Seeking Advice on Choosing the Right Path: Beta Curriculum or Core Certifications? 🥹

[HimalErangana]

Hello, amazing freeCodeCamp community!

I hope you’re all doing wonderfully. I’m reaching out because I’m feeling a bit lost about which learning path to take next on my journey to becoming a full-stack developer, and I’d really appreciate your kind guidance.

A Little About Me:
I recently completed the “Responsive Web Design” certification on freeCodeCamp (yay! ), and I loved every minute of it! Before that, I learned HTML5 and CSS from W3Schools (though I didn’t earn certificates there). My original plan was to learn JavaScript from W3Schools next and then dive into the “JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures” certification here on freeCodeCamp. But then I saw the new “Full Stack Developer (Beta)” curriculum at the top of the page (as shown in the screenshot I’ve attached below), and now I’m unsure what to do.

My Big Question:
Should I jump into the “Full Stack Developer (Beta)” curriculum, or should I stick with my original plan of learning JavaScript from W3Schools and then working through the core certifications (like “JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures,” “Front End Development Libraries,” and so on)?

What’s Confusing Me:

• When I checked out the beta curriculum, it looks like it starts with HTML5 again. Since I’ve already completed the “Responsive Web Design” certification, I’m worried I’ll have to redo a bunch of stuff I already know. Plus, I learned HTML5 from W3Schools—not freeCodeCamp—so I’m not sure if that complicates things or if I can skip ahead.
• I also noticed that even though I have the “Responsive Web Design” certificate, the beta curriculum shows I haven’t fully completed it. Does this mean my previous certification isn’t recognized in the beta path?
• I’m concerned about efficiency. If I start the beta curriculum, will I be repeating a lot of material, or is there a way to carry over my progress? On the flip side, if I stick with the core certifications, I’m worried about the 2027 expiration date I’ve heard about. Will my certifications still hold value after that?

What I’d Love to Hear from You:
I’d be so grateful for any advice or experiences you could share! Has anyone else faced this choice after completing some core certifications? Did you switch to the beta curriculum, and if so, how did it go? Is there a way to avoid starting from scratch in the beta path if I already know HTML5 and CSS? Also, for those who’ve tried both routes, which do you think is better for someone planning of becoming a full-stack developer?

Final Thoughts:
I’m super passionate about this journey, and I just want to make the smartest choice for my learning. Your wisdom would mean the world to me! Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to help—you’re all incredible, and I’m so lucky to be part of this supportive community.

Warmest regards,
@HimalErangana

[jwilkins.oboe]

HI @HimalErangana !

@HimalErangana

I recently completed the “Responsive Web Design” certification on freeCodeCamp (yay! ), and I loved every minute of it!

Congrats!

@HimalErangana

Should I jump into the “Full Stack Developer (Beta)” curriculum, or should I stick with my original plan of learning JavaScript from W3Schools and then working through the core certifications (like “JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures,” “Front End Development Libraries,” and so on)?

If you feel comfortable with HTML and CSS, then start with the JavaScript section in the full stack cert. The other certs will be marked legacy over time and the full stack cert will be the default one

@HimalErangana

When I checked out the beta curriculum, it looks like it starts with HTML5 again. Since I’ve already completed the “Responsive Web Design” certification, I’m worried I’ll have to redo a bunch of stuff I already know.

If you feel comfortable with HTML and CSS, then continue with JavaScript in the full stack cert. If you like there are areas where you are uncertain about, then do some of the additional labs and lectures in the full stack for the HTML and CSS sections

@HimalErangana

I also noticed that even though I have the “Responsive Web Design” certificate, the beta curriculum shows I haven’t fully completed it. Does this mean my previous certification isn’t recognized in the beta path?

The responsive web design and full stack cert are two separate certifications.

The full stack cert is more comprehensive then the responsive web design cert. It has more practice and theory for learners.

But once you gain a certification it can’t be taken away from you. So you have already completed the responsive cert and that doesn’t change just because of the full stack cert

@HimalErangana

I’m concerned about efficiency. If I start the beta curriculum, will I be repeating a lot of material, or is there a way to carry over my progress?

The projects you did like the cat photo app, ferris wheel, product landing page, etc carry over. You should see that in the full stack cert that it is marked as complete. The full stack cert just has more projects for you to do and lectures videos and quizzes for better comprehension of the material

@HimalErangana

On the flip side, if I stick with the core certifications, I’m worried about the 2027 expiration date I’ve heard about. Will my certifications still hold value after that?

The thought process behind the expiration after 3 years for certs is if people want to renew their certs, they can do so by completing more projects to show they are up to date on web dev concepts. But by that point, if you are staying on the current path, you might already be working and not worry about updating the cert

@HimalErangana

I’d be so grateful for any advice or experiences you could share! Has anyone else faced this choice after completing some core certifications? Did you switch to the beta curriculum, and if so, how did it go? Is there a way to avoid starting from scratch in the beta path if I already know HTML5 and CSS? Also, for those who’ve tried both routes, which do you think is better for someone planning of becoming a full-stack developer?

If you already feel comfortable with HTML and CSS then you can start with the JavaScript section of the beta cert and go from there. If you want more practice, then you can do the additional labs in the full stack cert.

@HimalErangana

I’m super passionate about this journey, and I just want to make the smartest choice for my learning. Your wisdom would mean the world to me! Thank you so much in advance for taking the time to help—you’re all incredible, and I’m so lucky to be part of this supportive community.

As someone who learned to code with freeCodeCamp and got a developer job back in 2022, here is my advice. Focus on building a core foundation of skills in web dev. Don’t worry about the certs themselves. The certs are for personal achievement and fulfillment but hiring manager will only look at your skills and what you have done with those skills. This means the projects you are able to build outside of freeCodeCamp.

freeCodeCamp gives you tons of practice and has a supportive community to help you when you get stuck.
The new full stack cert, gives you even more practice and theory then the other certs.

Take you time with learning.
Build a strong foundation in the fundamentals.
Build tons of projects within freeCodeCamp and outside of freeCodeCamp.
And learn what it takes to get your first developer job

How to Learn to Code and Get a Developer Job [Full Book]

You do those things, then you can transition into a full stack developer job

Hope that helps

[HimalErangana]

Hi @jwilkins.oboe,

Thank you so, so much for taking the time to read my “ultra-long” post and respond with such incredible, thoughtful advice! Your reply answered all my questions one by one, and I really appreciate how much effort you put into helping me. I don’t want to take up any more of your time, so I’ll keep this short—just know that your wisdom means the world to me, and I’m so grateful for your support. You’re amazing!

Warmest thanks,
@HimalErangana