Top 10 Tips For Learning Front End Development Using Codecademy Pro

While I have found Codecademy Pro to be the best option for streamlining your online education in the difficult journey of learning how to code, I have also found that you will need some supplemental materials in order to help you along. This is not something to worry about though as I have found that there are plenty of supplemental ways to get you through any projects or difficult coding lessons that you may be stuck on that will come at no additional cost.

I hope these tips for using Codecademy Pro to learn coding will help ease some of the frustrations that will certainly come with the challenge of learning to code.

MDN Web Docs: Resources for developers, by developers.

Or more specifically, the Mozilla Developer directory for web developer documentation and web technology references

The Mozilla Developer Directory makes the top of the list for free supplemental resources available online and is recommended by Codecademy itself as Codecademy links to MDN Web Docs within the coding portal.

Youtube Coding Tutorials

I just never imagined that Youtube could be so useful, but having been stuck staring at Javascript problems after being thrown in the deep end without warning by Codecademy Pro *cough cough*, sometimes, you just gotta cheat and go find the answers explained by someone that is not Codecademy.

I’m sure somebody once said that not all teachers can reach all students, or something like that. So, don’t stay stuck when Codecademy is spanking you, go watch someone work out the problem on Youtube to gain some clarity and come back and do it yourself.

It’s time to become the biggest, most annoying, time-micro-managing butthole for who else is going to keep a fire lit under you but….you?

But why I gotta do all that though?

Because learning a new skill requires a large investment of time and if you don’t make learning to code a priority, I dare say you might never learn to do it…or take a century to, and ain’t nobody got time for that.

Codecademy gives its coding students the ability to set a weekly goal for the number of days you want to practice each week. This gives you a simple and convenient way to start tracking your coding goals without giving you any additional work to do.

Now that I’ve been using Codecademy Pro for a couple months, I’ve upped the game to attempting to get through a certain percentage of the Front End Software Development course each week. Trying to attain this new weekly goal has naturally caused me to go over the number of days I had originally set on Codecademy to sit down and learn to code.

This game is called, “Fake it ’til you make it.” You are embarking on a difficult journey filled with challenges and ongoing headaches. Some of the projects you will be working on in Codecademy will hurt your brain and otherwise challenge your cognitive abilities.

You must take this challenge head on, though, not always so directly. Throw yourself into the fire of coding and learn about the processes of building apps and what software development can be used for as soon as possible. Being able to have some sort of grasp of what you’ll be able to do in the future is inspiring. So get hype! Reprogram that brain and…

THINK LIKE A CODER.

Yes, I realize that a lot of people start learning to code because they want that MONEY. I’d be a bald-faced liar to pretend that was not part of my motivation in finally getting my ass in gear and dedicating myself to this process.

BUT that is probably not going to be enough motivation to help get you through the headaches and frustration of debugging and researching solutions and PRAYING for Zeus to bless you with coding solutions so you can get on with your life.

Work in a way that adds some spice to the process. It doesn’t have to be anything extra. I like to take a few minutes at the end of each lesson to practice any new Javascript or CSS I crammed into my brain in a ridiculous way. Whether that be by coding word scrambles that no one will ever see, or by writing a letter to myself. It’s all practice and it all makes you better. You are allowed to enjoy learning to code and doing so will help seal your dedication to the process.

Use whatever study tips are available to you, including things that might make you feel a little bit silly.

Arrays: Push-In. Pop-off. Push-in. Pop-off!!

Did I mention that learning to code was hard? There are going to be times when you get frustrated and want to throw your laptop/desktop/computer setup at a wall.

Don’t do that though.

If the supplemental materials (Youtube, Mozilla MDN, etc.) are not helping and are frying your brain more than getting you through a particular problem, the “watch a professional coder work through it” videos are just…pissing you off, and you are seriously wondering if coding is for you…

SKIP THAT SHIT.

It’s not going anywhere. Codecademy’s platform keeps up with your progress even if you are learning from multiple points in your chosen field of study. This means that you can treat the Codecademy learning platform a little more like a variety of college courses. Meaning, you can work through different parts and coding languages simultaneously and give your brain a break in one section to work on something else.

This allows you to keep pushing forward and learning to code without hindering your progress by being stuck.

*whines in unprepared*

“B-but-but it’s too soon! I don’t know what I’m doing!”

You surely the hell don’t but you will never learn just by practicing within the Codecademy coding platform.

Though Codecademy Pro does walk you through several projects outside of its native code editor, I think that it is in your best interest to start on your own projects to continue practicing and internalizing what you’ve learned.

By doing your own coding projects, you further drill in the coding skills and logic that you’re learning on the Codecademy platform. You’re developing more problem-solving skills working on something that is fun and personal for you. You are also building projects that you can use to fluff your resume for your future job hunt.

What I’ve been doing is starting new projects and coding them up using everything I’ve already learned on Codecademy Pro, so as I learn more about adding interactivity to websites in Javascript, I go back and update my coding projects to add more interactivity. As I learn more complex logic or am introduced to new concepts, I go and review my coding projects to see where I can improve or rewrite something in a better way using this new coding logic.

I’m sure Bill Gates or someone important said, “Study the greats.” I’m sure that no matter where you are in your own coding journey, you ended up on this rough ride because at heart you love technology. Laptops, cell phones, tablets, kindle e-readers, you probably have them all and lots of other stuff that I haven’t mentioned. But since I’m (mostly) talking about learning software development, my point is to stay involved in what you’re doing and what interests you.

If you’re kinda obsessed with the Coschedule and Buffer social media marketing applications, subscribe to their email newsletters and to their social media pages to keep up with the latest features they’re adding to their online software and mobile apps. If you’ve got the funds, maybe invest in a subscription to use for yourself and play around with the functionality. Buffer, among other social media marketing apps (like Hootsuite), have free tiers that will cost you nothing but time to sign up for and play around with.