Can I Learn JavaScript For Free?

Given the quantity and variety of online resources, it might seem that a student can learn almost any subject for free. There are certainly many free lessons available for JavaScript, including tutorials and discussions on social media, sample lessons from technical training schools, and entire websites built specifically to teach JavaScript. A discerning and dedicated student who is willing to sort through these offerings and complete multiple tutorials can learn a significant portion of JavaScript. Students can certainly learn to read, edit, and write simple scripts using free resources. Some advanced free lessons can also teach specific coding techniques or introduce tools like specialized libraries. These resources are useful guides for more experienced users. Where free resources falter is during the transition from beginning to advanced skill, where students need clearer explanations, varied examples, and guided practice to learn more complex and less intuitive techniques. Many free resources are also disorganized or incomplete, leaving out some intermediate lessons or failing to explain the connections between topics. Students must either take more time to navigate across these gaps, usually by comparing different sources, or must find knowledgeable guides to help them progress. Live classes are much more effective overall but especially for learning intermediate and advanced JavaScript skills. They provide the organization, up-to-date lessons, and expert guidance that free resources lack. 

What Free Resources Are Available for Learning JavaScript?

Social media sites like YouTube provide the greatest quantity and variety of free JavaScript tutorials, but these resources vary widely in quality and rarely provide any organizational structure. It is possible to review creators and identify more reliable sources, but this work requires additional time, and even the best creators do not always cover every topic within JavaScript. Organizational problems are harder to overcome. Students will likely need multiple sources to place topics in their appropriate order and context. Beyond these problems, tutorials on social media are limited in length and rarely include more than a few examples or practice problems. If they do include practice work, they rarely provide more than one possible solution. Like other free resources, social media content provides little feedback, only comments of uncertain value. For these reasons, social media cannot provide a complete education in any subject, JavaScript included. These resources are best either to familiarize students with JavaScript before they begin other studies or to provide guidance and ideas for advanced students seeking information on specialized subjects.

Some online schools provide free JavaScript tutorials. These include coding schools like Codecademy and Codefinity, technical schools like Flatiron School, career training schools like Noble Desktop, and general education sites like Udemy and Coursera. Their free tutorials are usually video lessons but may include online texts and some interactive resources. Lessons from recognized schools are better organized and are more reliable than tutorials from social media sites. They also tend to include more exercises and practice problems, although again, they offer little or no feedback to address problems. These lessons can also still vary in quality, from school to school and from lesson to lesson. Worse, their information may be out-of-date, especially when compared to a newer social media tutorial or a live class. Another problem specific to free tutorials from established schools is their limited scope: many schools offer these lessons only as a demonstration to show the quality of their paid content or as an introduction to prepare new students. Their free offerings rarely include advanced techniques or topics. As such, free JavaScript resources offered by schools are best used as an introduction to learn JavaScript’s basics. This level of knowledge may be sufficient for some learners, especially if they only need enough skill to read and edit simple JavaScript. However, these free lessons rarely teach enough to code full applications or to qualify for employment.

A third kind of free resources are web-based coding tutorials, which are typically created by skilled programmers and coding enthusiasts to share their knowledge. Some free JavaScript tutorials are found on general teaching sites that host lessons on multiple subjects; some examples include Educative.io, Sololearn, and Tutorial Republic. Other sites are specific to coding but teach multiple languages, such as freeCodeCamp, Code Mentor, and Code Combat. Still other tutorial websites are specifically devoted to JavaScript, like Learn JavaScript, Learn JavaScript Online, Learn-js.org, and JavaScript 30. Many of these sites feature interactive lesson pages including interfaces where learners can write, test, and in some cases, evaluate scripts related to each lesson. These interactive lessons provide more exercises and feedback than other kinds of free resources, though they are still limited to the evaluations and responses programmed in advance. Since these free resources are often created by expert programmers, they are of overall better accuracy than social media posts, although their instructional quality can vary. Some sites are maintained regularly, but others may fall behind current information. One major advantage of these teaching sites is their organization, which is aided by both indexes and hypertext links. Some sites also strive to be complete resources and include lessons on every concept, technique, and tool that they can collect. While one such site may not be sufficient to provide a complete education in JavaScript, combining lessons from multiple such sites may teach an independent developer enough to create functional products. These lessons are also useful to expand and refresh the skills of working programmers. Still, free sites rarely discuss professional skills, cannot verify students’ progress or accomplishments, and are usually insufficient to prepare students for a career using JavaScript. 

How to Make Use of Free JavaScript Resources

By their nature, free resources are limited in several ways, but when used thoughtfully, they can advance a student’s JavaScript studies. The first point where free tutorials are helpful is at the very beginning, especially if a student lacks any prior coding experience. Even a text article can adequately explain JavaScript’s history, characteristics, uses, and features. Free tutorials also cover JavaScript’s basic terms and syntax, explaining the purpose of each element. Here, interactive resources, like those provided by some JavaScript-specific websites, particularly shine. Most free resources will then progress through the basic techniques of JavaScript, showing how to build longer algorithms to perform more complex operations. Past this point, however, some resources begin to drop off, especially the free samples provided by paid technical and coding schools. Other sources continue into more intermediate lessons, but students will find it increasingly difficult to compose longer and more interactive scripts without feedback. Still, this early practice can prepare a student to excel at an introductory JavaScript course or ease their entry to a longer course like a bootcamp.

Once students enroll in a formal course, which will provide the structure and feedback that free resources lack, they can still benefit from free tutorials as a supplement. Even the best instructor has limited time, both in and out of the classroom, and can only present so many examples. Instructors also have individual teaching styles and perspectives which may not communicate fully with every student. These limitations are even more evident in on-demand classes, where an instructor cannot elaborate upon their pre-recorded materials. When a lesson is unclear or a student needs additional practice, free tutorials can provide more and more varied material. An example from a free source might provide the insight a student is missing, and more practice is always valuable to strengthen a concept. Plus, for live instruction, a free tutorial might raise questions a student can ask in class. 

After a student has completed a formal JavaScript course, free resources become valuable in other ways. Former students can consult free lessons as a refresher for uncertain or forgotten material. Free tutorials can also act, again, as a supplement for lessons they didn’t completely understand during formal studies. Beyond revisiting past studies, some free JavaScript resources explain advanced and additional material. Some tutorials discuss specific techniques, often covering methods that professional JavaScript programmers find difficult. Other lessons explain specific tools, like libraries or development environments. Still other lessons address specific projects using JavaScript, like creating responsive controls for video games or building secure access for websites. These resources become more useful once one has a solid understanding of JavaScript and knows what further knowledge they need. The fluency gained in a formal JavaScript course makes it easier to learn more advanced techniques and tools on one’s own. Of course, an advanced class with a live instructor can teach more material, more quickly, but for those with limited time or funds or those who only need to know a few specifics, free resources might be preferable.

Limitations of Free Resources

Most of the limitations of free resources are logical consequences of their nature. First, since these resources do not require payment, students cannot demand or expect consistent quality. Especially on social media, anyone can create and share a lesson on JavaScript, with no guarantee as to the accuracy or effectiveness of their instruction. Even on school sites or dedicated JavaScript sites, free tutorials are not certified and can vary greatly in quality. Free lessons are also less likely to be consistently updated. 

Second, since there is no paid instructor, free resources provide little to no feedback. At best, interactive websites may confirm whether tested code functions as intended, or the creators of some lessons may respond to comments. Compare this to the regular feedback available from a live instructor or the limited feedback offered by an on-demand school. Students using free resources can easily become stuck on difficult concepts and must search on their own to find missing information or diagnose coding errors. 

Third, free resources provide little confirmation of students’ progress. Again, some of the best free tutorials include self-evaluation in the form of projects and tests, but such static evaluations are not as useful as an instructor’s verification and guidance to correct errors. A live instructor can also explain how mastering one concept prepares students for the next lesson. Once completed, almost all formal courses provide a certificate of accomplishment, proof of a student’s hard work and new abilities. These certificates are backed by the reputation of that school. No matter how good a free resource might be, they can never validate students’ achievements in the same way. 

Finally, for students seeking employment using JavaScript, free resources provide little career support. At best, free tutorials might explain the career market and advise how to prepare for interviews, but no free resource will review a student’s resume, coach them on interview questions, or help them build a project portfolio, services offered by many JavaScript bootcamps and most professional training programs.

What to Do After Utilizing Free JavaScript Resources

Free resources have drawbacks that limit their usefulness, but they do offer a convenient way to start learning JavaScript. Students can avoid the commitments of paid classes until they are certain they want to proceed further. By that time, the difficulties of continuing with free resources should be apparent. These difficulties can then be overcome by the advantages of formal coursework. If cost is a student’s primary concern, on-demand classes might be a good transition, keeping the advantage of flexible scheduling while adding better organization, validation, career support, and some feedback. However, on-demand classes are still pre-recorded materials and not necessarily better in quality or currency compared to free lessons. Students can also be slowed by limited feedback and a lack of urgency caused by setting their own schedules. Live instruction, while higher in cost and more demanding of students’ time, repays them with multiple advantages and is the fastest, most effective route when learning JavaScript.

Live introductory JavaScript classes are typically short, taking only a few days of full-time study. Some classes are general introductions, while others focus on specific uses of JavaScript such as web design. While this focus omits some unrelated material, it speeds students’ progress through necessary concepts and helps them reach proficiency in the focused area more quickly. In either form, live introductory classes allow students to ask questions and request alternate explanations, plus they provide multiple examples and practice problems. Live classes are also usually supplemented with written materials and sometimes, with interactive exercises. These features ensure that students complete a course with a strong, thorough, accurate understanding of JavaScript’s fundamentals. They should be able to read, edit, and create simple scripts, such as those found on basic websites. They are also prepared to learn more advanced techniques and added tools like libraries and development environments. Note that free resources can also be helpful to prepare for the prerequisites of live JavaScript classes; a common request is that students already know the web coding languages HTML and CSS. Completing a good free tutorial on web design, with careful study, could meet this prerequisite.

After taking an introductory JavaScript class, or instead of a basic introduction, students who want to improve their knowledge and fluency in JavaScript further could take a bootcamp class. These intensive live courses teach introductory concepts more quickly and continue through intermediate and some advanced topics, covering a majority of what working programmers need to know. JavaScript bootcamps typically run for several weeks if taken full-time or two to three months on a part-time schedule. Some bootcamps explicitly prepare students for employment using JavaScript and include portfolio-ready projects and career guidance. Other bootcamps are focused on specific project types, like mobile application development. The latter courses can also prepare students for employment but are also useful for hobbyists, independent developers, or others who want to know JavaScript for specific uses. Bootcamps are where the advantages of live instruction shine strongest. More challenging techniques like object-oriented and asynchronous programming are difficult to understand through pre-written lessons, and an instructor’s guidance helps students avoid misunderstandings and mistakes that cause frustrations and delays. Direct instruction also helps when encountering new tools, particularly libraries, which might be entire courses in themselves but only take a few days to explain in a bootcamp. Upon completing a bootcamp, students take away several useful resources: reference materials, completed projects that can be used as portfolio samples, and a certificate verifying their accomplishments. Some JavaScript bootcamps also include career guidance and support that help to find employment in related fields.

Students explicitly seeking a career using JavaScript should consider a professional training program. Professional programs also start at an introductory level but progress steadily through intermediate and advanced lessons, covering everything an entry-level JavaScript programmer needs to know. After students become fluent with basic or ‘vanilla’ JavaScript, training programs address more advanced techniques that create more complex, efficient, and useful scripts. They also introduce several commonly used libraries and frameworks, taking time to build proficiency with each tool. By the end of a full training program, students can create functional scripts like animations, games, and web components. The projects students complete in class also form the beginning of their professional portfolio. Many JavaScript training programs focus on specific careers, usually web development or software development, and tailor their lessons toward this work. While not exhaustive, training programs typically address more material than any single free resource can offer. These programs represent a significant time commitment — around three months of full-time study or five to six months of part-time study — but this duration is still far shorter than equivalent study through free lessons or on-demand classes. Like bootcamps, professional training programs also provide career guidance and support and award a certificate upon completion to verify students’ work.

Some live JavaScript classes are described as ‘advanced’, meaning that students are expected to already have good fluency with JavaScript. These classes teach more difficult or specialized topics, techniques, and tools, such as using JavaScript for web security, using memoization to speed up scripts, or learning an uncommon library. Students need prior experience both to understand this material and to use it effectively. Many of these advanced topics are addressed by free resources, and in some cases, students can find enough information to grasp that subject. However, an advanced live class will benefit from the advantages of live instruction — feedback, varied examples, and stronger focus and motivation — to present their material more quickly and completely. In addition, the certification provided by a live class can aid students taking advanced classes to improve their careers.

Learn JavaScript with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers several live online JavaScript courses that vary in length and cost. The shortest course is an introduction, JavaScript for Front-End, which teaches basic JavaScript programming for front end web development. Students should have prior experience coding in HTML and CSS for web design or front end web development. The course then introduces JavaScript’s functions for website scripting, teaching students the features and techniques needed to use JavaScript at a basic or ‘vanilla’ level, without added tools. This background will allow students to learn advanced JavaScript techniques and tools in later courses. The second half of this class teaches one such tool, the GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP), which uses JavaScript to create animated web elements. This class comes with a supplemental workbook and awards a certificate upon completion. Students also have the option to retake this class once for free, for up to one year.

For students ready to learn JavaScript at a professional level, but who cannot commit to the length or expense of a complete certificate course, Noble Desktop’s JavaScript Programming Bootcamp offers a strong foundation in JavaScript, plus career guidance, centered on JavaScript’s use in web development. This course does also request that participants have some prior experience with web design or front end web development, at least enough to be familiar with coding in HTML and CSS. Compared to a full course, the JavaScript Programming Bootcamp takes only a few weeks for full-time students, rather than several months, and costs far less. During this time, students receive a complete education in JavaScript’s features and programming techniques, plus experience with some popular JavaScript libraries and features added to recent releases. The course also includes career guidance, a 1-on-1 mentoring session with the instructor, practice with sample interview questions, and several projects that can become a starting portfolio. The bootcamp provides a proprietary workbook and awards a certificate upon completion. Students can also retake this course once for free within a year.

Students who need a complete education in JavaScript to advance their careers should consider Noble Desktop’s JavaScript Development Certificate program. This program is designed to prepare students for a career in web development and teaches JavaScript programming plus several related tools. The program takes about three months to complete for full-time students. It also requests that students already have some training in web development or web design. In its first unit, this program teaches fundamental JavaScript programming with classes identical to those for the JavaScript Programming Bootcamp. Subsequent units teach additional JavaScript tools used in web development, including the Node.js and Express.js libraries, a database management system called MongoDB, another commonly-used data management language called SQL, and the React library for creating JavaScript components, blocks of code that form small reusable applications. Another unit discusses the web development industry, addressing career options and likely interview questions. Students also receive eight 1-on-1 mentoring sessions with an instructor to address difficult topics or receive further career guidance. Several projects throughout the course build each student’s starting portfolio, and participants receive an official certificate upon completion. In addition to several supplemental workbooks, students can access video recordings after each class. They can also retake the course once for free for up to one year.