Learning any skill can be a daunting task. Whether that be learning a new language, picking up a new instrument, or even starting a new blog (I'm doing my best, I promise..!), it takes consistent time and effort in order to master it; the same can be said for coding, the topic of this post. If you are learning to code as much as I am, then we can both agree that when it comes to learning how to code, there is a plethora of resources out there in regard to just about... well.. anything! How do you even start? Where do you even begin to look?
Meet... freeCodeCamp!
Introducing.... freeCodeCamp, a non-profit organization that provides various resources to help people of all experience levels learn how to code for free.
freeCodeCamp is a community of people from all around the world who are learning to code together. We're a 501(c)(3) public charity.
Free you say?
That's correct! They do not require any payment option or have a subscription model, as that would be against their mission: to help people of any experience learn to code for free. Every aspect of the curriculum that they provide can be accessed with no paywall:__ courses, projects, and even certifications.__
Interesting, so how does it work?
The main bulk of the curriculum comes from their programming courses, where they offer step-by-step lessons on a particular skill and utilize it in building projects to help build a foundation in that skill. You don't even need any particular software either, as you can directly access each course right in your browser or mobile app if you wish! (Code editor is still an option too, but the biggest appeal for many it seems would be the browser though)
Upon account creation, you'll gain access to every available course on that platform.
Holy Moly! Where do I even begin?
Back in my early career days, I asked the very same question, as there are so many to choose from, and I did not know where to even begin. If you were like me and you had little to no experience, I would highly recommend starting out the Responsive Web Design course See course here, as it was designed as an entry point for anyone starting out how to code. It's simple, fun, yet offers a challenge for the early learner as you get to create a cat photo app (because who doesn't like cats?) while learning the basics.
Certifications
Each lesson you complete within a course gets you one step closer to earning yourself a certification that proves the hard work that went into the course. In order to earn that certification, you are required to complete several projects that are related to that course. Each project is meant to apply the fundamentals that you have learned throughout the course, so as tempting as it is to ask ChatGPT to help create various aspects of the project for you, I HIGHLY suggest not to. Project-based learning is quite powerful as it helps reinforce the knowledge that you learn and from my own personal experience, I learned quite a lot from this method of practice
I made my fair share of mistakes during my development journey, so do not be afraid of making mistakes on your own journey! The most important takeaway of mistakes is to learn from those mistakes, not be afraid of them)
In addition, cheating is against their academic honestly policy anyways, so please do not do it as it helps no one at the end of the day. View the academic honestly policy here
What else do freeCodeCamp provide?
Besides their curriculum, they offer a bunch of other resources that I personally have used quite often to excel my development journey.
freeCodeCamp Forums
freeCodeCamp has a forum where other members of the community can interact with each other. The forum offers all sorts of knowledge that can range from asking for help about a particular lesson in the course to general career advice; be sure to take a look out for the forum if you are in need of help of any kind!
freeCodeCamp News
freeCodeCamp has a dedicated section that provides various articles in relation to anything tech-related. These articles are usually written by members of the community and focus more in depth on a particular topic of choice. Personally speaking, I frequent this section quite often to keep up on learning anything particularly eye-catching and just staying up-to-date with the industry as a whole. You can find just about anything under the sun, so thank you, freeCodeCamp community for the wonderful articles!
freeCodeCamp Radio... wait radio?
That's correct; they even have their own radio page where you can tune in and have something playing while coding. I personally do not use this often, and I can see it not being that related to the overall post, but hey, to each their own, am I right? Could be useful for someone out there!
Can I help contribute?
Yes! At the end of the day, freeCodeCamp is a non-profit organization that relies on donations to keep itsservices going. If you would like to help support their goal, you can make a donation here of $5 USD per month. They have quite a lengthy FAQ in regard to how their donations work and questions regarding it so please check it out if you have any questions.
I can't donate, can I still contribute?
Of course! freeCodeCamp managed to accomplish its goal of building a diverse community where anyone can get started learning how to code. All of their courses, resources, articles, etc. are only possible due to how helpful the community they built up throughout the years is. If you wish to contribute by another means than a donation, then__ giving back to the community__ is perhaps the most effective way to support their cause. There are a multitude of ways to give back to the community, such as by helping other members of the community in the forum. Learn more about contributing here.
Conclusion
Learning a new skill takes time and practice to accomplish, and while learning, it can often be challenging to find the right resources that help aid our journey. In the programming world, there are a multitude of resources out there, and it can be very confusing where to even start. This is where freeCodeCamp comes in. At the end of the day, it is one of many other resources out there on the internet, but as someone who used to spend countless hours combing the internet for useful guides, freeCodeCamp definitely provides.
Even if freeCodeCamp may not be the right resource for you, we can all agree on one thing, and that is their mission:
Our mission: to help people learn to code for free
As someone who has personally used their curriculum before, I would like to say, Thank you for providing me with resources and the opportunity that helped shape myself to become who I am today!