Codecademy Reviews

Codecademy offers courses in 16 programming languages – including JavaScript and Python – and 22 related subjects, such as data science and machine learning. Students who don’t know where to start can take a quiz to help find out which languages, career paths, and courses best suit their interests.

Although it’s possible to learn a lot with a free account, a paid subscription is worth it, as it provides course bundles with certificates of completion.

These bundles are curated learning paths named ‘Skills Paths’ and ‘Career Paths’. The former helps you acquire a specific skill, whereas the latter assist you with gaining the knowledge and experience needed to kick-start a tech career.

What’s more, the platform is well-organized and intuitive due to its user-friendly design. Plus, some courses have drag-and-drop tools that make it easier for beginners to learn the fundamentals of programming knowledge from scratch.

Codecademy’s courses are entirely self-paced, so students can enjoy the flexibility and freedom of being in charge of their learning journey. Additionally, as the courses are designed to provide a hands-on experience, everyone can start coding from the very first lesson (including those with zero programming knowledge).

The design of the in-browser learning environment in each lesson is what makes this approach possible. There’s a three-panel screen that includes the concepts and instructions to the left, your code in the middle, and its compilation to the right.

With this triad, learners instantly put theory into practice, making it easier to absorb and apply new knowledge while resolving any questions that may come up during the practical process.

A handy ‘Get Unstuck’ button on the top of the page unlocks documentation related to the exercise subject, community forum, cheat sheets, and even the code solution. Moreover, a concept review button is available in the coding sandbox, allowing learners to quickly revisit a concept when facing a wall with their code.

Furthermore, it’s excellent that the coding editor is customizable, so learners can choose the font size, activate high contrast mode, and more. The cherry on top is that it’s possible to share your code with others who can also help you through your learning process.

Alongside the courses, Codecademy should be praised for providing resources and guidance for users to develop personal portfolio projects and prepare them for the job market. When choosing the project you wish to build, the platform displays the project’s summary, objectives, and prerequisites.

Keeping everything streamlined, the tasks are laid out in a Kanban view, so you can easily track the progress of your project. Providing such thorough guidance makes Codecademy one of the most comprehensive and resourceful code-learning platforms on the market.

Building these portfolio projects helps you apply what you’ve learned to real-world scenarios and prove your skills. The same can’t be said for Codecademy’s course certificates, as they aren’t accredited.

Although the lack of accreditation is an area for improvement, users can earn a professional certification with a Pro membership. This type of qualification conveys more credibility, as users need to pass a series of proficiency exams to earn it.

Moreover, Codecademy also stands out for its dedicated features to help learners succeed in the job market. Pro subscribers can take interview prep courses and test their knowledge with code challenges based on real-world tech interviews. However, keep in mind that the challenges are limited to Python, Java, and JavaScript.

The icing on the cake is the career services, which provide personalized job listings to help students connect with employers looking for tech professionals.

Codecademy Go is an app for iOS and Android. Much like the desktop browser version, the mobile platform is modern, well-designed, and easy to navigate.

The courses are displayed in a simplified layout showing each lesson’s review, practice mode, and cheat sheet. Alongside this, the review displays handy flashcards for memorizing concepts whenever free time pops up during your daily activities.

Although it isn’t possible to write code, the practice mode still does its job. It allows you to drag and drop the appropriate commands missing in the code.

The cheat sheets are helpful and straight to the point, providing essential concepts and syntax. These notes make it possible to quickly access important information without the hassle of going through the entire exercise.

All things considered, Codecademy’s mobile app is another incredible learning resource that enhances users’ learning experience.