Codecademy Review. Is it worth it?

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Elijah Trillionz

Codecademy is a popular online learning platform for coding. This article is going to review what it offers to make learning easy.

If you are not sure if Codecademy is still worth it, then this article is for you. It will help you navigate and get used to some of the great features of Codecademy.

I have always considered Codecademy as one of my favorites, maybe after reading this and after using it, you will too.

Feel free to navigate however you want.

Table of Content:

1. Codecademy Courses
2. Codecademy Learning Tools
3. Codecademy Projects
4. Codecademy GO (Mobile App)
5. Codecademy For Teams
6. Codecademy Blog
7. Codecademy for Students
8. Codecademy Articles
9. Codecademy Forum
10. Codecademy Pricing

1. Codecademy Courses

Codecademy courses span across 15 Computer languages, they are Java, Go, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, C#, Swift, HTML, CSS, Bash/Shell, Kotlin, PHP, and R.

They also have courses for frameworks and libraries like React, VueJS, React Native, NodeJS, Django, jQuery, etc.

Codecademy courses are well organized based on what part of programming (subject) you are into. For example web development.

The web development full package contains all you require to create a website (static or/and dynamic) and deploy it. Yes, deploy it. Codecademy have courses on how to deploy a website. Awesome right!.

Some of these web development courses include VueJS, jQuery, React, Deploying to Heroku, Netlify, Git, Command line, Django, JavaScript, Python, PHP, GitHub, NodeJS, etc. You see, it is a full package.

Not to worry, the courses above are not as scattered as I listed, they are well structured in terms of level. For example courses for beginners are kept in the beginners' section.

The good thing about Codecademy is that some of these courses are in form of projects. They are actually projects. For example, there is a course on Back-End Engineer and there is another on how to create a Back-End App. Cool right!

These courses are not very arranged in terms of roadmap or path. But Codecademy has a guide for Paths. Or if you want to be a web developer, I have made a guide in the form of a roadmap for you on my blog.

Other subjects in Codecademy are Data Science, Computer Science, Developer Tools, Machine Learning, Mobile Development, Web Design, Game Development, etc.

Above all, Codecademy offers courses on interviews in different languages. So you learn a skill, take quizzes, build projects, learn how to crush an interview all in Codecademy.

2. Codecademy Learning Tools

I will start this off by letting you know that each course has a structured module and lessons.

As a user, there is a syllabus for each course. And this syllabus has modules that each in turn have lessons, quizzes, and project(s).

These projects and quizzes are to test what you've learned from each module. They are only accessible to pro users. Also, there are exercises. We will talk more about this in a sub-section.

Exercises

Each lesson has an exercise (practice) at the end of it. It is meant for you to get more acquainted with what you learned from that lesson. You answer and preview your solutions with the Codecademy built-in text editor. (More on this to come).

Now each of these exercises is well broken down into steps for you to find it easy. You asked to get some things done one after the other. Though you can do it all at once if you want.

Note: These exercises are compulsory for you to move to the next lesson or project or quiz. But you may say, "What if I can't come up with a solution to the exercise".

When or if you get stuck, Codecademy provides a hint for each step (smaller units of the exercise), you can also get help from the Codecademy forum.

But if you're still stuck, then you can simply view the solution to the exercise. This option should be your last resort. Try to not make it your first option. With these three solutions, you can never get stuck for long.

Taking Breaks

Codecademy has a tool for taking breaks. It's a customizable timer. Taking breaks is essential for every human, so having a tool like this close to what you're using makes life easier and faster.

You can set it up in a way that reminds you when to take a break and also reminds or notify you when to resume learning.

Text Editor

Codecademy's built-in text editor is probably the best you will ever see in online learning platforms. It's the best have seen so far.

It is customizable, supports multiple files, supports syntax highlighting, supports autocomplete, file uploads.

Along with the text editor is a code preview which can act as a console, and a browser. The text editor and code preview are like that of Replit.

Keyboard shortcut

Tired of moving your mouse all the time? Not to worry because Codecademy provides a set of keyboard shortcuts to help you move around easily.

For example, submitting an exercises is ctrl(cmd) + Enter. When you hover over a button, a tooltip of that shortcut will be shown if it exists.

Staying focus

In this section, I am gonna talk about some of the features Codecademy provides for you to stay focused and consistent.

i. Goals:

Goals are activities that you set for yourself to accomplish. Could be recursive like weekly or even long-term. For each of these goals accomplished Codecademy will notify you.

ii. Progress Tracker:

Codecademy provides a tracker that tracks your progress on different courses. This tracker simply indicates how far you've gone in a course and how much more is left. Progress can also be easily reset with a click.

iii. Achievements:

For every goal, lesson, module, and course you complete, Codecademy stores it up as an achievement. Codecademy gives you badges that can serve as a source of encouragement and building confidence for you to stay focused.

Cheatsheet

Each module contains a cheatsheet for you to review, revise or run back to when needed. These cheatsheet are a summary of what you've learned from a module.

They include detailed explanations with code snippets. You can easily print or download them to your system.

Certificate of Completion

A certificate of completion is given to pro-users at the end of each course. How useful can this be during interviews? It may be a little bit useful but it is not needed. Not having a certificate doesn't stop you from applying to a company and getting the job right?.

See also: 20+ Places to Learn Programming for Free

3. Codecademy Projects

Codecademy projects can be very helpful, it usually comes after the completion of a module or as a course itself. It's learning a skill or a new thing and see how it is used in real-world applications.

It is through the application of what you've learned you can tell if you understood what you learned or not.

There is nothing as cool as applying what you learned into a real application or task. But how would one who is new to JavaScript promises know which projects one should do?

This is where Codecademy comes in. They give you a project to do and how to do it. These projects are related to the module you just concluded. I usually recommend trying to work on the project before checking how it was done.

Such acts give you an edge over your proposed progress. So you get the project idea from Codecademy and try to build it. If you're unable to get the project working, never get discouraged. At least you tried. Better to fail than to not try.

These projects are available to pro users only. Non-pro users only get to see the project idea.

4. Codecademy GO (Mobile App)

Codecademy GO is a Codecademy mobile app for Android and iOS users. This app helps you review and practice what you learn on the web, anywhere anytime.

"It brings learning, practicing and practicality via articles together into one place" - a Codecademy GO user.

5. Codecademy for Teams

Apart from individuals and students, Codecademy is available for teams. A company that wants to train its staff with a new skill can make use of Codecademy for Teams to do that.

With the Codecademy for Teams, Codecademy guarantees interactive learning, step-by-step guidance, proof of progress, and cutting-edge courses, with unlimited access to course content/

Not a lot of information on this from me, but what I can tell you is that it is not so expensive. At least that's what I thought. It costs over $200/seat (or staff) annually, with a minimum of 5 seats per company.

If Codecademy for teams is what they say it is, then the pricing is worth it.

6. Codecademy Blog

The Codecademy blog is an exciting resource for coding tips, recommendations, news, advice, etc.

They have a lot of good writers who are tech experts and they post every time. Never get to wait long for another article.

Some of these articles are backed up with videos for proper illustrations. The good thing about it is you don't need to be a Codecademy user before you have access to the blog. Everyone has access.

7. Codecademy for Students

So many things to talk about in Codecademy. Well here is yet another interesting thing about this online learning platform.

Codecademy provides a special offer (a lesser offer) for college students as well as special features. Eligible college students will have access to a course called CS101.

CS101 is an introduction to computer science. It consists of all the basics of programming like Functions, Variables, Loops, Arrays, etc. This course is a live-streamed course.

Also, Codecademy has recently partnered with Clever to give free pro memberships to high school classes in the United States.

Teachers are responsible for signing up their students. So far there are over 997 teachers using it. Cool stats. Because it is free, some of the great features of Codecademy are not present. Like the progress tracker.

8. Codecademy Articles

Feel like you didn't really understand what you learned from a module or course? Well, Codecademy articles will help you out.

They are in-depth explanations about concepts that you learned from a module or course. They span across the 15 languages and subjects Codecademy offers (mentioned above).

Articles can serve as a pre-study or post-study. You can read articles before studying a module or read articles after studying a module. Articles can help both ways.

How would you like to know the 10 Essential Web Development tools and their alternatives used by developers everyday?.

9. Codecademy Forum

Not as popular as other forums. But it doesn't fail to help you. With the Codecademy forum you can get help for coding problems, relate with the community, make friends, provide solutions to other people's problem.

The Codecademy forum is mostly used when students get stuck at exercises or projects while learning with Codecademy.

10. Codecademy Pricing

Codecademy has a very generous plans for its subscribers. There are three plans, the first is for free, the second is with a small token and the last is for teams which we already made mention of.

Free Forever (Basic Plan)

What you get:

With this plan, you can access all basic courses, get support. You also get access to mobile practice but it is limited thereby making the app almost useless.

What you don't get:

The basic plan doesn't give you access to pro features. Some of which are projects, quizzes, members-only content, certificate of completion, unlimited mobile practice, etc.

Considering learning a coding skill? Have you considered a laptop suitable for coding yet?

Not to worry, here are cheap recommended laptops for coding.

Pro

What you get:

Pro users have access to everything the basic plan offers and additionally have access to

• Unlimited mobile practice,

• Members-only content,

• Real-world projects,

• Quizzes,

• Step-by-step guidance,

• Certificate of completion,

• and a pat on your back.

What you don't get:

Nothing. You already have everything, except features for teams.

Pro members are billed yearly paying $19.99/month. With this, you save $240. You can choose to be billed monthly at $39/month.

The choice is yours, but why should you pay for a year when you can complete a skill or your desired course in 3 - 6 months. So get to know how fast you can go, do the math and go for the one that is better.

Conclusion

To round this up, I'd say go for it. Learn that skill you have always wanted to learn, apply it to your dream company, and do what you love for the company you love.

Alright, leave a comment for me if you want to correct me, tell me something. If you enjoyed this article please share it with your friends, I believe they will also find this useful.

Also if you wanna support my blogging journey, you want me to keep posting, you can support me by becoming a patron or you can buy me a coffee. Thank you and have a great time learning that skill.

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Elijah Trillionz