Udemy courses I took while working as a developer

“How do you learn how to code without going to University or Bootcamps?” I always get this kind of questions in Instagram.

As for my background, I have a degree in Information Technology and it really helps my foundation of Programming and Database Design. I learned how to code C++, HTML, CSS, Java, PHP, C#, Visual Basic, ColdFusion( I know) and even how to use Photoshop, MS Access, MSSQL. and that was 2005-2009 where a programmer job is not that popular.

My first few jobs were as a Web Developer using PHP, HTML and CSS and a bit of Javascript and then using packages/CMS/Frameworks like JQuery, Bootstrap, WordPress, Joomla, CakePHP, E-commerce CMS, Laravel and then I became a Project Manager ( so I barely code for almost 3 years).

Anyways, web development keeps changing and especially nowadays where almost everyday there is a new framework, updates coming up and Javascript evolves from just an event-driven script to this amazing programming language that powers the modern web and it can do almost everything including mobile apps and IoT.

So how can I keep up with these changes? I certainly don’t need to go to Bootcamp, Not only is it expensive, it also requires 6 months of your time but mainly it’s too expensive if you have coding experience, you just need to learn this new programming language and framework! So while working I started to learn how to code languages/frameworks via Udemy for £15 each course:

1. Python – it is currently the most popular language. I bought this course: The Python Mega Course: Build 10 Real. World Applications it was alright, it was overwhelming! It is such a great language for Data manipulation and analysis. I haven’t finished it ( only completed until Section 17) – it seems like Data Science doesn’t excites me that much but if I have more time I will go back to it. I also bought Projects in Django and Python but had not time to even start it, this was in 2014 so I am not sure if the course is updated for me to learn it.

2. Laravel – on that time, Laravel was the most recommended PHP framework, so I didn’t waste the opportunity to learn it and evolve my local server from using XAMPP to Virtual Machine Homestead and Vagrant. Which was awesome ( this was before Docker). and ofcourse learning Laravel! I was so impressed on how organised and easy to learn. the architecture is like Ruby on Rails and the migration is so easy! That is when my web development changed! more terminal commands thanks to composer. So I took PHP with Laravel for beginners – Become a Master in Laravel , again I didn’t managed to finish the course but I learned the basics and continued to learn it at work and in StackOverFlow. Until this day, Laravel is my favorite PHP framework and still love working with it.

3. Bootstrap – I am already using Bootstrap before I even bought this course – Bootstrap 4 From Scratch With 5 Projects I just wanted to use this package properly, I use CSS from scratch before, so I wanted to stop adding CSS code manually where I can use a Bootstrap class easily without ruining the responsiveness. I haven’t finished this course, but I did take most of the important features like CSS Components, Typography and Utilities. Anyway as you learned, you kinda thought the rest can be done using the Documentation, you cannot really memorise all the classes by watching the videos!

4. Javascript – this was the time, when javascript frameworks keep popping everywhere, new Ecmascript versions keeps updating and looking at the syntax it was so new to me! I know how to code Jquery but ES5 Syntax, fucntions were “what is this!” reaction. So I took this The Complete JavaScript Course: Build Read Projects, I really recommend this one before diving in to the JS Frameworks. This is such a good course! learning Javascript requires a lot of exercises and this course has a lot one!

5. Angular – I already started working with Angular before taking the Angular – The Complete Guide course but I think it’s great as I can understand more what am I doing before, also it gives me an idea and better way to use other Angular functions that I haven’t done before. Believe me, this is the only course that I finished! But I am no expert of this but it gives me an idea of how to use Typescript specifically and special operators like Pipes, take,map, Promises, Dependency Injection etc – this topic maybe on my next post.

6. React– My first hand of react was in codeunicorn, it’s a simple tutorial where it helps you build a React project while learning. I really like the framework as its a lot easier than Angular so I bought the course using a different account! It was so expensive if I used my current one, as a new customer it is a lot cheaper. I know it is so cheeky but I still paid for it. So I bought React – The Complete Guide (incl Hooks, React Router, Redux) I haven’t finished it but I will 🙂

I think that was all for now, some of the courses that I bought but I didn’t even started it yet were- Vue JS 2 – The Complete Guide (incl. Vue Router & Vuex), it was in promotion and the reason why I bought it is because Vue is a great frontend framework for Laravel but at work we used Angular so I didnt continued. then The Definitive Guide to Web Project Requirements Gathering when I was still a Project Manager, it helps though. and Fintech Basics this was the time I was curious about fintech, blockchain and etc.

So yes, I did bought a lot of courses online but it is still cheap compare to Bootcamps. I think if you choose to learn how to code via Udemy, you have to make time and also code while watching the tutorials, practice coding it every section you completed like a small web app. At the end of the day, it still end up to you on how much effort you give and most of all you need to enjoy what you are doing. If not, what’s the point? it’s the same as going to bootcamp really, the difference is that it’s more face to face and learn how to do a project in a team. Also if you have zero coding experience and applying for a junior dev role, being a bootcamp graduate will get you an interview. Also, getting a university degree is so helpful,your CV will likely to get more interviews in the companies you like and even get an internship in FANG companies or even work there and earn six figures.

I do recommend Udemy, if you wanted to learn new programming languages and frameworks or even any courses. This is not a sponsored post.