I have been pretty happy with Free Code Camp. They make a pretty easy approach, and if you are not new you don’t have to sit through all the “challenges” just go straight to the Algorithms and Projects to get Certified. To date I have fully completed:
- Responsive Design with Bootstrap
- Basic Algorithms
- Basic Projects
- Intermediate Algorithms
I am currently working on the “Intermediate Projects” about 2/3 though with only 2 projects left. Although the basic projects were basic, they were fun and usually pretty different. From making a 4 function calculator, portfolio, pomodoro timer, to a random quote generator they each are pretty different. After doing the Intermediate Algorithms, I was pretty excited to get into the projects as they would be my last requirement from getting the Front End Developer Certification from Free Code Camp.
In this collection of Projects you have to complete a total of 6. I have just finished the 4th one and at this point pretty frustrated with the course materials. The first four projects all just have to deal with JSON API’s. The first one you make a weather app. Great you get to play with your first API, although they tell you no where you can’t use geo location due to CodePen limitations. This is frustrating because they don’t teach you how to use the javascript console yet, and the error is only in there. As well they teach your geo location out of nowhere so it’s safe to assume they mean for you to use it.
The next 3 projects are all the same, this time you get an array of data back from your call and you need to organize that data into a list/grid. Timing my development times the projects each take about 2 hours especially because as you get to the 3rd and 4th project to have all the logic memorized and aren’t doing anything more than wasting your time due to not being challenged. If I wasn’t so close to being done I would probably have stopped.
However, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The last two projects is a Tic-Tac-Toe game with AI, and Simon Says. These are the real projects I was expecting in an intermediate collection. I wouldn’t have mind at all if they did 1 or even 2 of those API projects but to do 4 and then get to some projects that will actually require some thought makes it seem like they couldn’t come up with anything they deemed as “intermediate” and decided to teach you how to reskin a projects.
Honestly with the reviews I have seen of the Backend section, and the experience from this last section I’m not sure if Free Code Camp is the place to learn Node.js if I do stay with JS and not switch over to Ruby on Rails. I love the Free Code Camp community and they admins do listen. So hopefully in time they will get some better projects. It’s just sad to me that someone who might have gone through the entire program and all the challenges would get such basic projects to finish out their first stage of learning. I truly feel I have become a much better programmer with their algorithm challenges and even still love to show off a few of the projects I have made. I can thank Free Code Camp for that. I don’t mean to come this off as a bashing article. It’s just something I have been frustrated with as I have spent all week on these projects.