Affordable

That means no upselling of paid courses on the side. This could greatly limit our options, but it also means we’re homing in on exactly what we want to find. What’s great is, in this case in particular, we’re going to find three fantastic options. The first two I want to suggest are if you’re a self-starter or only have limited time to spend studying each day. The third is if you’re motivated by more community-orientated learning and can fit much more studying into your schedule.

The Odin Project and freeCodeCamp both literally cost nothing. That’s because both are open source (which, if you’re new means anyone can modify, share and contribute) and funded through contributions and donations.

With both you’re not obligated to time commitments and can work through them as you go. They’re each heavily geared towards learning through building projects and gaining knowledge through the complete experience working through the code. Yet, despite the ability to work alone, they also have very strong online communities.

That’s how popular freeCodeCamp is. Frankly, the amount of content they put out for free is well beyond web development, so though I’ve linked to their video on building a website, it’s well worth checking out their other playlists if you’re interested in something else. Meanwhile…while not as large, the Odin Project still has a strong community, with nearly 100,000 members on their discord channel and another 40,000 on Twitter. You absolutely cannot go wrong working on either, but if you’re looking for in-depth videos I’d recommend freeCodeCamp and if you’re hoping for an easier time getting feedback I’d check out The Odin Project and their discord. Youtube and discord are such valuable resources, and it would be great if someone combined the two while still offering everything one hundred percent free.

Started during the pandemic, Leon committed to a 30-week software engineering bootcamp one hundred percent free with the goal of getting one hundred people jobs. Early into his second cohort, he reached that goal and has continued to surpass it with ambitions to keep building a strong compassionate community of coders and job builders. Through Twitter and discord, those who have worked on and committed to his 60 plus classes on Youtube have helped each other learn not only to build and code projects, but also how to network, freelance, and build careers.

I would watch from this point in Leon’s first class of his second cohort for at least 20 minutes. In that span, he discusses helping people get jobs, why he’s committed to doing it for free, and what his goals are for the entire program. If you watch that and his style of learning works for you, these classes and the community he’s helped build online could be perfect for you. His discussions are on both front-end and back-end development and through his homework he gives templates and ideas for how to work through different projects. What’s important is not only the templates and projects you work through, but also the idea of repeatedly learning how to think like a coder and job hunter. Did I say job hunter? Yes, yes I did…because as you recall his goal wasn’t just to help people learn to code.

There are two classes in particular I would point to that emphasize this. The first is class 9 on networking and the second is Class 15 on how to do freelancing. Both are classes that can help anyone interested in how to find work, how to find companies that are hiring, and, more importantly, the right people within those companies who are doing the hiring. Honestly, I would recommend them to anybody interested in personally looking to find jobs and make money. I’ve linked to the parts of the video where I believe the most relevant information for anyone interested in those topics should look. These videos and the 100Devs community’s strong online presence are great ways to gain experience in building bonds for employment opportunities.

In the cases of both freeCodeCamp and The Odin Project, you’ll find great resources in terms of self-learning and, on top of that, if you’re interested in moving beyond web development there are almost guaranteed to be some videos in freeCodeCamp geared towards the coding language and projects you’re interested in. I would, however, strongly recommend that if you have the time and are committed to learning exactly what you need to start freelancing and building a career specifically using HTML, CSS, and Javascript with a focus on web development, the 100Devs community is the top resource for you.

Since as of now there isn’t an official third cohort, you’re going to want to rely heavily on the catchup-crew on discord or other sources online if you’re struggling. There are also streamers committed to working through projects online and giving feedback as part of the community. Mayanwolfe and helloitsrufio in particular use Twitch and Youtube to continue helping give advice. Then there’s this site, which not only has each class but also the homework required for each class.

Finally, I’d make note of a couple things in regard to the Youtube classes. Since Leon’s focus has been on live teaching through Twitch, many videos can be very long with twenty plus minutes of discussions and friendly topics at the beginning. This can be very good because it’s great for continued community building and motivation, but if you’re looking to focus solely on the learning and coding you could either watch those parts at two times speed or skip ahead. If you already know certain things about the topics covered, you can also skip ahead. Unlike many other videos, this isn’t about building the Youtube algorithm it’s about you finding work. So, if you already know it and are comfortable, move ahead and get to the parts you need.

Whether you choose these programs or find something else, if you’re motivated and are in a situation where you have the time commitment and resources, you can do it. Yes, even for free. Finally, I want to share this excerpt from the final class showing the profits generated and jobs created by the last cohort. This is incredibly inspirational and motivational. Lives have been changed through this work. Keep seeking and keep searching. Good luck.