Can I Learn Web Development For Free?

Yes, you can learn web development for free. Many people who want to learn web development hesitate because of perceived up-front costs, not realizing that the only cost needs to be a computer. You may be surprised to learn that there is a multitude of free learning resources available to anyone interested in learning web development. However, there is a caveat. Free learning resources can only get you so far. They’re wonderful for helping beginners learn the fundamentals of web development and build a solid foundational understanding of basic concepts. The further you progress into web development skills, the more advanced training you’ll need. If you’re serious about getting into web development and you are pleased with your progress using free resources, consider investing in classes to give yourself the best chance at success in web development.

What Free Resources are Available for Learning Web Development?

You don’t have to look long and hard to find an abundance of free web development learning resources. They exist in many forms from games to podcasts to tutorials, and many of these tools were created for developers by developers to help facilitate routine tasks and teach up-and-coming developers the trade. For instance, Roadmap has guides that detail the steps to become a Front End Developer and Back End Developer using flow charts to show an ideal order to learn different concepts as well as supplemental concepts that can help your career but aren’t necessarily required. Git is an excellent resource for version control. It keeps a record of changes you make to your code and helps you spot errors; and when you’re working on a team, you can also integrate Git into your email to simplify communication between you and other developers.

You’ll also find that reference guides are helpful as you find your way through web development. There’s a lot of jargon and coding syntax to make sense of and remember, that’s why having access to these reference guides simplifies some of the mental processing that comes with learning this skill. A free guide to HTML typography or HTML tags is helpful when you’re learning and practicing HTML. Simply, search for the element or property you have in mind, and you’ll find a summary of how it’s used and how you can implement it on your website. In addition to reference guides, you’ll also find free games that make learning and practicing more fun. Sites like CodePen and Codier provide you with coding challenges. The goal is to create the code to complete the challenge in your own way. User submissions are made available so you can see how your code compares to others around the world. You can even participate in head-to-head CSS battles to emulate a given image with the least amount of coding lines possible. You’ll rank on the leaderboard for everyone to see if you do well.

Free resources are great, but nothing beats taking a class and learning from an expert. Look into some free web development classes that are pre-recorded and available now on Noble Desktop’s YouTube channel. Intro to Front End Web Development teaches you what the three major front end programming languages do and how they work together to form a cohesive website. It also covers some common web development resources like Greensock, a JavaScript program that creates animations. The Intro to Greensock Web Animation showcases the best ways beginners can approach it. Intro to WordPress will teach you the basics of the platform, and the Intro to WordPress for Developers course will show you how to customize a site’s themes. To take your customizations further, Intro to UI Design and UX Design courses will teach you the basics of each and how to apply them to a website. Once you’ve explored these free classes, you can find web development classes to go on a deeper dive into your preferred topics.

How to Make Use of Free Web Development Resources

One of the best ways to make use of free resources is to supplement your current web development training. Taking a web development class is going to be the most efficient and fastest way to learn the skill, but excelling in the class will require study and practice outside of class times. That’s where supplemental free resources come in. These can help bolster what you’re learning, increase your understanding of various concepts or topics, and reinforce what you’re learning in class. There are different types of supplemental resources, including those that enhance your productivity, make learning and practicing more enjoyable, and help troubleshoot your code. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or on a path to becoming a web development professional, free resources are a great supplement to the work that you’re doing. 

Another way to use free web development resources is as a tool for deciding if web development is the right career path for you. Utilizing videos, seminars, articles, and online tutorials can give you a glimpse into the kinds of tasks you’ll be working on as a web development professional. It can also help you gauge how much you know and how much you have left to learn before you are ready for an entry-level developer position. Likewise, you can use them in preparation for enrolling in a Front End Web Development Certificate training program. While many bootcamps and certificate programs are beginner-friendly and have no prerequisites, some do. Free training resources can cover the prerequisites, helping you to properly prepare for the bootcamp. Even if there are no prerequisites, having a basic understanding of some web development concepts can help you better grasp the course material. 

Limitations of Free Resources

Although free resources are a valuable part of learning web development, they can only take you so far. At some point, you’re going to want to have more structured and interactive instruction. The personal guidance you’ll receive from a live instructor or mentor will help you fill in the holes that free resources tend to leave and help you build on what you learned using them. If you’re serious about becoming a developer, then you’re going to have to make a significant investment in your education and your future. Free resources tend to be generalized and don’t offer in-depth instruction. With feedback being limited, or non-existent in some instances, it’s difficult to know how well your practice is going and whether you’re being efficient in your coding or not. Another limitation is quality assurance. For someone new to web development, it may not be easy to identify if the instruction being given is up-to-date, correct, or of high quality.

What to Do After Utilizing Free Web Development Resources

After you’ve made the most out of free web development resources, it’s time to kick your technical education into the next gear. After building a strong foundation with free resources, you’ll want to invest in a certificate program, bootcamp, internship, or apprenticeship to help you reach the next level of your web development path. Free resources aren’t designed to get you job-ready, so you’ll have to depend on other means to gain a solid entry point into a web development career. There are different learning formats to help you realize your web development dreams, including in-person and live online classes. Both have their merits and can address student-specific needs. And both will help to accelerate your learning because you’ll have more structured guidance. 

The most traditional and familiar learning format is in-person classroom instruction. It is generally viewed as the most effective and efficient way to learn a new skill. Its merits include having experienced guidance, peer interactions, real-time feedback, portfolio refinement, career services, mentorship, and student support services. While traditional in-person classes typically cost a fraction of the cost of a college degree, there is a cost. You’ll be supported as you learn, and have the chance to network and increase your range. When you enroll in a Noble Desktop Full-Stack Web Development Certificate course, you’ll have the ability to retake the class for free to reinforce your learning, learn full-time or part-time, collaborate with your peers, learn in-demand skills, and receive 1-on-1 mentoring to work on challenging concepts, resume and portfolio refinement, and your job search. 

Live online classes are growing in popularity because they allow students to skip the commute and have a greater choice in education centers. These classes eliminate geographical barriers to offer students more options and flexibility. Although students and instructors must meet online at the same time, everyone can attend classes from their desired location. These classes are conducted similarly to in-person classes, but they lack some of the social and visual cues that are present in face-to-face classroom interactions. You’ll still have hands-on experience and be able to interact with instructors and peers in real-time, but it will be through a video meeting or classroom platform. Noble Desktop’s courses are offered both live in-person and online, like this JavaScript Developer Certificate course.

Although both of these options are paid live training solutions to kickstart a career in web development, you’ll be a more confident developer with the in-demand web development skills that employers are looking for in their new hires. A quality live web development class makes it easier for you to develop an amazing portfolio of work that demonstrates your skill, creativity, and knowledge of web development. You’ll get hands-on training from expert instructors who become familiar with you and genuinely want to see you succeed. Whether you take a live course online or in a classroom with Noble Desktop, you’re going to get quality training and have networking opportunities, peer-to-peer interactions, individualized instruction, and real-time feedback. After you’ve completed your program you’ll be able to build fully functional websites and applications using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and web developer tools on your own.