How Long Do Front-End Web Development Courses Take?

You can find front end web development classes in a variety of lengths. Free introductory seminars last an hour or two, while a college degree takes years. Bootcamps last a few days and certification courses last several months. Before signing up for a class, consider your schedule and other commitments and how much time you have to attend classes and work on assignments.

Lengths of Classes

Front end web development classes come in various lengths. Some of this depends on whether it is an overview course, a deep dive into a specific topic, or a program designed to give you the skills you need to change careers. A rule of thumb is the more in depth the material covered, the longer the class will last. Choose a class that will provide you with the amount of information you need.

Free Seminars

If you are simply curious about what front end web development is and looking for an overview of the subject, you can find many free seminars on platforms like YouTube. These videos last about an hour and will introduce the main topics without going into too much detail. Free seminars are useful if you haven't made up your mind about whether or not you want to take a class and just want to get an idea of what front end web development is all about. Noble Desktop offers many free videos on its website, like Intro to Front End Web Development or Intro to WordPress. Once you get a taste, you may find you want more.

College Courses

If you want to start a career as a Front End Web Developer, you can get a college degree. Colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in computer science and information technology. 

College courses usually last three to four months. In addition to classes in your major, you will have to fulfill other requirements, so it can take four to five years of full-time instruction to complete a college degree. This option is also very expensive, with the average tuition at a state school currently running about $10,000 a year and private schools much more. With added fees, a bachelor's degree will cost between $50,000 and $200,000.

Bootcamp Classes

While some job advertisements list a college degree as a requirement, others do not. Many companies are more interested in your demonstrated abilities than in education, so a bootcamp course is another way to get started learning front end web development. Bootcamp courses only last a few sessions and focus on a single topic, like HTML and CSS or JavaScript frameworks and libraries. They usually cost several hundred to around a thousand dollars each. If you want to learn a specific skill, a bootcamp will do that. This is a good option for entrepreneurs who want to build their own website, but if you want to start a career in front end web development, a certification course is a better choice for you.

Certification Courses

Certification courses are broadly focused and designed for students to start as beginners and finish with enough experience and knowledge to find a job as a Front End Web Developer. They are often made up of multiple bootcamp classes and take place over several months to a year. Some programs offer career coaching, with 1-1 mentoring and classes on putting together a portfolio and preparing for interviews. Certification courses start at a few thousand dollars and go up to $10,000 or more. While this is a considerable cost, it is less than a college degree.

Should I Enroll Part-time or Full-time?

Another consideration is whether you want to sign up for part-time or full-time instruction. Some courses offer a part-time option that allows you to take classes in the evenings or on weekends. This works well if you are working full-time. Of course, part-time classes take longer to complete but give you extra time to practice your skills between meetings. With a full-time schedule, you will be done with training and ready for the job market sooner.

Learn Front End Web Development Skills with Noble Desktop

Learn front end web development skills with Noble Desktop's Front End Web Development Certificate. This beginner-friendly course will teach you the coding skills you need to change to a career as a Front End Web Developer. Learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Git to create responsive websites optimized for any screen size. You will also learn to use WordPress, the world's number one content management system. The course also includes HTML Email Bootcamp and a portfolio bootcamp.

JavaScript is powerful and flexible. Developers have written a variety of tools on top of the core JavaScript language, unlocking a vast amount of functionality with minimum effort. In Noble's JavaScript Development Certificate, you will learn to build dynamic web applications with React and Node.js, create APIs with Express.js, and work with databases with MongoDB. You will also learn about Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that provide functionality such as dynamically creating HTML and setting CSS. APIs allow developers to incorporate functionality in websites from other content providers, such as Twitter or Facebook. The course also covers third-party frameworks and libraries you can apply to HTML to accelerate the work of building sites and applications. No previous coding experience is required.

If you prefer, you can take these Noble classes included in the certificates one at a time. Web Development with HTML & CSS covers building websites with HTML & CSS; creating multi-page websites with text, images, and graphics; styling with CSS; and uploading files using FTP. 

Advanced HTML & CSS includes important CSS concepts like positioning, advanced selectors, and relative type sizing. You will also learn to work with multiple background images, transparent color using RGBA, CSS gradients, and shadows. The course also covers creating animated effects with CSS transitions and transforms.

Flexbox, Grid, and Bootstrap covers laying out and aligning website content with CSS Flexbox. Learn CSS Grid to layout websites and Bootstrap to build layouts quickly.

JavaScript for Front End teaches you to make dynamic and engaging websites with JavaScript and GreenSock. Learn the basics of JavaScript and how to use free pre-made JavaScripts to add functionality. Create animated slideshows and build animated image enlargers.

WordPress enables you to create and maintain a website, even if you have no web design background or knowledge of the code that makes websites work. Noble's WordPress Bootcamp covers building websites and blogs with WordPress. Learn to install themes and plugins, test your code, and customize your website.

Learn how to code custom-designed emails that adapt to different screen sizes in HTML Email Bootcamp. Build and work with multiple layouts and gain a deeper understanding of email-friendly HTML/CSS and how to manage various email client issues. Create responsive emails that work across various devices, optimize images and graphics for mobile devices, and use media queries to fine-tune mobile styles.