Bro, the videos you had were the only and main thing that actually differentiated you from dozens of other code-learning platforms. They were not always great, but they made so much difference in a way a newbie like me would get introduced to new stuff before going further and putting something together.
I don’t know what statistics you saw and why you thought it was a good idea to get rid of your main advantage, but yeah… It’s not.
Moreover, even if you decided to not make new videos, why would you disable all the previous ones? (the ones that are still on youtube are a fraction of what was available before).
I’m finishing HTML-CSS rn and was eager to start JS, exactly because of the videos and how much easier they made understanding new concepts first. If I wanted to read about code, I’d buy a boring coding book. And now, idk, I mean, why would I even stick to this platform, when there are older, bigger, better supported ones out there? The videos was your thing, man. Your unique thing, even if not a lot of people watched them, as you guys claim. For those who did watch them, it was really meaningful.
Thanks for reading my rant, cheers.
I don’t think negging freecodecamp (a charity organization providing a totally free service) is a good strategy to learn programming and actually it’s a disgusting habit in general. Try to have some humility and respect.
If you want videos to learn there are 1800 videos on the freecodecamp youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@freecodecamp
Here are 10 full courses on HTML and CSS probably more video than you will ever need in your life:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWKjhJtqVAbnSe1qUNMG7AbPmjIG54u88
Please let us know if you have any questions or need any help
hello,
I think the problem was 2-fold. One issue I heard was that the time/money it costs to maintain the videos was better spent completing the new curriculum. (because any time there was a problem with the video or the lesson, they would have to re-record it, and unlike the transcript which any volunteer can fix in Github, the videos had to be done by their staff who have limited time). The 2nd reason is the one you know which is that they were finding not as many people were watching them so that was more evidence that they may not be as valuable to the greater community.
I would like to say that you can definitely watch YouTube videos on javascript if that is what you prefer. There are a lot out there.
But, having said that, you will find that as you become a mature developer, there are no videos to cover deeper and harder concepts, so you will unfortunately have to rely on your reading skills to read documentation.
I wish you the best on your journey and hope you have good luck whichever path you choose to learn.
Phiphi shared there disappointment in the videos having been taken down. I think that’s a fair reaction to the fact that they were ‘meaningful’ to them. They made a valid point as well in that those videos made fCC stand apart. Another valid point is why take down videos already made ? Why not add them to the 1800 YouTube videos (those can’t be ‘maintained’ btw). There was more to that post than just negging. Being disappointed is not the same as lacking respect, humility, or having a disgusting habit. Voicing disappointment is human and acceptable even towards a charitable organization! They clearly mentioned how the videos were a cornerstone of their learning journey. I am also quite disappointed, and totally agree that the videos made this platform unique. The videos were well made, created an efficient learning flow, and that is why their removal is disappointing… because the videos were great. That’s the message here: disappointment because of the loss of a great learning format. I mean, it can’t be that much of a shock that some people feel disappointment ? Did I say disappointment enough times already…
I’ve raised the comment about adding the videos to YouTube with one of the staff and they said they would try to do that. (not sure when)
That’s fair, a few people have expressed disappointment.
However, I think that comment went beyond just expressing disappointment and I expressed my disappointment at those sentiments.
Hey mate, thanks for your comment. Sure, I totally understand that, but that’s not the point. The videos are a great entry point for newbies and they really tied the room together.
Thanks mate, appreciate ya, totally agree with the disappointment part.
But, having said that, you will find that as you become a mature developer, there are no videos to cover deeper and harder concepts, so you will unfortunately have to rely on your reading skills to read documentation.
Okay, new learners should be aware of this insight you brought up.
But during the journey through the curriculum provided by freeCodeCamp, how and when can new learners start learning—or be taught—this kind of learning skill?
If people know what they don’t know, then they can ask.
If people don’t know what they don’t know, then they can’t ask.
I’m sure that whether lecture videos are provided or not, some new learners still aren’t aware that they need to guide themselves to read the documentation on the official website.
hmm, well I would hope fCC covers that at some point.
(I haven’t looked at the newest curriculum to confirm though)
If we look at The Odin Project for example which also teaches web development, and which I’m more recently familiar with, they definitely mention and emphasize reading documentation in their teaching.
The advice you gave helps new learners like me take courses from The Odin Project with a clear and specific purpose in mind.
So long as you know that they have a very different approach to fCC.
There’s a lot of different courses out there to teach web dev. Each one has pluses and minuses. (there’s no clear winner that I am aware of as each person may find themselves liking/disliking different aspects)
In general once you start something, it is best to stick with it in order to not find yourself unable to complete anything.
I’m currently working on Build a Storytelling App.
I’ve solved most of the labs on my own, but I could barely manage some of them.
How can I decide whether to complete the courses from freeCodeCamp first and tackle The Odin Project later?
If I stick with only freeCodeCamp, will I be able to guide myself in the right direction on this journey?
both can be a good starting point, if you have started with freeCodeCamp you can continue with it, starting a new course from the beginning can be a great time loss
Hi @ILM
As previously mentioned, in order to become mature developers, learners need to develop proactive reading skills to navigate documentation in the right direction.
I assume the official documentation refers to tools like React, Next.js, GitHub, Three.js, and so on.
But when and how can learners on freeCodeCamp acquire—or even become aware of—these skills, so they can independently go through a large amount of information without getting lost?
I honestly am struggling to imagine a learner who never makes an attempt to independently solve a problem. I don’t think such a learner would experience enough success to remain motivated?
Hi, @JeremyLT
I’m not the kind of learner who avoids making independent attempts to solve problems.
Based on the progress I’ve made so far, as I mentioned above,
do you think I’ve tried to solve all the labs and quizzes on my own?
I’m quite sure that I have, because I fully rely on the courses provided by freeCodeCamp.
Before joining this Full Stack Developer Curriculum, I tried both free and paid resources,
but I didn’t know how many fundamental building blocks I needed to learn,
or how to connect them together.
freeCodeCamp selects and builds those blocks for me in a more structured and manageable way.
Still, I don’t consider my learning experience to be successful so far.
I know I lack the confidence to evaluate myself, and I think I also lack the tools to improve without freeCodeCamp.
Right now, I feel a bit lost.
Why is that? You can just continue with the next step in the curriculum. Try to just focus on the next step until you reach the end, then you can re-evaluate what you’ve learned and what you want to do next.
That’s good, learning means you are working at the edge of your abilities. If you want to grow muscle do you lift easy weights or lift weights that are so heavy you can barely manage?
Unfortunately, that comes with discomfort of feeling like you aren’t a master. However when you return to easier tasks you will find them much easier and you will start remembering things.