Considering freeCodeCamp vs The Odin Project

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Freecodecamp vs The Odin Project

• Both are amazing!
• Include solid exercises.
• And help you learn at your own pace.

But if you had to choose one to start with, go with freeCodeCamp.

freeCodeCamp	The Odin Project
Have an active forum	No major forum
Covers web dev, data science, and more	Mostly focused on only web dev
Dev authors contribute write ups	No contribution from authors

But this doesn't mean you shouldn't use The Odin Project. We'll come back to this in a moment but first let's dig into each separately.

   

Digging into freeCodeCamp

About them: Since 2014, more than 40,000 freeCodeCamp.org graduates have gotten jobs at tech companies including: Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Spotify.

When to use: If you've decided you want to start building your CV, start here.

What others say:

A year ago, I completed all freeCodeCamp certifications and posted about it... Yes! I've found a job since then. I've been working as a Software Developer for an year now.

   

Learning from The Odin Project

About them: The Odin Project is one of those “What I wish I had when I was learning” resources. Not everyone has access to a computer science education or the funds to attend an intensive coding school and neither of those is right for everyone anyway. This project is designed to fill in the gap for people who are trying to hack it on their own but still want a high quality education.

When to use: This is an excellent resource just like freeCodeCamp. The question likely on your mind is freeCodeCamp vs the odin project. And the answer is both.

Keep in mind that when you learn to code, you never learn from only one place then you're good to go, you have to learn the same thing from multiple sources.

Therefore, you should start with the Odin Project or with freeCodeCamp but eventually visit both.

What others say:

Can't recommend The Odin Project enough. I tried the other major learn coding websites and felt like I wasn't actually learning anything since they just tell you what to type in and I feel like I wasted a couple weeks of my life on those. The Odin Project makes you set up an actual environment on your computer where you learn how to actually write code. All the learning and projects will be much harder than the hand hold websites, but you'll actually be learning.

   

Only freeCodeCamp or mix both?

You need both.

Many beginners make the mistake of settling on only one resource. And think they're learning to code well. But the reality is that this form of learning is not enough.

But after 10+ years of coding it's clear that you have to learn the same thing from multiple places.

Sometimes, you'll need to do this several times before it truly sticks.

This doesn't mean you must do both at the exact same time.

Instead, start with freeCodeCamp, make substantial progress, then switch to The Odin Project to re-learn the same concepts at a deeper level.

   

Thanks for reading

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