through the course. As said in the title I haven't finished the entire course but I do plan to time myself all the way.

Disclaimer: I'm not a complete beginner to programming. I'm doing a degree in ECE so we have to do stuff with micro-controllers. So I know a bit of c/c++ and assembly.

So here's how long each section of the foundations took me:

Introduction: 1hr 30

Installations: 7hrs

Git Basics: 1hr

Html Foundations: 4:hrs

Css Foundations: 6:hrs

Flexbox: 10hrs

JavaScript Basics: 43hrs

The BackEnd: 1hr 30

Total: 74hrs

Those times include the projects. Also I didn't go through the additional resources sections.

And here's how long each project took:

Recipes project: 2hrs

Landing page: 2hrs 30

Rock paper scissors : 3hrs

Etch a sketch: 3hrs 30

Calculator: 11hrs

As it regards to projects. I could have easily spent another 10-20 hours making them prettier and getting all the extra credits ..which I'lll probably do later. You might end up spending way more time on the design aspects.

So I started on May 10 and finished foundations today. Worked on it 19 days during that time. So on average about 4hrs a day. Hopefully this helps anyone who may have been wondering how long this might take them.

My thoughts? I'm really liking the project focused method and lack of hand holding. What's next for me? I'm going to go through the ruby track because it has a data structures and algorithms section ...and a javascript section . After that I'm going through full stack open but would be later in the year if all goes well.

Edit: Rock paper scissors actually took 3 hours. It seems I had the Revisiting rock paper scissors section recorded as a Dom manipulation session. Here's how I checked. Again Apologies

Hey everyone,
I just finished the Foundations section and really loved it. Clear explanations, solid exercises, and a good pace overall.

Now I’m starting the JavaScript path, but I’m wondering: does the quality and depth stay consistent all the way through, especially in the later sections (like asynchronous JS, testing, or the backend stuff)?

I’m also considering switching to Full Stack Open once I get through the core JavaScript concepts. I’ve heard FSO dives deeper into React, backend (Node.js), and testing practices. Maybe better for more advanced/full-stack stuff?

Has anyone here done both? Would love to hear if TOP’s JS path still holds up all the way, or if mixing in something like Full Stack Open makes more sense once you’ve got your fundamentals solid.

Thanks!

It's pretty self explanatory actually. Would you go so far as to say that the Javascript pathway's curriculum is incomplete.

Also, is learning Ruby on rails in 2022 worth it? Is that language still relevant?

Or are there any other web development courses you would rather I take? Is TOD still the best course out there for developing web development skills?

The Odin Project (TOP) involves significant reading and projects. Rough online estimates suggest the Foundations + Full Stack JavaScript path takes about 1000 hours, a figure often supported by success stories I've read.

Most successful students report spending 3-8 hours daily, typically finishing within a year. Some even finish in a few months by studying 10-12 hours daily, which is unsustainable for most people. However, success stories from those studying less than 2 hours a day are rare.

Based on the 1000-hour estimate (I know that it's a really rough one), this slower pace implies completion would take several years. This makes me wonder: has anyone successfully finished TOP studying 2 hours, 1 hour, 30 minutes or less daily on average? If so, how long did it take?

I'm looking to become a full stack developer, and have been referred to The Odin Project, and Free Code Camp.

Which would be recommended? Which is best?

Would both of them be accredited and recognised by organisations and companies?

I'm looking to become as employable as possible after it...

Hi all,

When I was contemplating starting TOP I scoured the internet (especially Reddit) to figure out if it was still relevant in 2022, how long it would take, what I’d learn, etc.

After three months, I am nearing the end of the JS curriculum and it’s been one of the best experiences I’ve had taking an online course. I’m feeling pretty competent with the MERN stack, and am excited to begin applying for jobs in the next month or two.

The structure is very unique and like nothing I’ve seen before.

Each section has a write up of what’s important, and it contains links to other external resources that are pre-vetted by the community.

Then, each section will have some sort of assignment.

They sprinkle in fun projects every so often as well to test that you’re retaining the knowledge.

It’s also updated frequently. I never felt once that I was learning something that was outdated, or missing out on relevant information.

I love how they flat out tell you sometimes about a topic, but then tell you it’s not super important to understand it yet and just move on. It makes keeping moving forward easy.

One of the biggest standouts is the community. Being able to pop in and ask technical questions that relate to the various assignments. The community is amazing and there are many smart developers that respond to newcomers' questions on a regular basis.

What helped me succeed in using their curriculum:

• Follow the directions! Every step of the way - don’t make it up as you go. You’re not qualified ;)

• Ensure you have a basic understanding of the terms used, and be sure to Google things as needed. Seek out external resources where needed to expand upon things that aren’t “clicking” in the way they’re teaching them.

• Do the additional assignments if you feel your knowledge isn’t keeping up.

• Google things! Work to understand the concepts and what’s possible - don’t get bogged down on perfecting syntax just yet. It will come with time.

• Every once and a while, stop the TOP curriculum and do a follow along tutorial relevant to what you’re doing. I ONLY do this after I already have a theoretical understanding of the technology in the tutorial. Seeing it in action, and how other devs approach situations has been exceptionally valuable.

• Don’t skip the CSS! It’s a pain in the butt, but learn flex and grid - and don’t get dependent on frameworks until you understand how it works.

• If you feel like you don’t “get” something, you probably need to go back a section and review older material. I found sometimes when I’d skim too quick, or had been studying too long I’d stop retaining and in those situations simply going back fixed the issues.

"How long does TOP take?"

This will inevitably come up in the questions. It fully depends on your dedication, ability, prior experience and time committed. I started early January and should be done in the next month.

I aim for a minimum of 20 hours a week - but that will be up to you based on your scenario. I probably log about 30 a week.

Feel free to hit me up in the comments if you have questions.I am no professional developer (yet), but I can confidently say that TOP is an incredible resource to learn how to build web apps! If you want to learn, get on it and stay consistent!

Edit: Just adding this edit for those comparing timelines. It's a useless en devour and not helpful. Go at the pace that's going to work for you.

The only thing you should worry about is if you're getting better.

I've worked in marketing since 2016 and have had exposure to HTML, CSS and Javascript, as well as APIs and servers.

I also built a "no code" application a couple years back, so I already knew how to think like a programmer. So, while I wasn't doing any (or little) traditional programming, this experience definitely helped me understand things quicker as I had a frame of reference to work from. I was not starting at zero in terms of industry knowledge.

I’ve been working with WordPress and SEO since 2016, both as a freelancer and in my current remote job, where I earn {{EDITED}} a month. However, I feel like I can’t grow much more with WordPress or get a better job. I want to switch to becoming a frontend or MERN stack developer.

At first, I was looking into the Odin Project’s JavaScript path, but I’ve also seen people recommend Scrimba, boot.dev, Frontend Masters, and Full Stack Open.

Which path or program should I choose? I can study 2 hours every day and more on weekends.

I have money to spend, so what resources should I use to become a developer?

Hey. I'm going through the Odin Project's Foundations path. I'm in the Javascript/Chrome Dev Tools section and everything up till now felt like they were in a good order.

But I feel like, right now, I haven't learned much Javascript to use all these debugger features. It feels like I should have first learned to make some projects using JS to be able to appreciate these features...

I'm having doubts with TOP as also some people on reddit mentioned that the paths after the Foundations are not as good.

How was your experience with TOP?

Is it normal for some sections to not make a lot of sense at first? Because this one felt way too early.

I am thinking of getting into full stack and before I commit to the odin project I have been wondering if it's still relevant and up to date?