What is the Best Course to Learn Java?

Java courses range from simple introductions to the language to thorough explorations of computer science and programming. Courses also vary in instructional style, topical organization, and focus, often designed to better fit certain students’ needs. For example, introductions teach basic coding skills but might either begin from underlying computing concepts or accelerate those early lessons to add project-specific coding techniques. Longer classes might be more casually paced or strongly accelerated, and they often focus on different career areas to include more techniques and tools related to that work. This article addresses the main types of Java courses, the differences between them, and ways to compare these courses to your learning goals to find the best match.

Are You Brand New to Programming?

The first concern when choosing a Java course is your prior coding experience. If you have never learned any programming language, you will want a course with no prerequisites. Ideally, that course will include an explanation of fundamental computing concepts. Some Java courses, even introductions, expect some familiarity with computer science. Project- or career-specific courses may also expect experience with related programming languages, such as HTML and CSS for a course teaching Java for web development.

Even if you are already familiar with programming, but have never studied Java, you should avoid intermediate or advanced courses that expect basic Java skills. An introductory Java class might be a better starting point, especially if you are unsure whether you want to use Java professionally. A short live course, on-demand video class, or even a free tutorial could provide this starting point, explaining Java’s fundamental elements and demonstrating simple code. If, however, you are certain you need to know Java in more depth, especially if you will be using the language in your career, you might prefer a longer course that starts at an introductory level and then progresses to more advanced lessons.

Skilled Java programmers who want to add new skills might prefer to skip past these introductory lessons. They might not benefit from the majority of a long class like a bootcamp or certificate program. Instead, these students could prefer shorter advanced classes or topical courses that assume basic proficiency as a prerequisite. Such advanced Java classes are available both as live and on-demand courses. Free tutorials may be able to explain certain advanced topics but rarely teach detailed career skills at an expert level.

How Much Are You Willing to Pay?

Once you have assessed your current skill level and your educational goals, the next consideration is your available budget. While learning a professional skill like Java can significantly improve your income, those gains will not come until after graduation. You will still need to be able to afford your intended study program. Part of keeping those costs low is making sure you choose a program that teaches only what you need to know. There may also exist more cost-effective options within programs of the same depth.

For example, college and university degree programs provide the most complete training available but are also the most expensive option. Note that this cost is only partially due to the content of such programs and also includes school facilities, study materials, instructor salaries, and extra time for longer lessons and in-class practice. Professional training programs like certificate programs and bootcamps can provide live instruction in Java at a much lower cost by limiting their curricula to the most valuable lessons and streamlining their teaching materials and facilities. These programs sacrifice the breadth of higher education but still prepare students to work effectively at a professional level. Students who only need Java for specific project types or limited uses might prefer even shorter and more inexpensive classes instead of professional programs.

Thus, limiting your search based on the depth of instruction you need does the most to control your educational costs. From there, you may want to consider different types of instruction. Live instruction is generally the highest-cost option. On-demand courses, presented through pre-recorded video lessons supplemented by texts, are less expensive, with their exact cost depending on their payment structure. Some on-demand schools charge by timed subscriptions, while others sell individual classes or courses composed of bundled classes. The least expensive option is free resources, which include texts, video tutorials, and interactive websites. 

Note, however, that lower cost corresponds to fewer benefits and sometimes, lower quality. Free lessons give no guarantee of instructional quality or accuracy and provide nearly no feedback, leaving students to research answers and diagnose errors on their own. Free lessons may also have limited organization and could omit material, further slowing students’ progress and making professional-level study almost impossible. On-demand lessons, even when supported by message boards, chats, or phone or email contact, still provide less feedback to answer questions or diagnose coding errors. This difficulty, combined with the lower motivation provided by self-paced study, can slow and frustrate some students and makes longer and more advanced study more difficult. For students seeking professional ability with Java, live instruction may cost more but is most likely to teach them everything they need at the fastest pace and with the fewest difficulties. Live courses also provide the most career guidance and support.

How Quickly Do You Need to Learn New Skills?

For many students, the length of a study program is an additional concern. Some people have fixed time restrictions, either a deadline to meet or a limited window for studies. Others just don’t want to take too long to learn a new skill. The overall length of a class is mainly determined by the amount of material it covers. For example, a professional training course in Java, covering multiple topics lasting several days each, is always going to take far longer than a short course, like an introduction, that needs only several hours over a few days. A complete Java certificate program might take 2-3 months or longer. However, if your Java training needs are adequately met by a bootcamp course, this option takes only a few weeks. Bootcamps are also accelerated, covering the equivalent of multiple short courses but progressing much faster than those classes taken separately.

Studying on a full-time schedule, usually defined as 6-8 hours per day on consecutive weekdays, also shortens a course’s overall duration. On-demand study using prerecorded lessons could potentially be faster than live instruction, but only if you can complete lessons faster than a live course’s class schedule. This savings only occurs if you stay motivated and avoid distractions or delays. Finally, taking multiple shorter courses could help with some time limitations, if you need less complete knowledge right away and can space your study over separate intervals.

Alternatively, students who are not as rushed for time could consider slower options, which reduce their daily demands and allow them more time for study and practice between lessons. For example, part-time study divides live courses into more and shorter sessions, often more widely spaced, such as on alternating days. This option is particularly helpful for students who cannot study comfortably for long periods. Part-time study is also offered to help students with other obligations that limit their available study time.

Do You Want to Become a Professional Coder?

The reason you want to learn Java matters as much as the aspects of the language you want to know. If you will only use Java for small personal projects or want to know the language as an option for general coding, you may not need a professional training program. An introductory short course could cover enough material for your needs. At worst, completing an introductory Java course will tell you whether you need to learn more and what other classes you should seek.

Even if you are studying Java to gain new or improved employment, it still matters what career you are seeking. Preparing for some Java-related jobs, such as mobile application development, might be managed with a bootcamp course rather than a longer certificate program. Other jobs, like data analytics, require additional skills beyond Java, so you would need further coursework even after a bootcamp or certificate program. For some careers, like machine learning or web development, the degree of expertise you need could vary by position. In any case, if you are pursuing a specific career goal, you should look for a Java course that specializes in that area and teaches material specific to its duties and projects. Bootcamps and certificate programs also include career guidance and services that help graduates get hired in their intended field.

What Additional Skills Do You Need?

Individual Java programmers vary in their fluency, not only from experience but also from their study of specific techniques and tools. Novices who have only completed introductory studies can write at a basic or ‘vanilla’ level, which suffices for simple programming and editing but cannot match the efficiency, complexity, and security of expertly written Java code. Certain techniques and tools facilitate particular project types, such as the Java development environments and frameworks built for web applications, server code, or smart devices. Depending on your intended uses of Java, you should seek classes that emphasize that work and will teach appropriate techniques and tools. Programmers already using Java may only need a short advanced class on a specific tool, rather than a comprehensive course that happens to include that tool. Note also that some comprehensive Java classes include lessons on skills and tools outside of Java, such as collaborative programming using systems like Git and GitHub, useful both for web development and software development in Java. Seeking appropriately specialized courses will prepare you better for work in those careers.

Do You Prefer In-person or Online Training?

A final consideration when comparing Java courses is their method of delivery: in-person versus online instruction. Students who live near a school or training center can opt for in-person classes if they prefer this setting. In-person classes provide the most direct interaction with an instructor and help students understand concepts and resolve questions faster. Some students can focus better in an in-person environment. A school site can also provide computer hardware and software and printed materials directly to students.

However, Java environments and tools are usually easy to find online and free to download, making this less of a concern. Coding itself requires no direct physical contact, and for some students, programming is just as easy to learn from their own computer screen as from a classroom PC. It is also more comfortable to work remotely, as long as you have a distraction-free study space and are not impeded by technical problems or a learning style incompatible with video meetings. More importantly, online study removes the limitations and costs of travel, saving students time and money and offering them far more options. Without being restricted by geography, students may choose from more schools, instructors, courses, and course options. In addition to live online courses, online study also includes on-demand courses and free tutorials. Overall, you are more likely to find a course that fits your educational goals online.

Learn Java Skills with Noble Desktop

NextGen Bootcamp hosts a Java Programming Summer Program both live online and in-person in New York City. This bootcamp course teaches professional Java coding to high school and college students. The course takes about two weeks on a full-time schedule, beginning with an introduction to programming that grounds each concept with its corresponding uses in Java. Students then continue through lessons on more complex topics like file management, object-oriented programming, and recursion. In addition to class instruction, students receive a proprietary workbook, complete practical projects, and can review the recordings of each class session. After completing this program, students receive a verified digital certificate.

For adult learners, Noble Desktop offers online Java Private Tutoring in three-hour increments. This instruction is 1-on-1 and personalized to each student. Though designed primarily for beginners with little or no programming experience, the tutoring program progresses quickly to higher-level programming concepts and includes a complete, original project suitable for a starting portfolio. Students can also use this course to prepare for further computer science studies.

Students who are interested in Java primarily for its use in web development might prefer Noble Desktop’s Full Stack Web Development Certificate program. This professional training program is presented in person in New York City or live online and is available for either full-time or part-time study. Students need no prior programming experience, as the course begins with an introduction to web development and its most important languages, HTML and CSS. The instructor follows this introduction with more advanced lessons on HTML and CSS, front end web development tools, and JavaScript and its commonly used web design libraries. The program concludes with additional lessons and career guidance for the web development industry. This program includes ten 1-on-1 mentoring sessions to further assist students, proprietary workbooks, multiple portfolio projects, and a certificate of completion. Graduates may retake the course once for free for up to one year.

Python is another high-level, general-purpose programming language used for many of the same projects as Java. Students seeking training in computing fields like web development, software engineering, or data analysis should consider studying Python in addition to Java. Noble Desktop’s Python Developer Certificate program is a complete professional training course offered in-person in New York City or live online anywhere. This course requests that students have prior experience coding in HTML and CSS, such as taught in an introductory web design or web development class. This knowledge will help in the program’s second unit, which teaches web development using Python, following the introductory unit that introduces Python’s fundamental terms, syntax, and techniques. Students may choose one of three bonus units to conclude their Python studies: Data Science, Data Visualization, or Machine Learning. The complete program takes several weeks of full-time study but includes several portfolio-quality projects and four 1-on-1 mentoring sessions to help with difficult topics or career preparation. Students also receive a certificate upon completion and may retake the course once for free within one year.