Can I Learn Front-End Web Development For Free?

Yes, you can learn some basic coding concepts for free, but mastering advanced front end web development skills will require more formal training. Free seminars and tutorials are a good introduction, but classes are the best way to learn front end web development skills. 

What Free Resources are Available for Learning Front End Web Development?

Free resources can get you started with front end web development. Seminars, step-by-step tutorials, podcasts, and blogs provide a good introduction.

Free Seminars

Watching free seminars can help you understand the basics of front end web development and coding. Noble Desktop offers many free videos on its website, including Intro to WordPress or Intro to Front-End Web Development. 

Tutorials

The Odin Project offers free tutorials on web development, like Intermediate HTML and CSS, Advanced HTML and CSS, and JavaScript. These are prerecorded tutorials, blogs, and courses with projects and a community of developers to interact with. You can also find many free tutorials on YouTube.

Podcasts

Podcasts are another free resource for learning front end web development. Some options are Full Stack Radio, Syntax FM, Ladybug, Frontend Happy Hour, Codepen Radio, and Layout.fm. These presentations are useful for keeping up with new developments in the field.

Blogs

Blogs are another free resource for people who are looking for an introduction to front end web development. Like podcasts, blogs are also a good way to follow changes in the field. Some of the top front end web development blogs are from Ben Frain, Nicole Sullivan, Jake Archibald's Blog, Lea Verou's Blog, LukeW's Digital Product Design + Strategy, Codrops, and WebrtcHacks.

How to Make Use of Free Front End Web Development Resources

While free materials won't get you into a new career as a Front End Web Developer, they are still useful. In addition to providing an introduction to the field, you can use them to prepare to take a class, delve deeper into a subject, or find out about new developments.

If you would like to explore what front end web development is about, you can watch prerecorded seminars and listen to podcasts to get an overview of the field. Free resources can help you learn what terms mean and become familiar with basic coding processes, which can give you a head start when your class begins. 

Another use for free resources is to dig deeper into a subject that might be a challenge, like JavaScript. You can find numerous brief tutorials, like Noble Desktop's Intro to JavaScript, to give you extra practice in learning this language.

Limitations of Free Resources

While they are free, seminars, tutorials, podcasts, and blogs can only go so far when your goal is to change to a new career as a Front End Web Developer. In some cases, their focus is too broad to cover topics completely, and in others, they are too specific.

Introductory videos can give you an idea of what Front End Web Developers do, but they don't go into enough detail for you to learn how to plan your own campaigns. There is no one to answer questions if you don't understand something or rephrase points you don't understand. 

Podcasts and blog posts can have the opposite problem. The audience for these resources is often experienced Front End Web Developers and the topics can be beyond beginners. This isn't true of all podcasts and blogs, but you can spend a lot of time sifting through material to find something relevant to you.

What to Do After Utilizing Free Front End Web Development Resources

After watching some introductory seminars, your best bet for gaining the front end web development skills you need to switch careers is to take a class. You can choose between shorter bootcamp classes and certification courses that are designed to take you from beginner to experienced web developer in a few months.

Classes like Noble Desktop’s Front End Web Development Certificate can help you learn front end web development more easily than trying to teach yourself for free. In-person classes have instructors who can answer your questions and give you help when you need it. They are easy to find in large cities, but if you live in a smaller town or rural area, it might be more difficult. Live online classes run at the same time as an in-person class but are available from anywhere, with some students in the classroom and others logging on via video conferencing.

You can also find self-paced classes on subscription platforms like LinkedIn, Coursera, and Skillshare. These videos are prerecorded, like the free tutorials, but go into much more depth. The drawback of these classes is, as with free seminars, the lack of a live instructor.

While classes with a live instructor do have a cost, they are worth it. Instructors are seasoned developers who know the best techniques and can steer you clear of pitfalls. Class assignments are designed to reinforce what you are learning and when completed will make up a digital coding portfolio to help you find a job. 

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.