Began Javascript but have potential Java client. Can I change curriculum?

Career Advice
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Hi.
I want to learn coding for developing websites, so have started HTML, CSS and am currently on JS. I received the certificate for HTML & CSS, thank you.
However, a guitar pupil of mine said if I know Java, I could do online work for the company he is currently working for.
So. . . I need to learn Java ASAP, but I do not want to loose the progress I have made on the JS curriculum.

Can I do Java and come back to complete Javascript at a later date? Obviously I can do some revision, but might not want to start right at the beginning, next time around. Is there a way to save progress so far?

Your kind assistance would be urgently need and greatly appreciated.

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freeCodeCamp should save your progress for which challenges you have completed, and the projects you’ve submitted. However, if you take a long time off you might want a refresher on the language syntax anyways.

The good thing is Java and JavaScript are both what you’d call “C-style” languages, in that their syntax borrows a lot from the language of C. So if you go out and learn Java, you’d inherently learn more about concepts that will be useful in JavaScript, along with learning some syntax that is shared between the two. Not everything is shared, and the two languages do have their distinct differences, but you will be able to re-use a good amount.

insert “One does not simply” meme

So the thing with Java, is its an older language, with decades of advancements/experience/frameworks built up over time. Learning it is one thing, learning what your pupil uses and does may also take time. Furthermore, due to all the history of the language, it will be vastly harder to find supporting resources in both categories. The language is ultimately the same, but parts of it, how to use it, technologies used by it/for-it/with it will have changed.

Java is still one of the more popular languages out their, as its used in a lot of use-cases, and is the language of choice for a lot of use-cases, like financial systems. Its a language that has a lot of jobs, and even though its not as “cool and hip”, it wont be going around anywhere so it will be a great investment of your time if you do fully commit to learning it.

Good luck, keep learning, keep building :+1:

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I suggest don’t hurry and shift to Java.

There are tons of engineers with Java experience with less with JS + framework experiences.

So I suggest continue with JS → related framework path instead of going to Java route.

As per my knowledge Java is also getting replaced with Kotlin, Go and other better backend technologies, only old projects still keep using Java

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Thanks guys.
Totally different opinions. I will have to choose wisely.

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I would want to clarify - Is your friend offering you a job or was he just making an offhand remark? Saying “if you knew Java…” is not the same as saying, “they will hire a complete noob that spent a month doing some tutorials”. I would be very surprised if they are willing to hire a complete noob with a cursory knowledge - for online work - when they could contract someone outside with more experience to do it for less money. Unless you’re an experienced coder, I would expect you spend at least a year to even begin to become a competent coder for anything but the most trivial tasks.

But I don’t know. Maybe they really do want to take a chance and hire someone with no experience, to work remotely. I guess it’s possible, it just sounds odd to me. I would want to confirm that.

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Well. I don’t know the guy well- only from the guitar lessons, recently.
He sent me the email of the lady in the company, who is hiring.
I was an Analyst Programmer about 25 years ago.
I changed career to Marketing and then started a family. During my son’s childhood, I took micky-mouse part-time positions, mostly admin bookkeeping and graphic design. From his high-school days, I worked for the Church for a number of years.
My son is in his early 20’s and is an I.T. Technician.
I really enjoyed programming in my younger days.

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Over the years I have tried, now and then, to get back into I.T. but people think I don’t know anything anymore. I know it’s a long shot, and I will send her an email asking what version and flavor of Java they have. And also if they are planning on staying with Java or replacing it with a newer option- you know, Kotlin or something.

I will also test her response to my grand old age and big gap in my working experience.

I started learning HTML, CSS and Javascript, a short while ago, because designing websites is something I did 15 years ago. I just used the HTML templates provided by a prospective employer, who did not choose me in the end. I did a few basic sites for clients. In those days it was all static on PC screens … not much for phones and tablets . Much simpler.

Once I’ve finished Java and Javascript, I want to learn Python. Hopefully, I can get some clients and/or maybe even this Java job.

It’s worth a try and I am so enjoying the coding again.

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Yeah. I mean, they’re half-right, but they’re also half-wrong.

I know it’s a long shot, and I will send her an email

Yeah, I think it’s a really long shot. I mean, there are unemployed Java developers out there, or new grads that studied it in school. You have no real experience in it and haven’t studied it much. I don’t know, maybe they’re just super cool cats and your friend is pushing for it - but that just seems odd to me. But go for it - who knows?

asking what version and flavor of Java they have. And also if they are planning on staying with Java or replacing it with a newer option- you know, Kotlin or something.

Places don’t tend to change languages a lot. If they are asking for Java then that is probably sufficient.

I started learning HTML, CSS and Javascript, a short while ago, because designing websites is something I did 15 years ago.

Then I would think that web dev would be a good fit. Not only is that something you know and something that FCC teaches, but also (afaik) is one of the least difficult fields to get a coding job without a degree.

In those days it was all static on PC screens … not much for phones and tablets . Much simpler.

OK, but there are two ways to approach mobile. You can just make your web site “mobile friendly” - either by using styling that adapts to the size of the device or by having a separate mobile site. The other option is writing actual mobile apps, things you have to download from the web store. That technically is mobile development, but there is a lot of overlap with web development. I myself started out with FCC, learned web dev, learned React, that led me to React Native, which is mobile development and is now my job.

Once I’ve finished Java and Javascript, I want to learn Python. Hopefully, I can get some clients and/or maybe even this Java job.

I think it’s best to learn one stack really well. Rather than learn Java, JS, and Python, why not pick one for a backend language? FCC uses JS (Node) as their backend language, setting you up with the marketable MERN stack. You can however do backend with things like Java and Python, as well as using those languages for other things.

But I think there is value in learning one thing well. As a musician, it reminds me of guys at the university that wanted to learn every instrument. Unless you’re going to teach band, I never understood the value of that. As a musician, it was always my perception that people made it because they were amazing on one instrument. Maybe you have some doubles (like as a guitar player, sometimes I had to do banjo or mandolin for theater work) but my focus was guitar and a little piano. I knew guys who were mediocre on 20 instruments. I never understood the purpose.

It’s worth a try and I am so enjoying the coding again.

Yeah, that’s the best thing. Just enjoy it. Keep learning. Keep building. I think doing something like FCC is great because it is so focused on getting you the basics you need - you get a solid foundation in everything you need to build a web site. If you don’t do that, then try to find something like that.

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I was just doing the media tests for screen size that I learned in FCC. I had previously been thinking about mobile development, but had no idea how to get into it. Interesting. Thanks for the info.

As a musician, my main instrument is piano/keyboard. I have a Yamaha E453 and played for the church for yearrrs. My 2nd instrument is guitar. I taught my son to play guitar years ago. Now he plays it better than I do. Violin, I learned in the Junior School Orchestra. I have one but don’t play it in public, for obvious reasons. Just about everyone does recorder as a child, and I was curious about saxophone, but did not get into it. Oh yeah, and the other day my keyboard pupil asked me to play his brother’s bass guitar to accompany him. So I did. Easy really, but that’s hardly a separate instrument.

At this stage I’m trying a few things. I will look into JS (Node) and React. They both seem popular. Whatever gets me clients, that is what I will focus on. Thanks for the thumbs up.
As for enjoying the coding again . . I am absolutely lapping it up.

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