Codecademy

[macfanrutler]

I just wanted to see if anyone had used any of the Codecademy Pro courses. I have taken some of their basic ones and have a pretty decent understanding of CSS, HTML, ASP Classic. But I need to work on my JavaScript and ReactJS skills. I see they have a pro course coming up but wanted to get an honest review.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rafark]

I've a lot of experience in this topic. My personal preference are always books over video courses as the later can never get into the details of a good book. Video courses are great for getting the big picture but if you truly want to understand a language go pick a good book.

I believe O reilly has a best seller on JavaScript that teaches you everything. If I'm not mistaken it's called "JavaScript the definitive guide".

 

[olup]

I just wanted to see if anyone had used any of the Codecademy Pro courses. I have taken some of their basic ones and have a pretty decent understanding of CSS, HTML, ASP Classic. But I need to work on my JavaScript and ReactJS skills. I see they have a pro course coming up but wanted to get an honest review.

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

What youtube channels have you checked out on those topics?
I can recommend leveluptuts and net ninja on js/react.
Also rithmschool has lots of material on js, some on react as well, see link below.


https://www.rithmschool.com/courses

 

[macfanrutler]

I've a lot of experience in this topic. My personal preference are always books over video courses as the later can never get into the details of a good book. Video courses are great for getting the big picture but if you truly want to understand a language go pick a good book.

I believe O reilly has a best seller on JavaScript that teaches you everything. If I'm not mistaken it's called "JavaScript the definitive guide".

I struggle with book when it comes to learning like this because I like to ask questions; Why does it work this way, etc. With a book that opportunity doesn't really exist. Unfortunately, a formal school just doesn't work right now because of my time constraints (I will most likely be doing this at 11pm once the kids and wife are asleep.)
[doublepost=1507555433][/doublepost]

What youtube channels have you checked out on those topics?
I can recommend leveluptuts and net ninja on js/react.
Also rithmschool has lots of material on js, some on react as well, see link below.


https://www.rithmschool.com/courses

I will definitely check on rithmschool to see what they are like. I haven't watched much on youtube on this, which is surprising because I watch it for just about everything else. I just never thought to use it like that. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Flood123]

"Javascript: The Good Parts"
https://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockford/dp/0596517742

Once you have powered through that this guys has some pretty decent material.
http://wesbos.com

Others might disagree with me, but i would absolutely get a grasp on your core vanilla JS skills before messing with any of the libraries. The jQuery library is interwoven with a lot of these online courses and in my opinion confuses the issue. Focus on your core JS skills and you will be much better for it. Libraries are great, but make sure you need them before complicating your project with dependancies that are unnecessary. There is always a flavor of the month library that all the dev's jump on. React, backbone, angular.... The list goes on.

 

[olup]

I struggle with book when it comes to learning like this because I like to ask questions; Why does it work this way, etc. With a book that opportunity doesn't really exist. Unfortunately, a formal school just doesn't work right now because of my time constraints (I will most likely be doing this at 11pm once the kids and wife are asleep.)
[doublepost=1507555433][/doublepost]

I will definitely check on rithmschool to see what they are like. I haven't watched much on youtube on this, which is surprising because I watch it for just about everything else. I just never thought to use it like that. Thanks for the tip.

Sure thing, leveluptuts and net ninja cover the basics of js/react, but don't go too in depth into the respective topics. Wes Bos, who someone mentioned has a series on React, that's supposed to be good, but I haven't bought/tried it personally

 

[JayBayAye8]

Codecademy's free options are enough to give you a frame of reference and let you know the lay of the land. Beyond that, I suggest personal projects or just doing what needs done as it comes up. This way its practical and pragmatic, and you remember it better because its being used in context. Then you're free to stretch the boundaries with the next project too, which is a bit more complex. Trying to swallow it all in one go is too much.

 

[philosopherdog]

I think their format is great because it’s so practice based. Reading books and video instruction are generally less effective. If you’ve used them for other courses and liked it I would do the pro version. It’s pretty cheap and if it doesn’t satisfy then just cancel.