Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 is one of the most popular courses on the web.

But is it worth investing your time and money into? 

That’s what we’ll look into in this review. 

I’ll go over:

• what exactly is in the course
• how the material is presented and how the platform works
• my opinion on Codecademy as an effective way to learn Python

so you can make an informed decision about giving it a try.

Reviewing Codecademy’s Python track (as a course creator)

I’ve taught Software Development for many years, and I ended up creating over 50 courses on another popular code-learning platform. In my view, if you’re paying for a course, it should:

• save you time through a streamlined learning process
• supply quality content, present it well, and be intuitive to use
• encourage practical application vs passive “learning”

I’ll use my experience creating online coding courses to see whether Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 is up to standard.

Is Codecademy actually good for Python?

The quality of Codecademy’s material is comparable to what you’ll find in the official documentation or a popular book. 

Compared to learning from a book or free tutorial, the platform does offer an advantage in that it is so well-structured and hands-on. You can learn something new and apply it right then and there – no switching from documentation or book to code editor required.

The hints, cheat sheets and forums – something you don’t get everywhere – are also helpful when you get stuck.

In my opinion, Codecademy is indeed one of the best options to learn Python from scratch and practice your skills. 

Is it good for beginners?

Codecademy gives you one small piece of a new concept at a time, and then has you apply it right away by writing your own code – which is a good way for a beginner to start learning Python. 

When you’re just starting out, it’s important to both have some hand-holding through a clear roadmap, and to take action on everything you’re learning. It’s not enough to just absorb and cram in information. 

Beginners need to do coding to really get coding.

Which are the best Python courses on Codecademy?

Learn Python 3 is the best course I’d advise you to start with, and then you can move on to Codecademy’s Advanced Python 3, as well as the Python for Data Science track if you’re planning on using Python for that purpose.

How long does it take to finish?

Codecademy specifies the scope of Learn Python 3 at around 25 hours of study time. You can of course do it at your own pace, so whether you do it in a week or over the course of 1-2 months is up to you.

How long the course ends up taking you will also depend on whether you have some experience programming, or maybe even know some Python already.

That being said, it is an entry-level course, so it shouldn’t take you many months to go through if you do decide to put in a decent amount of time and effort.

Course features

Here’s how the Python course works: You’ll be learning Python fundamentals from the ground up, from Operators, to Variables, to Functions, to Data Types. The training is split into different modules, each containing lessons, projects and quizzes.

As mentioned, the focus with Codecademy is on you taking action, so you’ll be writing your own code in the built-in editor as you go along.

Modules inside Codecademy’s Learn Python 3

The course has 10 different modules with each covering different Python concepts.

1 Hello World

The Hello World module teaches you how to generate print output while going into concepts such as Strings, Variables, and Concatenation.

2 Control Flow

Inside the Control Flow part of the course, you’ll learn how to use if and elseif statements, Operators, and Boolean values.

3 Lists

These lessons are all about the List data type in Python, how it works and how to use it.

4 Loops

For, While and nested Loops are the topic of this module.

5 Functions

Halfway through Learn Python 3, you’ll get an introduction to Functions, Parameters, and Variables.

6 Strings

Strings are characters strung together, which you’ll learn about in the sixth module.

7 Modules

Modules are files containing definitions and statements. This module shows you how to import and implement modules in your Python code.

8 Dictionaries

In the module about Dictionaries, you’ll get to know this data structure which associates keys with values.

9 Files

Text files and binary files are explained in the penultimate module inside Codecademy’s Learn Python 3.

10 Classes

Finally, you’ll learn how to instantiate and work with classes in Python.

Module practice

With each module you get the option to revisit the main points addressed in the lessons. Module practice gives a quick review of the learnings, as another way to drill in a concept.

Cheat Sheets

If you’d like to digest the lesson contents in more of a blog-style format, Codecademy provides a cheat sheet at the end of every module.

Projects

Here’s something that sets Codecademy apart from other methods of learning Python: The course includes multiple projects – almost one for every module.

They tell you the aim of the project and provide you with some sample code to get you started. Then you’re asked to complete the project by coding out your own solution inside Codecademy’s integrated code editor.

If you get stuck, you can look at the “Get Unstuck” section, which has a video walkthrough of the whole project.

I love this functionality because you’re building something tangible instead of dealing only with single, separate concepts.

Quizzes

Quizzes are another way to spice up your Python learning journey and make it more interactive.

You get at least one of these in every lesson.

Code Challenges

These are not compulsory to get your certificate – but the Python course includes two sets of code challenges which you can use to practice what you’ve learned so far.

They give you some written instruction, and then you’re asked to write the code accordingly.

If you need assistance, you can reveal a hint. Once you’re done, you can run your solution, and check it against a solution the Software Engineers at Codecademy came up with.  

Certificate of completion (optional)

If you were able to master every assignment in Learn Python 3, you can opt to get your Codecademy certificate.

These aren’t on the same level as a bootcamp certificate or similar, but if you’re someone who doesn’t have any proven experience yet, they can be something to add to your resume and social media profile. 

Community

Codecademy has both a discord server and well-trafficked forums, where you can share your progress, ask questions, and be inspired by others.

Pros & Cons of Codecademy for Python

Pros

• The interactive learning environment and streamlined structure are motivating and make for quick progress
• The community aspect is a nice bonus
• The price is reasonable, especially if you choose just the Plus level, and opt for annual billing

Cons

• Codecademy isn’t the best resource for learning high-level theory and principles
• Certificates are not officially accredited

Pricing

Is Codecademy Python free?

The course Learn Python 2 on Codecademy is free, but Learn Python 3 is not. You need to have at least the Plus membership to be able to access the materials.

If you choose to purchase the Pro tier, you’ll also unlock the Computer Science and Data Science career paths, in which you gain general programming knowledge or advanced Data Analysis skills while using Python.

7-day trial

Fortunately, you don’t have to commit to a paid membership right away – you can test drive Codecademy’s Python trainings for a week, and then make a decision.

Final verdict – is Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 worth it?

Yes, I can recommend Codecademy as one of the best platforms to learn Python basics. I do believe you should start your own projects as soon as possible, and become even more of a self-reliant learner.

You should also learn high-level programming principles and read books.

But it makes sense to get your start with a guided resource like Codecademy – you’re far less likely to become frustrated and give up when you’re using such a gamified environment.

And with how their courses are structured, you can learn a lot of Python, fast.  

FAQ

Will this get me a job?

Codecademy’s course can get you to a good level in Python programming – if you do all the regular coding tasks and complete the optional challenges as well.

You can call yourself a Python Developer after you’ve gone through the course. Will you be a complete programmer, though? No. You’ll still have a lot to learn, and learning never stops.

Can you get a job right away after the course? It’s possible, albeit not super likely. To increase your chances, consider this approach: 

• Keep expanding your skills – maybe take CC’s Advanced Python next
• Specialize in something – like Back-End development, or Data Analysis with Python, for example
• Build up your developer portfolio with multiple projects using everything you’re learning
• Work on coding interview abilities: LeetCode-style questions and soft skills

Codecademy’s Learn Python 3 might not get you a job on its own, but if you play it right, it can be a major step moving you into your future as a professional Python developer.

The post Codecademy Python Review – is it any good? (2023) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

The suggested timeline for this is 4-8 months, but depending on your existing knowledge, motivation, and amount of time for study, you could finish the self-paced course more quickly – or even spread out your learning over a whole year.

The training is part of Codecademy’s Pro subscription – meaning it takes some monetary investment to go through it.

I’ll do my best to show you what this course is all about, reviewing the different modules and Codecademy’s teaching methodology, so you can make an informed decision whether the Full Stack Career Path is right for you.

About me and this review

In my decade plus as a Software Developer, I’ve learned multiple programming languages to where I could teach them to others. At one point I created over 50 coding courses for a popular learning platform.

This taught me about how information should be relayed so that the students learn most efficiently. And I’ll be holding Codecademy to that same standard in this review.

Why consider taking Codecademy’s Full Stack Engineer Career Path?

There’s many ways (free and paid) to learn Front-End and Back-End development online. The draw of Codecademy’s Career Paths is the streamlined curriculum taking you from start to finish in just a few months, without having to do a bunch of manual research and keep jumping back and forth between different resources.

The attractive user interface has been created to make learning more immersive and fun. There’s also a community within the platform to help you out whenever you’re stuck.

All in all, their offer does seem to give some compelling reasons for choosing Codecademy over other ways of becoming a Full-Stack Engineer.

The timeline

The whole career path has 50 units with 168 total lessons. There’s several intermediate-level projects to apply your new skills, as well as multiple code challenges inside each unit. 

Let’s not kid ourselves – to become a Full-Stack Engineer from scratch, you’ll need to put in a serious amount of work.

For each lesson, you should be getting your hands dirty implementing the code yourself. And coding out those complete projects will take a bunch of effort and time as well. 

6 months is a reasonable timeline to go through the course in this focused manner. If you’re highly motivated, smart, and with a lot of free time on your hands, you might be able to do it in three months, or even two.

The exact timeline depends on you and your circumstances.

How it works

The curriculum consists of a number of modules, each teaching you one major aspect of Full Stack development. 

The text-based lessons inside each module introduce you to one concept at a time, which you’re then asked to implement via Codecademy’s signature built-in coding environment.

At the end of a module, you need to pass a two-part exam to further prove your learnings and receive your Codecademy Certificate at the end.

Features of Codecademy’s Full Stack Engineer Career Path

Let’s now have a look at what exactly is inside the program:

Modules

There are 6 modules in total, aimed at progressing you from the basics to job-ready.

Module 1: Web Development Fundamentals

Here you’ll be learning how to use HTML & CSS to create the scripts for websites. This includes local development, deployment, and styling your websites using CSS.

Module 2: Interactive Web Development with JavaScript

JavaScript is used to make websites interactive – and that’s what Codecademy will teach you in this module. By the end, you’ll be asked to create your very own portfolio website.

Module 3: Front-End Development

The Front-End development module will go deeper into JavaScript development and testing, as well as introduce the React framework, and give further instruction on how to use Git and GitHub.

The portfolio project for this module will be to build your own Reddit-inspired message board app. 

Module 4: Back-End Development

For the Back-End part of the career path, you’ll dive into using the Express.js framework in the back end, as well as databases with PostgreSQL and REST APIs. You’ll then build your own e-commerce app with REST API.

Module 5: Full-Stack Development

In the fifth module you’ll first learn about Front-End to Back-End connection and deploying web apps.

Then you’ll get a deeper education in security and DevOps.

You’ll finish by fleshing out the client side of your e-com app and merging it with the back-end you’ve already built.

Module 6: Interview Preparation

The interview prep module is interesting for those who actually want to get a job as a Full-Stack developer.

It teaches you everything from data structures & algorithms to the soft skills you need to win at both the technical and behavioral part of Software Engineering interviews.

Projects

Lesson Projects

These are smaller projects you find inside almost all lessons. They come with many hints, holding your hand until you’ve coded the solution.

Challenge Projects

You can either complete the projects inside the built-in environment (and share it by creating a Gist), or off-platform (and share it on GitHub) as well. 

Afterwards, you can download Codecademy’s solution code and compare it to yours.

They do have some starter code to get you running, but you’ll be doing most of the work yourself.

Portfolio Projects

Portfolio projects are meant to get you to become autonomous as a developer – able to create your own applications from scratch, from architecture, to coding, to deployment.

As opposed to Codecademy’s other more hand-held projects, you’re asked to gather your own resources, and write an individual app using your own code.

The result is something you can confidently show off to potential employers, in contrast to the guided projects which thousands of others have built in the same way.

Hence the name portfolio projects!

Quizzes

Codecademy have created a number of quizzes for you to test your retention of important Full-Stack concepts – while keeping your learning journey as fun and interesting as possible.

Community

The community feature you get with Codecademy is invaluable. No matter how thorough the educational material, it’s inevitable you’ll get stuck at some point.

That’s where the member forums come to the rescue. For any obstacle you run into, there will be someone who’s been there before and can share their insights with you.

On top of that, you can can create your own journal-type thread to document your progress with the Full-Stack curriculum.

The accountability and feedback you get from this community of peers can be most motivating and helpful.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The interactive UI is one of Codecademy’s strongest points
• The abundance of code challenges, quizzes and projects means your learning will never be passive, but always very hands-on
• The training is laid out very well, with lessons building on one another
• They’ve done a great job at combining guided learning with getting you to be more and more self-sufficient the further along you are in your journey to Full-Stack

Cons:

• Codecademy is mostly text- and code-based with few instructional videos. If you’re a very visual learner, it might not be best for you – check alternatives to Codecademy.
• The monthly Pro subscription is not necessarily cheap. If saving money is your prime concern, you might want to consider learning from free resources and tutorials instead.
• It doesn’t include one-to-one or group coaching calls or mock interviews, like a higher-priced online bootcamp would
• Codecademy’s certificate of completion is not equal to a cert from a higher education institution

Pricing

The Pro subscription required to access the Full-Stack Career Path will run you $29.99 monthly, or 20% less with yearly billing (23.99/month).

This is reasonable if you’re serious about putting in the work and getting to Full-Stack with a few months of focused study.

But it might be too much if you’re just looking to dabble in the topic, and you’re not going to spend that much time with the materials.

Compared to other platforms like Udemy, Codecademy is more expensive – but you also get a focused, multi-month curriculum. Considering there’s a whole module dedicated to interview prep, you could see the course as affordable.

Most stand-alone coding interview prep courses cost a similar amount, and they don’t teach you coding.

So whether the price is expensive or not depends on your goals and likely level of commitment.

7-day trial

Even if you’re not sure you want to stick with the Full-Stack Engineer Career Path for the long haul, you get the option to test-drive it for a week, entirely free.

That’s enough time to scan through the material – even complete the first few lessons – and see if it suits you and you can see yourself working with the training for the next few months.

Will it get you a job?

This course will not guarantee you a job as a Full-Stack Engineer.

What it will do is put you into a great position.

If you diligently completed the program, and created some unique portfolio projects all by yourself – that’s a good selling point to potential employers.

Of course, even after the training, you should keep sharpening and expanding your skills, and creating more and more real-world projects, preferably by joining forces with others as well.

The skills you’ve learned at Codecademy might be enough to land you a job – or it might take you more months of leveling up and getting your name out there.

Either way, you’re on a forward path of continuous improvement, and before long you’ll be able to break into professional development.

Final verdict – Do I recommend the Full Stack path?

In my opinion Codecademy is a great all-around option for learning Full-Stack development.

• They’ve nailed the step-by-step and interactive aspect, always motivating you to keep learning.
• The structure and the abundance of both guided and autonomous projects are excellent.
• The monthly price is fine if you’re actually using the platform a lot.

And while the certificate is not the same as a degree or bootcamp cert, it’s still valuable, especially if you’ve no work experience to show for.

Overall, I would recommend the Codecademy Career Path to anyone looking to seriously dive into Full-Stack development.

If you at any point feel it’s not challenging you enough, you can always add on other books and resources.

With any course, that’s a good idea anyway.

The post Codecademy Full Stack Engineer Career Path Review (2023) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Let’s dive into 8 other programming education online platforms giving Codecademy a run for their money:

Viable Alternatives to Codecademy

1. Edabit

Edabit is taking Codecademy’s approach a step further: It turns learning to code into a fun game which lets you collect XP, level up & unlock new features.

It doesn’t provide as many pre-determined learning paths as Codecademy, but instead offers a sheer endless amount of coding problems (10,000+) to keep you leveling up your programming game. Like Codecademy, you get an integrated IDE so you can input your code right there on the platform.

Pricing-wise, if you choose their highly discounted yearly plan, Edabit comes out cheaper than Codecademy’s Plus, and especially as their Pro tier.

Verdict on Edabit as a Codecademy alternative:

For complete beginners and young learners, I can recommend Edabit over Codecademy. It will get you started with the very basics, and it’s one of the most fun ways to learn coding. Sure, this is the same promise as Codecademy’s—but if you’re a complete newbie to programming, Edabit will cater to you even more than CC. 

You can read my review of Edabit here.

2. Udemy

When you compare Codecademy and Udemy, the biggest differences are style of teaching and content delivery. Udemy’s courses consist of mostly video lessons, while Codecademy is an interactive code-learning platform where you’re learning in a hands-on environment.

Udemy’s huge catalog covers even more programming languages and topics than CC does, at different levels from beginner to high intermediate.

One thing to keep in mind with Udemy trainings is their varying quality—which at Codecademy is consistent between all courses. Luckily, there’s a user rating system and search filter on Udemy, plus a solid money-back guarantee, all but eliminating the risk of picking a rotten apple of a course.

Verdict: Should you go with Udemy instead of Codecademy? 

Codecademy is a better platform to learn coding, but Udemy is superior if you want to pick and choose a resource or two as reference material, and spend a bit less money in the process.

3. OneMonth

Like Edabit, OneMonth is another education platform aiming to teach programming to complete beginners. It differs from Codecademy in that its courses don’t lead you to an intermediate or advanced level, but focus on getting you to learn to code as much as you can in just one month.

OneMonth’s lessons are in video format—as opposed to Codecademy’s code challenges that you need to complete in the built-in live editor.

What might make OneMonth a winner for you as an alternative to Codecademy is the personal feedback you can get on the platform. If you send in your homework after you’ve completed a lesson, they’ll get back to you with corrections and tips for further study.

Just like Codecademy, you’ll get a certificate of completion after you’ve successfully gone through one of their courses.

Verdict – is OneMonth a viable alternative to Codecademy?

Yes, OneMonth could be a great alternative option for you, especially if you:

• are a complete beginner
• prefer video lessons over reading & code challenges
• would like human feedback (vs AI-driven) on your progress

4. Coursera

Coursera’s higher learning content puts it in direct competition with Codecademy Pro’s Career Path options. If you’re looking for a Codecademy alternative that’s high-quality, in-depth, and reputable, Coursera could be your go-to platform.

Most of their courses are carried out in partnership with major universities and big tech companies, and you can get a certificate to prove to potential employers that you’ve completed a course with one of these prestigious entities. 

Verdict on Coursera as a substitute for Codecademy

Especially if you’re looking for deep dive specializations that get you closer to a career in Software Engineering, Coursera is a good option for you to try in place of Codecademy.

Code-learning might not be as hands-on and fun as with CC. But the quality instruction provided by the professors—plus the reputation conferred by their programs—are a major selling point for Coursera.

5. Datacamp

While Codecademy does have courses on Data Science, Datacamp is specialized in that field and offers different tiers of trainings to take you from beginner to professional Data Scientist. There’s also more videos inside Datacamp, making it a superior choice if you’re more into that style of learning. 

Datacamp is more expensive than Codecademy—this means it’s best for the most serious learners looking ready to invest more into gaining specialized skills. Accordingly, Datacamp’s instruction is excellent and in-depth.

Verdict on this Data Science-focused alternative

I can recommend you look into Datacamp if you’re looking to immerse yourself into Data Analysis and Data Science, and don’t mind spending more than with Codecademy to gain even more professional expertise.

6. edX

edX is a higher learning platform that also offers programs in Computer Science and programming. In that way it’s similar to Coursera.

In comparison to Codecademy, edX’ courses are of even higher quality. And because they’re carried out by the most prestigious universities, their certificates of completion are worth more than Codecademy’s.

While there are beginner-level courses on edX, it could be argued that CC’s approach—giving you bite-sized code challenges each step of the way—is superior if you’re a newbie to coding. On the other hand, edX’ sophisticated, university-level courses are better if you’re looking for advanced and professionally relevant programming knowledge.

Verdict – edX as a Codecademy alternative for professional development

edX are seeking to replace traditional college with online education at the same quality. If that’s what you’re after, be sure to check out their various Computer Science and Software Engineering courses.

7. ZeroToMastery

When comparing Zero to Mastery with Codecademy, the first thing you notice is that ZTM relies on video lessons to deliver the course content, as opposed to CC’s instructional texts and code challenges.

Content quality is excellent on both platforms: ZTM’s Andrei Neagoie is a reputable instructor with tens of thousands of satisfied students. Codecademy’s courses are created by a team of experienced Software Engineers, and are constantly being improved.

ZTM is more expensive than Codecademy. On the other hand, they do offer you a 30-day money-back guarantee, while at CC you only have the option to cancel your subscription if you end up not liking their courses.

Verdict – is ZTM a good replacement for Codecademy?

Yes, you could use Zero to Mastery in place of Codecademy to learn programming, and reach your goals similarly fast. In my view, which option you should choose mainly depends on whether you prefer video lessons, and if you need a built-in code editor (which ZTM lacks).

8. Code With Mosh

Code with Mosh is a potential Codecademy alternative especially for aspiring web developers.

Mosh is an expert coder with over two decades of experience. One criticism of his courses is that not all of them are up-to-date. Because he is a professional YouTuber, video quality of his trainings is excellent.

You can buy single courses, or do a monthly subscription to gain access to all 45 courses. The monthly fee is more expensive than CC Pro if you compare it to Codecademy’s yearly billing option.

Verdict on Code with Mosh as a Codecademy alternative

If you’d love to learn web development and other programming topics from an experienced instructor, in high quality videos, Mosh can be recommended as an alternative to Codecademy.

The best Codecademy alternative for interview prep: Interview Cake

Codecademy has a good coding interview prep course, but arguably there are even more in-depth alternatives out there.

My favorite when it comes to a balance between educational value and pricing—and that has a good reputation among job-seeking software engineers—is Interview Cake.

You get 50+ hand-picked coding questions, along with in-depth explanations and a live code editor to create your solution on site. You can also check out the detailed article I did on Interview Cake to learn more about its features, pros and cons.

The post 8 BEST Codecademy Alternatives in 2023 appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Quick verdict

Edabit’s fun learning experience makes it an ideal platform for beginner programmers. The tutorials are well-explained and easy to follow. Considering its enormous wealth of code challenges and its affordable pricing, I can recommend you try Edabit if you’re looking for a code-learning resource you can spend a lot of time with without paying too much money.

Quick Pros & Cons

Review of Edabit as a website to learn coding

Let’s have a more detailed look at what Edabit offers you on your journey to becoming a better programmer:

The features in a nutshell

• Edabit boasts 10,000+ code challenges of varying difficulty – from very easy to expert.
• For each step you’ve mastered, you get awarded XP to gain achievements and reach the next level.
• A code editor is built into the platform. You can create your code right there and you’ll never have to switch to another application while learning at Edabit if you don’t want to.
• You can check your personal performance to see how many challenges you’ve successfully completed.

Edabit’s advantages

• You can access the basic Python & JavaScript tutorials for free. 
• The platform offers coding problems in 8 different languages – chances are that your personal favorite language is included, too.
• You can take up to 15 code challenges before you have to get a subscription to continue. It’s nice to be able to try out the platform, its user experience and features before you have to commit to a membership.
• With the yearly plan, you save 75% on your membership. The monthly subscription is more costly than Codecademy, for example. But the heavily discounted annual fee makes Edabit the cheapest code-learning platform among all paid options.

Edabit’s disadvantages

• While you can use Edabit to prepare for coding interviews, it doesn’t provide a clear learning path towards interviews. Neither are there company-specific coding questions. If you’d want to prep with Edabit, it does offer you the possibility to create your own catalog of relevant code challenges. 
• Unlike at Udemy or Codecademy, there’s no certificates for completing a tutorial on Edabit. Yes, the value of those certificates is debatable. But for someone who doesn’t have any experience to include in their bio or resume, they’re still a nice feature.

User reviews

“I recommend Edabit over Codewars and Leetcode for beginners”

In a thread over at r/programming, Edabit is said to work better for a beginner coder than some alternative platforms.

“This is one of the better programmer resources I’ve review”

Youtuber Jon Vine liked Edabit as a way to learn coding with solving challenges one by one.

“Edabit is a great resource for those who know the basics, but are struggling to take next steps”

This reddit poster liked that Edabit allows him to practice the topics he’s still having problems with at a high rate of repetition. 

Is Edabit worth it? The final verdict

Yes, I conclude that Edabit is worth it for learning to code. Using a gamified platform that lets you progress step by step is better than trying to patch together your own learning journey from dry documentations all over the web.

In my opinion it’s worth investing a bit into having a more streamlined, motivating experience with curated code challenges at your command. Edabit also fares well against competitors like Codewars or Leetcode.

Bottom line: Edabit is worth it, especially for beginners (although you do find more advanced problems inside their huge challenge catalog as well).

FAQ

Is Edabit free?

Edabit is free to a point. You can use the site to do basic Python and JavaScript tutorials, as well as up to 15 code challenges, without having to pay. If you want to access their whole catalog of 10,000+ coding problems, though, you’ll have to buy a membership with Edabit. Learn more about what the platform has to offer inside this article.

The post Edabit Review (2023) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

Let’s have a detailed look at this training so you can decide if it’s right for you.

Is Udemy even good for coding interviews, though?

The coding prep at Udemy offers a simple, straightforward way to learn the main topics you’ll encounter in your interview. You’ll still want to be using the course alongside other resources and forms of practice – but the fundamentals it equips you with will play a big part in winning your coding interview.

How long will it take to go through the course?

The course contains 22 modules with almost 20 hours of video lessons and 53 articles. How long it’ll take you to complete depends on the work you’re doing to create the solutions. 

• If you only consume the content, you can be done within a week. 
• If you practice for an hour or more per day using the course material, it should take you between one and two months.

Who’s teaching it?

Andrei Neagoie is the founder of Zero to Mastery Academy and has taught almost a million students on Udemy alone, with an instructor rating of 4.6 / 5.

Quick Pros & Cons

The features of Udemy’s coding interview prep course

Let’s see what you’ll get from the course in exchange for a small investment.

Good instructional videos and a clear structure

Andrei presents the information well, in a way that’s easy to follow. And the modules are laid out in a logical way, so you can work your way through one topic after another.

Private online student community

As a coding prep student you can be part of one of ZTM’s communities that’s specific to this course. It’s helpful to be able to discuss any concepts you’re learning or exercises you’re struggling with, as well as get feedback on your own solutions.

Lifetime access

Unlike other interview preparation programs, once you’ve purchased the Udemy course, you get to keep it forever. No monthly or yearly subscription necessary to retain access.

Excellent refund policy

Should you end up not liking the training after all (or change your mind about a career in coding), you can ask for a full refund within 30 days of your payment. Unless you’ve already completed most of the lessons, you’ll get your money back without having to give a lengthy explanation.

Topics covered

This is exactly what’s inside Master the Coding Interview at Udemy:

How to get more interviews

I liked how the course starts out with tips for optimizing your resume, improving your developer portfolio, and when and where to hunt for jobs. This makes it into more than just Computer Science fundamentals/DSA training, and a more complete prep course. Pay special attention to the job-hunting & non-technical parts, because—as has been an important part of my message over the years—they do make or break your ability to get the best job for yourself.

Data structures

7 out of 8 data structures asked in coding interviews are covered: Arrays, Linked Lists, Stacks, Queues, Hash tables, Trees and Graphs (but not Heaps). Each is covered in 9 to 21 lectures with 30 to 96 minutes of instructional video.

Algorithms

Inside Master the Coding Interview, you’ll learn the following Algorithms: Sorting, Searching (Depth-&Breadth-First Search), Graph & Tree Traversal, Recursion and Dynamic Programming (but not Hashing Algorithms).

The behavioral part of coding interviews

In almost an hour of video lessons plus several exercises, you’ll prepare for the most frequently asked “cultural fit” and career experience questions asked during the non-technical part of Software Engineering interviews.

Negotiating an offer

Similarly, the instructor gives you advice on how to negotiate your offer or a potential raise. You’ll also learn how to handle multiple offers, as well as the other extreme—getting rejected from a job. 

Bonus: FAANG interview questions

To prepare you for an interview at Google, Facebook or Amazon, you also get a bunch of coding/interview questions most commonly asked at those companies.

Final verdict – is the Udemy coding interview course worth it?

Udemy’s Master the Coding Interview is a good option for studying the fundamentals of data structures and algorithms, as well as the non-technical aspects of programming interviews.

Especially if you’re looking to not spend too much money on any one interview preparation resource, this course could be for you. It’s perfect if you learn well with visual material, because most of the content is in video format.

Some caveats to consider are that this is a basic course (you need additional resources if you’d like to dive deeper), there’s no big library of code challenges (nor a feature to solve problems right on the platform), and that the instructor is using JavaScript for his demonstrations (with other languages provided as external links). 

If those aren’t dealbreakers for you, I’d suggest giving Master the Coding Interview a try — with Udemy’s 30-day money-back guarantee, you won’t be taking a financial risk if you do.

Alternatives

After reading this review, there’s a chance you’d prefer to keep looking for another platform to prepare for your coding interview. I’ve covered many coding interview courses on this site — here are two of the most relevant alternatives to Udemy’s program:

Interview prep with Codecademy

Udemy vs Codecademy

When comparing Udemy with Codecademy, Udemy is ahead when it comes to the instructional videos, and pricing. Codecademy shines with its interactive learning environment, offering a motivating step-by-step structure and a built-in code editor. In my view both courses are worth the money, and which one you should choose depends on your preferred learning style.

Interview Cake

Interview Cake is one of the most well-rounded code interview prep sites. It does go deeper into most topics than Udemy — but this is reflected in its much higher price (and it’s only available as a 3-month or yearly subscription). There’s also no videos inside Interview Cake, so the same conclusion regarding learning preference applies as with Codecademy vs Udemy.

The post Udemy’s Best Coding Interview Preparation Course – A 2023 Review appeared first on Simple Programmer.

The post How to Learn Programming (with a Simple 12-Step System) appeared first on Simple Programmer.

• Codecademy is one of the best sites to learn coding out there. It’s well-structured and the code challenges are motivating. 
• The platform teaches you hands-on coding skills – but you should still expect to do some of your own research and consult deeper resources like books to get the complete picture and master all aspects of programming.
• For a reasonable monthly fee, you’ll get access to all perks such as the more advanced courses & Codecademy’s certificates.

An honest review of Codecademy

If you’re not sure what Codecademy can offer you – and whether it’s the right code-learning website for you – then I hope my review of the platform will bring you clarity.

We’ll get into the features, the learning experience you’ll have while using it, as well as its pros & cons.

Let’s find out if it’s worth it to sign up with Codecademy to improve your coding skills.

Quick Pros & Cons

• Bite-sized coding challenges (read more)
• Offers many different languages (read more)
• Skill/career paths (read more)
• Built-in IDE (read more)
• Doesn’t focus on high-level concepts such as Software Architecture (read more)
• It’s less useful if you’re already very advanced (read more)

factors I considered for my rating

• Range of courses. I look at how many programming languages are offered, and how many skills and career paths you can take courses on.
• Beginner-friendliness. Some sites expect you to have pre-knowledge about certain Computer Science topics, while others allow you to start from zero with no experience required.
• Depth & quality of content. Do the courses go beyond the simple, and (once you’re ready) teach you advanced programming concepts? How good is the instruction?
• Platform features. Looking at things that improve your learning experience: Are there videos, illustrations, or a code editor, for example?
• Community. We deal with whether a community is included in your membership, and rate its quality.
• Motivating structure. A sensible, easy-to-follow content layout will earn you a good rating. If you use gamification so that I have more fun and want to keep learning, even better.

See the full rating below

How Qualified Am I to do this review?

In my decade+ as a professional Software Developer, I’ve learned over 15 programming languages to a level where I could teach others. This led me to create 55 code-learning courses myself.

I’ve gained knowledge of what it takes to get your students to learn a new language and actually retain the material.

In this review, we’ll figure out whether Codecademy holds up to that standard.

How You’ll learn with Codecademy – The Process

1. Just pick the language you’re interested in, and you’ll be able to take bite-sized courses to get you to your goal – from the very basics to lessons introducing you to more advanced features.
2. You’ll be taking quizzes throughout each course to make sure you’ve absorbed the knowledge.
3. And then you’ll complete real coding projects to turn your theoretical learnings into real-world results.
4. You can do this inside the built-in coding environment – which also gives you helpful hints, should you ever feel stuck.
5. Get a certificate to prove your skills to employers (optional)

What I loveD About COdecademy

These are the 5 main reasons why I recommend the site over most others out there.

1. Accessibility of the coding courses

Starting with the free introductory courses, Codecademy holds true to its promise of teaching you a new programming language from the ground up.

You then progress step by step into more advanced subjects.

This means that even as a beginner you won’t get overwhelmed by a tutorial that’s too complex for you to follow at your current stage. 

2. Skill paths to get to expert level

What if you want to not just learn a new programming language, but master a whole field, like Web Development, for example?

Then I recommend you take one of Codecademy’s 12 career paths (you can pick between anything from Data Analyst to Front-End Engineer to iOS Developer), or/and one of 45 skill paths, such as Building Web Apps with Python or Passing the Technical Interview with Java. 

These include multiple courses with dozens of lessons for if you seriously want to level up your programming career.

3. The live code editor

At most other websites teaching you coding, you need to switch to a local development environment if you want to put what you’ve learned into actual code.

Fortunately Codecademy spares you this effort: An IDE is built right into the platform, so you can build and run your code side by side with the lesson you’re studying. My experience has been that this feature saves you some mental bandwidth and makes your code-learning more efficient.

4. The coding projects

My belief is that programming newbies learn more – and faster – when they start solving real-world problems as soon as possible.

Codecademy’s creators seem to be on board with this opinion: For each major feature of the language you’re learning, you’re going to create a simple piece of software to immediately put it all into practice.

They’re not lying when they call their courses “a hands-on learning experience.”

5. The community forums

I find Codecademy’s forums are a great feature for several reasons:

• If I, despite the hints from the platform, am unable to solve on of the challenges, I can turn to my peers to help me out
• You can post your personal projects and get valuable feedback on them
• It’s cool to follow others’ code-learning journeys or/and be inspired by their stories

Coding can sometimes be a lonely experience, so the ability to connect with like minds who are on the same path is more than welcome.

What I Didn’t Love About The Platform

Like all courses on how to code available today, Codecademy also has its disadvantages.

These are the 3 main cons I’ve found with the site:

1. Limited instruction on debugging

Codecademy’s code editor doesn’t include a debugger. Neither is debugging a big topic inside the courses.

There’s one video, a blog article, one lesson inside a JavaScript course and one complete course on debugging for Java on their website. You have to seek out this information separately.

2. Not the best for learning high-level concepts

The platform is aimed at giving you coding challenges to quickly create working code. While Codecademy is great at teaching you the language syntax and coding hands-on, it doesn’t deal much with theory and meta-concepts.

If you want to learn clean code principles or software architecture, for example, you need to consult other books or courses. In their defense, they do have one course on software design principles.

3. Few videos, mostly text-based

Codecademy’s courses are not instructor lectures in video format. If you prefer this kind of learning style, you’ll have to look for an alternative platform to learn coding.

Instead you get code challenges with some explanations and helpful hints, as well as additional resources and community support.

Most people like the courses’ straightforward nature, but for some, the very limited use of videos could be a dealbreaker.

Codecademy’s Best Courses

With over 50 million users since 2011, an tens of thousands of active Pro level subscribers, they’re the most popular code-learning platform out there.

Codecademy’s most popular courses are:

• Learn Python 3
• Learn HTML
• Learn JavaScript
• Learn Java
• Code Foundations
• Full-Stack Engineer Career Path

Let’s dive deeper into some of the best courses available on Codecademy’s website.

Coding fundamentals courses

Codecademy’s best courses to start learning to code:

Code Foundations Skill Path

This skill path comprises 5 different courses to teach you crucial programming concepts and gets you started writing simple code yourself.

After going through the 2-week program, you’ll have:

• a good overview of what programming is
• knowledge about a coding career
• an idea of which languages are relevant to what you’re trying to achieve
• developed some coding skills you can put to use right away

Learn the Command Line

In this 8-hour course, they teach you essential command line skills for coders. While you could figure these out by reading the official documentation, googling, and trial & error, I find it’s more efficient to use this short, structured course to achieve mastery over the command line. 

It’s an essential skill you’ll need many times during your programming career.

Python

Foundational Python courses at Codecademy:

Learn Python 3

Like with all of Codecademy’s coding courses you’ll start off creating “Hello World” during your first lesson in the popular language Python.

Then you’ll learn foundational skills such as if/else statements, lists, loops, functions, and more.

By the end of the 25-hour program, you’ll be well versed in the basics of Python – having completed 13 hands-on code challenges yourself – and ready to start creating your own programming projects in Python 3.

Learn Data Structures and Algorithms with Python

This course will help you take your programming skills to an intermediate level. Data structures and algorithms are fundamental elements in coding, and Codecademy’s lessons teach them to you in the most practical manner:

While you’re reading about these concepts, you’re implementing them at the same time in your language of choice, Python.

Web Development

The best way to start as a Web Developer on Codecademy:

Learn HTML (free)

In 6 lessons taking just 9 hours to complete, you’ll learn the programming language that gives life to any website. The course has you working on a project soon after a quick introduction to the standards and features of HTML.

You’ll also learn how to create tables and forms while you’re quizzed on your studying progress. I recommend this course if you want to get started building websites quickly and for free.

Build a Website with HTML, CSS and GitHub Pages

This intermediate course includes three website projects you’ll build from scratch to completion.

It takes you from beginner to advanced instruction in HTML and CSS, and teaches you how to build websites on your computer, and then publish it on GitHub Pages to use it as part of your Web Developer portfolio.

The Build a Website skill path includes 9 courses with 18 lessons.

Career paths

Codecademy’s best coding career courses:

Full-Stack Engineer

The Full-Stack Engineer career path is a 51-course, 169-lesson beast of a specialization program. It takes 6 months to complete and will take you from coding beginner to someone proficient in programming fundamentals, as well as multiple frameworks and languages.

You’ll learn Web Development, Back-End Engineering (including how to work with databases), Data Structures and Algorithms, and more. Upon completion you’ll have created three different projects, and you’ll be able to acquire your Full Stack Engineering certificate.

iOS Developer

This beginner-friendly program will take you through 26 courses with 51 lessons. You’ll be using Swift and SwiftUI to build mobile apps for iOS.

After learning all necessary languages, frameworks and concepts for building a functioning app (with hands-on projects), you can even practice interview problems to prepare yourself for a career as an iOS developer.

Codecademy’s course is well-structured, easy to follow, and can compete with most iOS development career courses available today.

Membership options – Free vs Plus vs Pro

Codecademy offers you three different tiers for your code-learning journey:

Learn code basics for free

The most basic courses on Codecademy are free – and there’s 42 of them on the platform. You can learn around 20 languages without paying a penny (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, SQL; Python 2, C, C++ and many more).

In addition, you can take courses on frameworks and other topics like an intro to Data Science, for example.

The free courses are shorter and less involved than the paid ones – they’re meant as an introduction, with the option to upgrade to a membership if you want to get more serious about improving your coding skills.

The Plus membership has all courses plus projects & certificates

If you’d like to go beyond the beginner (and the few intermediate) courses of the free level, Codecademy’s Plus membership could be for you. You’ll get access to all courses, including the hands-on projects and practices.

What’s missing from Codecademy Plus is the extensive career path courses and career certificates, as well as code challenges and interview prep material.

Codecademy Pro – the all-access pass with career specializations and code challenges

The Pro level is for serious learners who are striving towards a career in computer programming.

The differences to Codecademy Plus are that it’ll give you access to up to 6 months long career deep dives, code challenges, assessments for job readiness, and technical interview prep courses: 

On top of that, you can take exams to earn a professional certificate for one of 6 career paths, such as the Full Stack Engineer or Data Scientist programs.

And then you can use the career services included in Codecademy Pro to connect with tech companies that are hiring for your job description.

Annual billing saves you 20 percent

Like on most code-learning platforms you get a big discount if you’re willing to forgo the monthly option. Committing yourself for 12 months of learning to code with Codecademy will save you around 20% on your membership fees.

Reviews by Codecademy alumni

I’ve scoured popular communities online to give you a range of opinions from its alumni on how valuable Codecademy is for learning to code.

• On average, people’s experience with Codecademy seems to be positive – especially the courses’ beginner-friendliness, motivating structure, and hands-on nature have earned praise.
• The most frequent criticism was that if you’re already an advanced programmer, you’ll only get limited value out of most of their programs.

The verdict at Reddit

Many Redditors advise you to start with Codecademy’s courses if you’re a beginner, but also supplement it with other resources once you hit the intermediate stage and begin coding your own projects:

What Redditors liked:

• Reviewers on Reddit appreciated the bite-sized lessons you get on Codecademy, which will get you coding fast even as a complete beginner.
• The platform was recommended for learning the syntax and fundamentals of a programming language in a structured and motivating manner.

The main criticisms at Reddit:

• Some commenters found that Codecademy throws you into projects too fast.
• In addition, going through the lessons once did not mean you’ve fully mastered the subject – they needed to go back and review some parts again as they’re working on their own projects.

There was also disagreement with using the live code editor for everything: Some prefer to practice setting up an environment locally and compiling your code there.

What Quora’s community is saying about Codecademy’s courses

Most members agree that CC’s courses are good for beginners learning their first programming languages, and report they’ve been working well for themselves:

Quora commenters liked these Codecademy features:

The structure and user experience were among the features most praised by CC alumni:

These negatives were mentioned:

Some Quora members had criticism of Codecademy’s chunked-down, simple approach. They argue it doesn’t teach you “big picture” problem-solving.

And this is a weakness of gamified code-learning platforms in general.

Expect them to simply be a tool in your toolbelt – any serious programmer should also consult books and other sources to complement his journey to code mastery.

Team Blind members’ review of the site

There were a few comments about Codecademy at teamblind.com as well. Here’s what one user had to say:

Summary of my course rating

CODECADEMY RATING:

     4.3/5

Range of courses

With 20 coding languages, and over 300 courses in total, Codecademy covers a wide variety of programming topics.

They’re hands-on skill paths – if you’re looking for theoretical deep dives, a more college-like course will be better for you.

Beginner-friendliness

The courses are great for beginners. They do hold your hand and get you coding fast. And if you get stuck, the platform will give you hints to help you out.

CONTENT Depth&quality

Codecademy’s lessons are designed well. Their explanations are sensible and easy to follow. The fundamentals courses aren’t teaching many deeper concepts (but CC have been adding more advanced courses to their catalog.)

Platform features

The attractive user interface, built-in code editor, and clearly arranged course dashboard are positive features of the website. You get additional resources for most topics.

One thing lacking is more video lessons inside the courses.

Community

If you ever get stuck on a problem, want to document your progress, or share in others’ journey to learning coding, Codecademy’s forum community comes in handy.

While it doesn’t offer as much peer bonding as a cohort-based course with group calls, it’s nice to have this social aspect added into the platform.

Motivating structure

This is where Codecademy shines most: The bite-sized nature of the lessons with built-in tests and assessments motivate you to keep going. It’s like you’re playing a game, solving progressively harder challenges.

This structure is perfect for a coding beginner who wants to avoid overwhelm while learning his first language(s).

Final verdict – is Codecademy worth it?

• After looking at their platform in detail, I can recommend Codecademy. Especially if you’re just getting started, want to write your first code ASAP, and start completing small tangible projects. They have a wide range of courses to choose from, and they’ve kept adding more topics over time.
• Will completing a course or two make you into a complete programmer? No. But that’s too much to expect and something you won’t get from any one code-learning website.
• I’s a great place to learn the fundamentals – in a well-structured way that motivates you to actually stick with your goal of learning a new language or coding career.

The Plus & Pro memberships give you access to many more courses and features. 

If you’re curious about Codecademy, but still on the fence about paying for a membership, you have the opportunity to try either the Plus or Pro tier free for 7 days.

The post Codecademy Review – The Best Code-Learning Site in 2023? appeared first on Simple Programmer.

CC are specialists at programming instruction. Since 2011, they’ve been teaching 50+ million students. They keep improving their platform, adding new features, and growing their catalog of courses.

Still, they’re not perfect, and for some people, another learning site might be better.

Can Udemy be a viable alternative to Codecademy?

Let’s find out.

Quick verdict

CODECADEMY

CC is best for you if: 

• You want to be hand-held through a coding course
• You want everything in one place & create your code on-site
• You want to focus on career advancement

UDEMY

Udemy is best for you if:

• You’re a self-learner and prefer to pick & choose your resources
• You’re looking to save the most money
• You love video instruction

Quick comparison

Content Quality

Codecademy

Codecademy’s courses have been refined for many years by a team of experienced Software Engineers who are creating the course materials.

Every program is laid out to teach you exactly what you need at the current stage.

Content quality is consistent across all courses. 

Content Quality

Udemy

While many courses on Udemy are excellent, overall the quality can be hit or miss.

This is because there’s so many different instructors and barrier to entry is low.

Udemy’s review and rating system helps you navigate and pick a good program.

Skill Paths

Codecademy

The learning paths comprised of multiple courses, projects and assessments are one of Code- cademy’s best features.

Beyond that, they offer 12 multi-month career paths that prepare you for a job in different Software Engineering fields.

Skill Paths

Udemy

Udemy doesn’t have skill paths – only individual courses. Some are larger and aim to make you a specialist in a whole field, but they’re still not as exhaustive and intense as the full career paths on Codecademy. Thus Udemy is better for picking a course that teaches you more isolated skills.

Projects

Codecademy

Each Codecademy Pro course includes multiple projects to put what you’ve studied into practice. You can create your code right inside the platform using their built-in coding environment.

Projects

Udemy

Only some of Udemy’s courses feature projects as part of their curriculum – it depends on the course publisher. You need to build your projects outside of Udemy using an external code editor.

Community

Codecademy

The community forums on Codecademy are useful if you’re ever stuck on a problem and need help from your peers. You can also share your own learning journey or follow along with others’ progress for inspiration.

Community

Udemy

Udemy lacks a built-in forum for students, so going through their courses is mostly a solitary affair. At least a few instructors are offering their students a separate, private community to go along with their courses.

Pricing

Codecademy

Codecademy’s monthly Pro membership is neither super cheap nor prohibitively expensive. If you’re serious about studying and/or have professional ambitions as a programmer, it’s a reasonable investment.

The yearly option gives you a significant discount on your membership fees.

Pricing

Udemy

Prices for Udemy courses vary from free, to cheap, to medium-priced. The many low-cost options make it a good choice if you want to just dip your toes into a topic while spending a lot less money than you would elsewhere.

Its affordable prices and many opportunities to score a bargain are Udemy’s biggest plus.

Inside this review

My method of comparing Codecademy and Udemy

My background

I’ve worked as a Full-Stack Software Engineer, Software Consultant, and an online instructor in the field of computer programming for over a decade. 

During my career I’ve learned 15 programming languages to a level where I could teach others – which has led me to create 55 courses at a popular code-learning website.

The metrics I’ve used for this comparison

To establish which platform is superior between Udemy and Codecademy, I’ve looked at the following:

• Content range, depth & quality
• User experience
• Real-world applicability
• Community
• Price-performance ratio

How I’ve determined the ratings

I’ve taken several Software Development/Computer Science courses on Udemy. And I’ve gone through some of the skill paths in Codecademy Pro – so I can give a real review & qualified comparison of both platforms.

Udemy and Codecademy Do learning Differently

The biggest difference between Udemy & Codecademy is how the courses are presented – and most people will prefer one style over the other:

Huge course menu vs selected skill paths

Udemy has over 10,000 Software Development courses vs Codecademy’s 100+. This means there isn’t a topic you can’t find a training on.

But it’s also up to you to separate the wheat from the chaff. Using their filters, reviews and ratings, you’ll need to judge whether each course is actually worth your time and money.

Codecademy’s aim is to provide a streamlined education in a smaller number of topics (even then, they do cover a lot of ground!). You don’t have to search for long until you find what you want to study.

And the courses are consistent in their quality, because they’ve been created by the same team.

Learning through videos vs with coding tasks

Most of Udemy’s courses consist of classic video lectures: The instructor is explaining the course topics by means of whiteboard presentations or screenshare videos.

Codecademy’s approach is different:

While there are articles to read and resources to go through, the bulk of each program is formulated as written instructions accompanied by relevant code snippets. 

You’re then tasked with executing each piece you’ve learned about via CC’s own code editor that’s always visible in a split-screen view.

Both ways have their pros and cons:

• If you like to treat a coding course as simply something to take in information from, and to refer back to if needed, then Udemy is a good addition to your resources.
• Codecademy is for you if you want to check off each step – like in a game that gets progressively difficult – while you code your way to a finished program.

Course examples from both platforms

To get a glimpse into what courses at the two education websites look like, check out some examples below.

A few of the best classes at Udemy

The Complete JavaScript Course 2023: From Zero to Expert!The most popular course on JavaScript with a rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Over 69 hours of content (in 320 lectures) it’ll take you from beginner status all the way to proficiency in JavaScript. To get cheaper access to the course, wait for one of Udemy’s frequent discounts or subscribe to the affordable monthly plan. 

Unreal Engine 5 C++ Developer: Learn C++ & Make Video Games

Udemy has some great courses on game development, and this is one of the best available on their platform. It teaches you C++ from the ground up and has you create your first game using the popular Unreal Engine.

Algorithms Data Structures in Java #1 (+INTERVIEW QUESTIONS)You can even use Udemy to prepare for your coding interview in different languages. With this training, for example, you’ll learn data structures & algorithms and apply your new knowledge by solving interview questions using Java.

Codecademy Pro’s best and most popular courses

Learn Python 3Learn Python 3 is the most popular language course inside Codecademy Plus/Pro. It takes you from beginner to intermediate in a fun, gamified way. If you want to start your coding career by learning a language that’s both easy and popular, on a challenging and motivating platform, check out this course included in Codecademy’s paid tiers.

Machine Learning BasicsWhen you hop on the Machine Learning trend, consider taking a training that makes it easy to start – because ML can be a tough topic. Codecademy breaks it down into manageable chunks for you, so you won’t get frustrated by its complexity.

The Complete Full-Stack Engineer Career PathWant to dive into a full-on career in Software Engineering? Codecademy aims to get you there within 6 months.

You’ll learn Front- and Back-End web development as well as Algorithms & Data structures (including thorough interview prep) over the course of 51 modules – putting you well on your way to a Full-Stack Engineering position.

User experience at Udemy and Codecademy compared

Udemy’s courses are comprised of at least 50% instructional videos. You could see this as a major selling point for the platform.

Some of the shorter courses consist of just one longer video or a few shorter ones. But with most you also get written explanations and in many cases, downloadable materials.

This means the experience of going through their courses isn’t a dry experience. It’s also easy enough to navigate the material. Overall, Udemy’s UX is nothing special – but there’s also not much to complain about. It’s decent.

As a dedicated code-learning platform, Codecademy’s UI has some unique features (like the split-screen code editor). Another unique selling point is the course layout with the bite-sized code challenges.

You can tell the course creators have put much thought and effort into building out its structure in a logical and motivating way.

I’m rating the user experience at Codecademy as superior to Udemy.

The best features of Codecademy vs Udemy

These are the pros of each platform:

Codecademy

12 specializations giving you a deep dive into a new career path

Udemy

10,000+ Software courses & 200,000+ other courses to choose from

Strong interview prep material – a real alternative to dedicated coding interview platforms

Does better than CC on topics such as Software Design, Software Architecture & Clean Code principles

Codecademy Go app to take your code study mobile. Use breaks in your day to keep improving

Cheaper on average than Codecademy, plus they have frequent promotions for many courses

Gamified platform makes learning more fun

(Mostly) real reviews to judge course quality

Frequent assessments so you always know where you’re at

Lifetime access to your purchased courses vs CC’s subscription model

Personalized practice has you drill on your exact weaknesses, so you’re never in the dark about your ability.

Many instructors offer bonuses such as e-book downloads or private communities

Practice & portfolio projects to solidify & show off your skills. A more practice-oriented approach.

Trainings on trending topics are produced more quickly than at Codecademy.

You’ll get access to a student-exclusive job hunting platform. You can apply for relevant positions or wait for recruiters to reach out to you.

Udemy has a generous 30-day refund policy. If you don’t like the course you’ve bought, you’ll get 100% of your money back.

Helpful forum to ask for assistance & mingle with peers

The disadvantages of each site

The perfect code-learning website doesn’t yet exist. So there’s bound to be negatives to these two platforms as well.

Here are the cons I’ve found with both Codecademy and Udemy: 

Negatives of Codecademy

• If you’re after a full-on bootcamp experience to maximally level up your career, there’s even more intensive & effective platforms than Codecademy out there (but they’re also much more expensive).
• If you just want to get your feet wet but don’t want to go full on into learning to code right now, the monthly cost might be too much of an investment.
• If you’re already quite advanced in your programming skills, many of CC’s courses might not challenge you enough.
• Codecademy’s certificates are not officially accredited, so in some cases they won’t add much value to your resume.

Negatives of Udemy

• Some of Udemy’s content is outdated, of low quality, or occasionally even a complete rip-off. Before you buy a course, make sure to vet it carefully by checking the reviews. Thankfully Udemy has a generous refund policy – so in the worst case you’ll have wasted time and effort, but not money.
• Udemy’s certificates aren’t accredited either. Just like Codecademy’s, they only make sense to put on your resume if you’re interviewing for an entry-level position.
• The cost can still add up even though many individual courses are cheap. And if you’re planning to take multiple more involved bootcamps or masterclasses, a Codecademy membership could come out cheaper than spending $60+ each time you start a new program at Udemy.
• You can’t save the courses for offline training. Udemy also doesn’t have a mobile app for coding training on the go.
• Video lectures can encourage passivity. While many of the course videos are of high quality, the format isn’t as motivating as Codecademy’s. Be wary of falling into “consumer mode”, only watching the videos without putting your learnings into practice. That way you’ll retain a lot less than if you’re coding right alongside the lessons.

Instructors

At Codecademy the course contents are created by a team of experienced:

• Product Managers,
• Curriculum Managers & Developers,
• and Software Engineers.

The materials are of high quality, and any bugs reported about the platform are being fixed.

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The post Codecademy vs Udemy – Who wins in 2023? appeared first on Simple Programmer.

This is what Codecademy is offering their Plus/Pro members. But are these certs actually worth the time, effort, and money you’ll spend on them? 

Let’s explore the pros & cons of getting a Codecademy certificate – and of showing it off to potential employers.

Are Codecademy certificates legit?

This is a common question – and a valid one, seeing as Codecademy is a privately-owned website teaching you coding, as opposed to a higher education platform offering college-level courses.

Codecademy as a company is legit

As a code-learning website, Codecademy is definitely legit: Since 2011 it has acquired over 50 million users,  of which tens of thousands are currently subscribed to Codecademy Pro. The company was bought for $525 million in 2021, and is doing over $59M per year in revenue.

There’s no doubt the company itself is reputable and legit.

The certificates aren’t “officially accredited”

Codecademy’s certificates are legit in the way that they hold some value for potential employers – they’re not useless in the real world.

But, they’re not accredited by universities or education departments. As a result, you shouldn’t expect a Codecademy certificate to open as many doors for you as a completed accredited college course would.

It’s a nice-to-have (especially as a junior programmer) – no more, no less.

See all courses with certificates at Codecademy

How valuable is a Codecademy certificate in the real world?

Let’s look at the real-world value of these certificates in detail.

Are Codecademy certificates worth anything, then?

In the right context, yes, they’re worth something.

In case of the certificates of completion, you’ve shown that you can see a course through to the end, for which you had to have entered the correct solutions to dozens of coding problems. For Codecademy’s professional certification, you had to display intermediate to advanced expertise in order to pass the exam.

A smart recruiter or hiring manager will appreciate the knowledge and skills you’ve gained, as well as the work ethic you’ve had to apply to get the certificate. 

The caveat

Being certified by Codecademy with the title of Full-Stack Engineer, for example, doesn’t hold as much weight as the same title acquired from a (live or online) university program.

These programs are even more in-depth than Codecademy, taught by PhD-level instructors, and their exams are monitored more rigorously. Thus, employers see more value in the latter – and it makes perfect sense.

Examples of success found through certification

On their website, Codecademy cite the story of Bobby Hutter, who first got recruited to interview as a QA Tester simply because he put several of his CC certificates on his LinkedIn profile.

For whom is it most worth it?

If you’re just switching careers from a somewhat unrelated field, and you lack experience in a programming job, a certificate can be a powerful way to show you’ve got more expertise in the area than your work history suggests.

In this case I’d encourage you to get a Codecademy certificate (or even better, more than one) and show it off on your LinkedIn, your professional website if you have one, and on your resume as well.

Get Codecademy certified

Should you always put your Codecademy certificate on your resume, then?

If your other achievements listed on your resume aren’t earth-shattering, a Codecademy certificate is a good addition. You can then refer to this point during your interview, going into detail about what you’ve learned from the experience.

But – you don’t always need to put your certificates on there. This applies if you’re already a seasoned programmer, you’ve created finished software for yourself and for clients, and have worked for a number of years at a reputable company in the field.

Then displaying a simple Codecademy certificate on your resume could actually work against you:

They’re a way for entry-level programmers to prove some expertise – but a veteran coder is expected to have risen way above what’s required to gain one of these certificates.

Now it would serve to raise questions about how qualified you really are for a senior role, instead of looking more impressive to your potential employer. 

Bottom line: Think about the level of job you’re applying to, and what impression a Codecademy certificate on your resume would convey in that context.

Codecademy certificates’ value compared with other certifications

When comparing Codecademy’s with other certs available on the market, you’ll find:

• some of similar value, 
• some more powerful certifications, 
• and slightly inferior ones.

Codecademy certificates vs Coursera certificates

Just like Codecademy’s, Coursera certificates are also not officially accredited. Thus, the value of both is about the same.

In this case it’s more about the topic and complexity of each individual course than about the general value of the platforms’ certificates.

edX certificates

edX’ courses are usually more involved than Codecademy’s, and many of them are carried out with partner universities. In select cases, you can use your certificate to apply for college credits.

In that sense a certificate from edX might hold slightly higher value than one from Codecademy – but it’s still not equal to completing a fully accredited certificate at an official higher education institution.

Keep in mind that edX’ certificates are also not free and will cost between $50 and $2000 depending on the level of course you’re taking.

Codecademy vs Udemy certificates

Because of Udemy’s reputation as an affordable platform with many entry-level courses of varying quality, it can be argued that a certificate from Codecademy – a dedicated code-learning site with a higher standard across all their materials – is superior.

See the full comparison of Codecademy vs Udemy.

Bootcamp certificates

Certificates from in-person or online coding bootcamps are also not officially accredited, just like Codecademy’s. But the bootcamp cert holds more value because it takes more immersion, intensity and demonstrable expertise to attain.

Accredited certificate programs vs Codecademy

These certificates can only be attained at universities, institutes, or tech giants like Microsoft, for example. These are a valuable addition to any resume, and worth much more than any certificate from Codecademy or a similar learning platform.

Is it still worth it?

As we’ve established, a Codecademy certificate is worth it for all but the most experienced Software Engineers.

If nothing else, getting certified by an external party like a code-learning website will increase your confidence, because you’ve proven to yourself that you can become proficient in a new skill by working hard on it over a period of time.

You could argue that the money you’re spending to achieve that is worth it, no matter how prestigious the certificate is in the eyes of others.

Cost of a Codecademy certificate

Getting certified on Codecademy is relatively cheap. You’ll only need to be a paid subscriber for a few weeks or months – as long as it takes you to complete your course of choice.

With their affordable monthly fee, you’re looking at a cost of between a minimum of ~$20 to $200 at most, and on average about $60. 

How do you even get a Codecademy certificate?

Only paying Codecademy Plus or Pro members can gain certificates of completion – but you will still be able to access them after your membership has expired. 

Here’s how it works:

1. Sign up for Codecademy Pro
2. Pick one out of the many courses offering certificates of completion
3. Alternatively, start one of the career paths with professional certificates
4. Successfully complete all lessons, assignments and exams inside a course
5. For the career paths, you don’t necessarily need to complete all lessons, only pass the exams
6. Claim your certificate and download it inside the member’s area

Gain coding skills at Codecademy

Final verdict

A certificate from Codecademy is neither completely useless, nor is it of equal high value to everyone: 

• It can help you get discovered on job boards and LinkedIn
• Relevant real-world work experience and a strong coding portfolio are both more powerful than a certificate
• If you’re relatively new to your field, it’s helpful to prove you already have some expertise
• Conversely, if you’re a veteran in the industry, it doesn’t make much sense to add them to your resume
• It’s something you can add to your portfolio website as a cool bonus

Verdict: If you’re interested in learning any topic offered by Codecademy Pro, complete the course and get the certificate – it’ll be somewhat helpful to your career in almost all cases.

On the other hand, if you’re willing to make a serious investment into the most prestigious certificates available, opt for an accredited program at an established university instead.

See all courses with certificates at Codecademy

FAQ

Do you get a certificate from Codecademy?

Yes, as a paying member of Codecademy Plus, you can get certificates of completion for most of their courses, and with Codecademy Pro you have access to professional certificates from their specializations – such as the Full-Stack Engineer Career Path.

Are Codecademy certificates free?

Codecademy’s certificates are not free, but require you to be a paid subscriber to their Plus or Pro tiers, which will cost between $13.99 and $29.99 per month, depending on the plan you choose.

Can I show my Codecademy achievements on LinkedIn?

Yes, you can display any Codecademy certificate on your LinkedIn profile. There’s an option to add your achievements to LinkedIn directly from your Codecademy member area. Alternatively, you can do the same by clicking “Add profile section” in your LinkedIn account and entering the certificate there.

The post Are Codecademy Certificates Worth Anything? (The Truth) appeared first on Simple Programmer.