Dev Series
Best JavaScript MOOCs according to Reddit in 2023
As I begin my software engineering career, I am on the hunt for the best JavaScript tutorials and courses. And, being an impatient and obsessed human being, I am always looking for new and underrated resources that might be a bit different but yet effective. After countless searches on Reddit and Hacker News, I found the following resources as the most suggested and popular learning platforms.
_Disclaimer: I am in no way related to the authors/providers. And I paid for paid courses with my own money._
Just JavaScript by Dan Abramov (Paid)
Dan needs no introduction. Dan single-handedly created Redux in the early ages of React mania and is an expert in JavaScript. Dan created this course for people who want to build a robust mental model of the language and who are short on time. Here is what Dan has to say about the course,
Over the years, I’ve talked to hundreds of developers.
From checking their mistakes, I’ve learned that it’s not advanced topics that caused the most trouble. Their learning efforts were misplaced.
Most of their mistakes were due to misunderstandings in fundamental concepts like variables, values, objects, properties, and mutation.
But this is good news!
Face your misconceptions with no judgment.
A misunderstanding that could be fixed in ten minutes can cause problems for years. I had to stumble my way through them on my own.
You don’t have to repeat my mistakes.
Take a shortcut.
freeCodeCamp (Free)
freeCodeCamp needs no introduction. It is one of the largest repositories of programming tutorials and courses. I am going to share two certificates focused on JavaScript and front-end development.
Frontend Development Libraries
JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures
freeCodeCamp without a doubt is one of the most reputable learning platforms which is also widely regarded in the tech industry. So, if you want a beginner to an advanced front-end development path, this is for you.
Over the past couple of years, freeCodeCamp has been compared to resources such as The Odin Project and Codecademy due to its slow pace and excessive hand-holding. However, recently, FCC redid its website to offer a more comprehensive experience and people have nice thing to say about it on Reddit.
Honest opinion is dont be afraid to give a resource a shot just because it didnt work for someone else. There are so many resources out there, and not everyone learns or likes to learn in the same way….one persons best of all time can be anothers worst experience.
That being said, Im a huge supporter of FCC, cause it was the first thing I came across that actually helped me learn and put me on the track that helped me get to where I am now. The reason I love it, is the same reason some people dont. FCC doesnt hold your hand and do everything for you. Its not like following a tutorial or just plugging in whatever code it tells you to. It gives you a goal problem to solve, and is layed out in a way you have to do read docs and do research so when you complete a task, you actually understand what it is youre doing.
Also, the community is engaging and super welcoming and helpful…I made a goal when I started to give back, because I got so much help along the way. And I felt amazing the first time I was able to help someone else out. Teaching is also a great way to learn, because I would often look things up to get a better understanding while trying to help someone else out with a problem.
Im now coming up on 3 years in the industry, and literally…..everyone who asks about my path gets an earful about FCC, cause it really made a huge impact and means so much to me. And doesnt bother me at all if someone else totally hates it. Thats why there are so many different resources, and also why FCC encourages people to get their hands on other resources too…no one source is going to make everything you need to learn click in place.
So yeah, thats my opinion….give it a try, either you will like it, or you wont. But just cause someone else loves something doesnt mean its your only hope and feel discouraged if youre struggling, and just cause someone else hates it doesnt mean you should feel awkward for thriving. But you wont know unless you try….and I kinda feel like its worth it to at least try.
You can read more about it here on Reddit.
Full Stack Open by the University of Helsinki (Free)
The University of Helsinki is famous for being one of the most regarded educational universities in the world. Having the creator of Linux, Linus Torvalds among its alumni, the university has an open MOOC program that hosts a vast library of computer science courses. One of those courses is Full Stack Open which is mindblowing, to say the least. Here is what their website says about the course.
Learn React, Redux, Node.js, MongoDB, GraphQL, and TypeScript in one go! This course will introduce you to modern JavaScript-based web development. The main focus is on building single-page applications with ReactJS that use REST APIs built with Node.js.
It might not make sense to believe me, but let’s see what people on the subreddit r/learnjavascript have to say about this course.
Everything about it is gold. Every section has you wondering what’s next and wanting to keep going.
The University of Helsinki, the firm that developed the site and wrote the content, as well as the course lecturer did a great job there and i’m forever grateful.
I’ll make sure to send each party a Thank You message when i complete the course. Learning something like this at any University would cost thousands (hundreds of thousands if you’re from a third-world country like me). Yet, these guys are giving it away for free. In truth, some heroes don’t wear capes.
You can read more about the review here on Reddit.
The Odin Project (Free)
https://www.theodinproject.com/
Internet is powered by Open Source Software. This is a fact. The Odin Project has been a solid cornerstone in the open-source learning resource for web development. Here is what their website says about the project.
The Odin Project provides a free open source coding curriculum that can be taken entirely online. Since its inception, it has helped many students get hired as developers and has assisted countless others in learning enough programming to work on their own personal projects.
Founded in 2013 by Erik Trautman, The Odin Project is now sponsored by Thinkful, a new type of technology school that provides 1-on-1 learning through its network of industry experts, hiring partners, and online platform to deliver a structured and flexible education.
The Odin Project is maintained and continually improved by a team of volunteers, many of whom learned to code with us. Many find success from Odin Project’s curriculum because of its hands-on approach with learning and emphasis on building projects. The curriculum is meticulously curated to ensure the content is up-to-date.
Let’s see what Reddit has to say about it,
I have a number of coworkers who are Indian and have lived in the US for a number of years. There is this idea that if a lot of your friends are using some product, then you use it too. For example, they might all buy a similar brand of Canon SLR, or drink from a Contigo water bottle, or drive a Toyota Camry. It’s a short cut from research.
Once you dive into The Odin Project, are you really going to try half a dozen other courses to see if those courses, based on your beginner experience, are better than TOP? As a beginner, how would you even begin to decide? You hear recommendations, and you quit only when it doesn’t seem to work for you. If it goes good, you’re not doing Free Code Camp or 100devs.
It’s similar to how some people post to a university subreddit and say something like “I’ve been accepted to your university, and this other university, which should I pick?”. This is hard to answer because unless the person transferred between the two, they already picked the university they picked. They are totally guessing on how the experience at the other place it. Sure, if they hate it, maybe they wish they were at the other place, but then you still only get one person’s opinion. The best they can do is if they have friends that went to the other place, but even then, it’s hard to compare. You end up looking at rankings, and so forth.
But specifically, what I’ve heard is TOP doesn’t spoonfeed solutions to their assignments while some sites do. Free Code Camp recently redid their site (at least, so someone says) to address negative comments about how FCC was run, and make it more like TOP. Maybe over time, FCC will have more of a comeback, due to reputation just like TOP has gained that reputation.
Read more about it by following the links mentioned below.
The Odin Project is PHENOMENAL
Is the Odin project really that good?
The Odin Project still a good learning resource in 2022?
Why is everyone recommending The Odin Project?
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