18 November 2021
Hello World.
This is the classic phrase you enter into pretty much any tool or programming language to test that your new “skills” are beginning. As a student of computer science, whether self taught or formally educated, you will see this phrase a lot throughout countless courses and topics. Udemy provides a great platform to find such a multitude of courses; so much so, that I guarantee you could even obtain a complete Computer Science education through Udemy alone. Over the course of my computer science education, I have turned to Udemy countless times to find additional help or alternate perspectives on any subject – which always seem to have a discounted Udemy course priced below $20. Given the nature of online learning, Udemy is practically a must have if you want to learn computer science, and with the small but rising trend of companies recognizing non-traditional educations in the software field, Udemy could even be your ticket into a new role.
The Basics
Starting with the basics are really any course that have an “Introduction to…” title; however, some advanced topics will also say this yet you might need some prerequisite knowledge before diving into those. I recommend starting with core concepts like programming and standard tools for programming like IDE’s. The following are all courses that I have tried myself:
The Python Mega Course 2022: Build 10 Real-World Programs. The instructor for this course spends roughly 3.5 hours teaching the basics of Python before beginning any of the projects, so it accounts for beginners who are just starting out. However, the instructor also sprinkles more education and tutorials later in the course when they apply to a specific use case, such as the data science module Pandas. I like this method of learning because while you study the basics, you are able to apply your learning quickly to relatively real world use cases. Within my first year as a CS student, I was frustrated by writing programs that output to command line and taking several courses before seeing the real world application of programming. With a Udemy course like this, you turn around and apply the basics quickly to things like user interfaces and data visualization. Even an advanced learner has a place to practice various Python modules. Highly recommend!
The Complete Web Developer in 2022: Zero to Mastery. You may be asking, but I already learned programming with your last recommendation?! Yes, but web development is a whole new way to apply programming fundamentals – and if you indeed took my previous recommendation, one of those Python projects is a web application 😊. Web development is a huge industry and technology changes fast. My friend and mentor, a web developer, told me once that web development is the best entry level job for a software developer. And there are numerous bootcamps that focus solely on web development technologies to get students into the industry quickly, which sort of alludes to the nature of non-traditional students landing jobs in the field. This course is 37+ hours of material, which may seem like a lot. But considering that bootcamps are 8+ week full-time programs, and a degree can take anywhere from 2-4 years, this Udemy course could be taken 1 hour a day across 2 months to complete. The course covers full-stack development including databases, teaching the subjects and applying them in a project.
“Electives”
If you find yourself disappointed by the 2 recommendations above, be happy instead: you can find any programming language introduction on Udemy. And apart from the basics, practically every other course in a computer science degree program has multiple Udemy alternatives. Here are a few of my favorites:
Android Java Masterclass – Become an App Developer. Another hefty course at 60 hours, the good news is that you can take it as far as you are wanting to learn mobile development. I never had the chance to take a formal mobile development class, but it has interested me because of the opportunity to learn a unique method of applying your ideas and providing them to users.
Complete C# Unity Game Developer 3D. This is a great course for learning real-world applications of computer science. Thanks to the Unity Engine, you can playtest your ideas very efficiently while developing them. I used this course only through the starting 1-2 projects before I made my own mobile game with the lessons learned. It was a cool way to satisfy my interest in creating a real-world, usable program that could be shared with people and even came up during a (successful) software engineer interview. (No college course taught me this).
Conclusion
One of my favorite parts about Udemy is the fact that some instructors update their content regularly, or at least yearly. The obvious benefit? Technology changes! Maybe a new version of Android gets released and you just don’t know where to turn. Or, Python adds a cool module that’s all the craze and you wonder if you can get a quick tutorial from a teacher that you enjoy. The best part? If you already own the course, you can return at any time and learn the updated material!
Even if you land a job, some companies offer Udemy courses paid for by the company through their own portal. This is another great way to harness the power and diversity of Udemy’s courses to enhance your career. There is also a course in mastering sourdough bread, so what are you waiting for? (I have no affiliation with Udemy or any courses on Udemy).
