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What Was/Is Your Favourite Coding Course?

Roli

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Obviously coding is a big subject here; should I learn to code? Which language should I learn? etc. etc.

So I've been learning to code for some time now, and it seems I'm now just climbing out of the valley of disappointment and actually getting somewhere with it. I've tried a few languages: Java, JS React, P5, Python, Android(Java), Solidity, C, C++, HTML5, CSS.

I think I like Python and C the best, followed closely by Java. Most of my training has been via Udemy.com and I've had some good and a few lame courses on there, so I thought I'd share with you my fave courses, and invite others to add to the list with their own faves.

1. Android Java Masterclass - Become An App Developer with Tim Bulchalka (60 hours)
I'm doing this course at the moment, and it extends from his original Learn Android App Development course, which is now out of date. This course suits beginners to intermediates, Tim has a very easy-to-follow style and always explains what the code means in full. His style is probably a bit too basic for someone who has a fair working knowledge of programming, however his wealth of knowledge is second to none.

My only bugbear with this course, is so far he doesn't seem to be writing as much code in this one, a lot of the early part of the course seems to be focusing on the graphic and text parts of Android Studio, which to be fair, is an amazing piece of software. However I'm only 11% into this one, so we'll see.

2. C Programming For Beginners - Master The C Language with Tim Bulchalka (23 hours)
I took this course because I was trying to learn Solidity (the language of the Ethereum blockchain), and somebody suggested that C was very close, and also that the way memory can be manipulated with C is very important as far as Solidity is concerned, also the functions work almost identically. I kind of abandoned this one because my Solidity project turned out to be pretty unfeasible, however I do like the fact that C is closer to machine language than a lot of other high level languages. Will definitely return to it sometime next year.

3. Complete Python Masterclass with Tim Bulchalka (42 hours)
Once again Tim lays out an excellent course. I'd highly recommend this one for newbies and more advanced coders alike. Tim's style is probably perfect for Python, he just seems to get it all across easily. I am around halfway through this course and will return to it once I've completed the Android course.

4. Ethereum and Solidity The Complete Developers Guide with Stephen Grider (24 hours)
I took this course because I wanted to code my own crypto token, unfortunately the token idea was a bit too ambitious and technology isn't quite there yet for my idea. I liked this course, Stephen explained things well, and there were plenty of answered questions in the Q&A sections to help me on my way. The only problem is (and this is a pretty major problem), the course is not very well supported, asking a question is more likely to get an answer from a fellow student than Stephen. The contrast between Grider's course and Bulchalka's, is night and day. Tim and his assistant Jean Paul answer questions within hours, sometimes minutes!

Plus of course, blockchain tech is changing so quickly, that this course is going out of date as you're doing it. Still though, it was a great education, and I don't regret taking the course, as it helped me understand other aspects of programming.

The big bonus of this course is that there is a JS React part at the end, which Stephen suggests you do first if you're not familiar with React. I'm really glad that I did this, as it really opened my understanding and got me into the idea of learning more React.

5. Build Responsive Real World Websites With HTML5 and CSS with Jonas Schmedtman (12.5 hours)
I took this years ago after reading a post on the forum regarding building a web business. Of course HTML5 and CSS are just markup languages, however this is a great course to help you segway into the larger world of programming.

6. Introduction To P5.JS with the Coding Train (Youtube (hours unknown))
I almost forgot this one, mainly because I didn't really get far into it, however I liked what I saw. P5 is basically a React library, which is what attracted me to it in the first place, seeing as I enjoyed React so much. I also love the fact that the IDE is online and you can do all your coding via the web and it automatically saves your progress. It seems like a very useful language if you want to design a game or something with a heavy graphical element. I couldn't find a use for it so I dropped it, however I'll definitely be back.



Okay, hope that helps, I'll add anything else I may have forgotten, otherwise comment below on your fave courses. Please forgive mistakes/spelling mistakes, just made this post in a rush before having to go out, will amend later if necessary.
 
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JWM

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I've worked through the java course by Tim, it's great and he has an easy to follow teaching style. I do prefer text based training though, whether it's a book or a website.

As for the best courses, hard to say, there are to many. I would say anything that goes over all the features of the language in a logical order and provides challenges that force you to learn how to seek information elsewhere. This allows you to go and figure out what you need to complete the task and learn by doing. The key point being that someone else is defining the challenges, not you, you're solving the problem.
 
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Xeon

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This was my favourite course (book, actually) back in 1999.

71J2YV2H02L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.gif


Ah, the nostalgia.....
 

jon.M

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I don't normally use video courses for learning coding any more. Too time inefficient when I seriously need to pick some knowledge up. But I substitute normal entertainment with some educational video whenever my mind's too fried to work, and was actually just looking for a crypto course. Picked up Ethereum and Solidity by Stephen Grinder, trusting your word on it!
 
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Benji90

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I don't normally use video courses for learning coding any more. Too time inefficient when I seriously need to pick some knowledge up. But I substitute normal entertainment with some educational video whenever my mind's too fried to work, and was actually just looking for a crypto course. Picked up Ethereum and Solidity by Stephen Grinder, trusting your word on it!

Would video be the best route for a beginner though? I noticed you said used to, take it you're more proficient at it now?
 

jon.M

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Would video be the best route for a beginner though? I noticed you said used to, take it you're more proficient at it now?
Good question. I think it could be, since the instructor tends to hold your hand through every step. That is helpful when you're starting out.

But I see some more proficient coders who have become dependent on programming tutorials to learn every new concept or solve a problem. But they're just as knowledgeable as I, and I mostly just need to glance over the documentation or some blog post to "get it". I think that's just a matter of mindset, confidence and habit.

If I was starting over, I'd definitely push myself to be more independent, read documentation on my own etc. earlier in the process. But early on, more as a supplement to courses of some kind.
 

Benji90

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Good question. I think it could be, since the instructor tends to hold your hand through every step. That is helpful when you're starting out.

But I see some more proficient coders who have become dependent on programming tutorials to learn every new concept or solve a problem. But they're just as knowledgeable as I, and I mostly just need to glance over the documentation or some blog post to "get it". I think that's just a matter of mindset, confidence and habit.

If I was starting over, I'd definitely push myself to be more independent, read documentation on my own etc. earlier in the process. But early on, more as a supplement to courses of some kind.

That makes sense, basically your ability to learn new things take you much less than someone who rely on video.

I'm current taking a course on Udemy, wanting to learn both front end and back end development eventually, seems I'll get the basics through video then try my hand at just reading documents so my learn time is reduced.

Thank you for your help.
 
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S.Y.

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1. Stackoverflow
2. Coding + Google
3. For Python, anything Jose Portilla on Udemy for the basics
4. For ML with Python, anything SuperDataScience on Udemy
5. Dataquest

I spent most of my time in 1 and 2. It shows you very quickly what you are lacking.
 

Jacob_Losco

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1. Stackoverflow
2. Coding + Google

While I'm not the most informed, from my person experience I have to agree heavily with this. Just think of something you want to do, and then brute force your way to completion with the help of google.
It's a trial by fire process but one that is super rewarding!
 

Devampre

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I went through FreeCodeCamp's front-end development course a while back. I thought it was laid out really nice and it introduced me to codepen. Which is a pretty cool resource in of itself.
 
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TreyAllDay

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I'm not sure if any other programmers in here would agree but I'm always surprised to see guys diving into C, JAVA, and Andoid to start.

I suppose it depends on what you want to build, but I've done about $600k in sales on our software using PHP only, as well as the basic html/css, mysql, a bit of javascript. I think @eliquid mentioned he built his software with python and has done really well.

Even frameworks like ELECTRON allow you publish android, iphone, and even desktop applications using html/js. Our mobile app is literally just an HTML page with an iframe showing a php site.


TO ANSWER THE QUESTION THOUGH:
I loved w3schools free courses. They break things down really well imo.
 
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Roli

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Picked up Ethereum and Solidity by Stephen Grinder, trusting your word on it!

It's good, however a word of caution. That world moves very fast, and like I said in the OP, the course is not very well updated or supported by Stephen. However I felt it was worth it just for the React part of the course, building a working Youtube clone is pretty cool, and it will help you understand how the blockchain interacts with the web to give you a working front end.


But I see some more proficient coders who have become dependent on programming tutorials to learn every new concept or solve a problem. But they're just as knowledgeable as I, and I mostly just need to glance over the documentation or some blog post to "get it". I think that's just a matter of mindset, confidence and habit.

This is a very important point, and one that I really need to pay attention to. I will endeavour to read more, like you say, it's easy to start using video tutorials as a crutch.

, but I've done about $600k in sales on our software using PHP only,

I've been curious about PHP for some time now, I'll look into it soon.

I loved w3schools free courses. They break things down really well imo.

I'm sure I came across their stuff a while back, I can't remember why I didn't continue with them. Thanks for the reminder.
 

Roli

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This was my favourite course (book, actually) back in 1999.

71J2YV2H02L._SX258_BO1,204,203,200_.gif


Ah, the nostalgia.....

I just found it on Amazon UK, I'm getting it for less than £3 :) Can't wait.
 
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Xeon

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I just found it on Amazon UK, I'm getting it for less than £3 :) Can't wait.

Hope you're kidding. That book is completely out of date lol
 

Roli

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Hope you're kidding. That book is completely out of date lol

Lolz, I'm not. I realise it is, you said 90s in your post. However I still wanted to see how people learned code before internet tutorials, and Jon M made a point about reading which I thought was valid. I have other more up-to-date books, however I've had about a 90% success rate with books recommended on this forum and £3 won't break me, so what the hey? :cool:
 

eliquid

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I'm not sure if any other programmers in here would agree but I'm always surprised to see guys diving into C, JAVA, and Andoid to start.

I suppose it depends on what you want to build, but I've done about $600k in sales on our software using PHP only, as well as the basic html/css, mysql, a bit of javascript. I think @eliquid mentioned he built his software with python and has done really well.

Even frameworks like ELECTRON allow you publish android, iphone, and even desktop applications using html/js. Our mobile app is literally just an HTML page with an iframe showing a php site.


TO ANSWER THE QUESTION THOUGH:
I loved w3schools free courses. They break things down really well imo.

Just to note, everything I do is in PHP as well.

I've tickled Perl and Python, even Go. We're talking less than maybe 5 thousands line of code each in my entire lifetime.

My biz partner can do C, C++, and many more.

I personally stick with PHP though. Made millions off of it. Literally.

.
 
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Roli

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Just to note, everything I do is in PHP as well.

I've tickled Perl and Python, even Go. We're talking less than maybe 5 thousands line of code each in my entire lifetime.

My biz partner can do C, C++, and many more.

I personally stick with PHP though. Made millions off of it. Literally.

.

I've been standing on a PHP precipice, and you've just walked past me and nudged me in the back!

Trying to find a decent PHP course on Udemy, too much choice!

What do you think I should go for?

It seems the main choices are MySQL, MVP and object oriented, or am I misunderstanding it?

If you don't mind, could you take a quick scan over this first page and suggest a starter course for me please?


Thank you.
 

eliquid

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I've been standing on a PHP precipice, and you've just walked past me and nudged me in the back!

Trying to find a decent PHP course on Udemy, too much choice!

What do you think I should go for?

It seems the main choices are MySQL, MVP and object oriented, or am I misunderstanding it?

If you don't mind, could you take a quick scan over this first page and suggest a starter course for me please?


Thank you.

I wouldn't pick anything that is OOP ( object oriented ) or MVC. That is style of coding. Just skip those.

You need to learn basics and what PHP can do and is with simple code.

So I would pick one that does not mention frameworks or object orienting ( OOP) or MVC, etc.

I learned by taking someone else's existing code and staring at it for weeks and trying to use my brain to break it down and ask what if's and playing with it until I got a handle on it. Then I used Google to search for stuff.

Almost all those course on uDemy mention MVC or OOP so maybe you can't escape it. If so, any of them will do.
 

Roli

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I learned by taking someone else's existing code and staring at it for weeks and trying to use my brain to break it down and ask what if's and playing with it until I got a handle on it.

Cool, thanks man. Did you get that code on Github?

I must confess, I find Github a bit confusing, for some reason I just haven't got my head around it, maybe because I haven't had to.
 
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eliquid

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Cool, thanks man. Did you get that code on Github?

I must confess, I find Github a bit confusing, for some reason I just haven't got my head around it, maybe because I haven't had to.

Nah, Github wasn't around back in the late 90's
 

MichaelCash

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I think if you focus on front end stack, it easier to find a job. Also, you can always find side projects doing web design. I saw people who opened up their own design agencies after being a web designer/front-end developers
 

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