Hey, I just started using fcc yesterday and I am a bit confused. Everyone says HTML is very easy, however I am struggling a bit on the cat app and I am currently on step 47. Is it normal for it to be this challenging? On maybe 4 steps I had to look ahead to get the answer because I was that stuck, essentially cheating. I don’t really remember the information and don’t know how to put it into use without the lesson. This could probably be just because it is a very new thing to me, but I would like some feedback since you guys were probably in my shoes as well. Last question, should I just use fcc to learn or are there any other good websites to learn as well.
2 Likes
Welcome to our community!
Everything seems so hard in the beginning. But if you invest some time to research topics and problems you encounter through this course, you will learn more than you can imagine at the moment.
Try to use your browser to search for every unknown subject. The answers are there. This is not an easy task, but you will have to do it permanently. You have to get used to it.
3 Likes
After I finish the HTML and CSS course, is it all just basic knowledge or what does it really teach me? I know the learning never stops, but just a bit curious what finishing the first course would teach me and what kind of stuff I could make with it. Lastly, how quickly does a language get outdated? Thank you by the way.
1 Like
- About getting outdated: you can not see any web page without html and css.
- At the end of this course you are obliged to create five projects that will be visible to the world after the course completion. The course is just guidance and serves to lead you steadily on one carefully created learning path. Otherwise, you could get lost easily. Sooner or later, you have to begin to learn and create projects by yourself. The process of learning never stops.
1 Like
Hey, I was just checking and the responsive web design is mainly just CSS, and only 2 projects are HTML out of the 15. Am I suppose to learn HTML else where or what am I suppose to do? Sorry for all these questions, I’m a little noob.
1 Like
You think too much about very simple things. Don’t measure or count anything. Follow the challenges, read carefully the instructions, and when you came across a problem, search, read, learn. Then, go back and try again. Eventually, you will be well equipped with very useful and practical skills, no matter if it is HTML or CSS.
1 Like
Alright thank you, just to make sure each course takes around 300 hours? How does someone finish all 10? Seems impossible, since even if you put in 10 hours a day nonstop you would be done in about 10 months. That would give you just the basics as well. Seems kind of crazy but I just want to finish the HTML, CSS, and JS course for right now. My goal is about 2 hours a day which I started yesterday.
1 Like
It is just an approximation (300 hours). There is no need for speed. The most important thing is that you foster the knowledge you acquired, no matter how it seems little.
Start instantly to make your own projects with what you know at the given moment.
P.S. All courses in the fCC curriculum are not possible to pass in 10 months period with full understanding. This is a fact. Don’t fool yourself.
2 Likes
I wasn’t fooling myself, I was giving an example of how impossible it is to finish all 10 courses, but I’m sure there is someone who has done it.
1 Like
You generally wouldn’t do all 10,
The best 5 for web development are Responsive Web Design, JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures, Front End Development Libraries, Backend Development and APIs and Relational Databases.
But note that the content of the Front End Development Libraries is pretty old and isn’t recommended for learning modern React, so find a more up to date source for that. Redux is probably unnecessary as it’s dying off and it’s a bit of a nightmare to learn. you can learn React Context API instead which does the same thing but is easier to pick up, and any good up-to-date React course should cover it. There’s some time to go before you get to that certificate but its worth bearing in mind for the future.
2 Likes
It is a bit overwhelming, but it isn’t something that is impossible. I’m almost done with the first project and it is a bit confusing, but I’ll keep pushing forward because every new thing is always a challenge and you can’t expect to be great at it first try.
Edit: Mike what kind of things could I expect to be able to make with just the first two courses, so just javascript, css, hmtl. I’m well aware I have to do the main 5 and that learning never stops, just curious.
1 Like
With HTML and CSS (responsive web design) you can build a web page that looks nice. JavaScript makes the web page interactive.
You can use JavaScript on its own to make a web page interactive but most modern websites use frontend frameworks like React. The first 3 certificates cover these frontend skills.
Backend and APIs and relational database certificates cover backend skills. With both frontend and backend skills you can build a full-stack application that has a user interface (frontend), and where you can request and display data to display in the UI, and also save data (user account details for example) or delete data, which are functionalities that come from the backend… basically a fully functioning website or app.
1 Like
Hi @15pn !
Welcome to the forum!
People will say a lot of things in tech.
Try not to focus on what others are saying and just focus on your learning.
When you get stuck, reach out to the forum for help.
The key to remember is that you have only been exposed to these concepts a few times.
It will take a while for the concepts to sink it.
With consistent practice and time, you will start to feel more comfortable with your skills.
I went through the fcc curriculum back in 2020, and it took a while for all of the concepts to sink it.
My strategy was to research a lot and build a lot of small projects along the way to help solidfy what I was learning.
Now, I work full time as a developer.
Just take your time 
I would suggest using fcc as your main guide and then use other supplementary materials as necessary. Even after you get a job, you will continue to learn from a variety of sources.
My main advice is to not jump around to much.
I have seen beginners jump from javascript, to python, to java, to php, etc and never learn how to code.
Stick to the path and focus on learning the fundamentals of programming and practice a lot. Once you learn the fundamentals well, then it will be easier to learn other languages.
Hope that helps!
1 Like
Hey, would just the first 3 courses + practice on my own be enough to make decent projects? I’m kind of just trying to do it as a hobby mainly and what kind of math is required for coding? I need to catch up on math. Thank you and your story is truly inspirational.
1 Like
The first three certificates will teach the basics of HTML, CSS, vanilla JavaScript and React. So you can start creating basic projects from there and continuing to learn and research from there.
This depends on what kind of development you are doing.
For front end development for building web sites, not much math at all is required.
1 Like
Well, the development that does require math what level would it be? I heard that studying computer science is filled with math, so I’m not sure. Probably a dumb question, but I’d like an answer to it since I’m a beginner.
1 Like
I would say building websites occasionally require addition/subtraction… maybe multiplication/division as you may need to determine how many pixels an element should be if you want to fit four of them onto a screen thats 1080px wide… etc. Percentages too as a lot of design elements are positions based on percentages of a window or screen, but nothing more complicated than knowing what 20% of something is I would think.
Math comes into play more in program algorithms… trying to solve problems with code efficiently. Infact, if you like the javascript and start taking some of the coding challenges, they are all more complicated math question… but a lot of that these days more requires that you understand the ideas at play as the actually solving of the math is done by the software itself, you just have to know when to apply it. For loops are popular, and I guess writing those well requires understanding of limits, counts, and number comparisons… but still mainly just addition/subtraction.
I think the only time more complex math is required these days is if your a high level programmer trying to really solve some complex problems. Back in the day I’m sure there was a lot more of that, but these days there are so many packages and software available to solve those problems for you, I can’t imagine you’d have to do it yourself for just basic stuff. Like you may need to find the mean/average of some numbers, but knowing what that means is all thats required as you can just run the Math.avg() function to actually do the calculations.
Games… game programming gets you into some geometry, espeicially if you have a character that can shoot at different angles and things. Then cosine, sine, and stuff becomes your friend. In 3d I’m sure the math gets 10 times worse, although I haven’t tried any 3d stuff yet.
I hope I’m not downplaying it. Sometimes when you do stuff regularly you forget that its not that simple for someone that doesn’t do it regularly.
1 Like
Here are just a few examples of areas of development with higher levels of math knowledge
- Data Science
- Robotics
- Computer Graphics
- Machine learning
- Cryptography
The kinds of math classes you would be looking at here would be linear algebra, probability, calculus, statistics, etc.
Computer science degrees focus a lot on algorithms and data structures. Since there are so many fields different within programming, a computer science degree will focus on the theory, application and design of computers.
My advice would be to first look at what areas of development you are interested in and then look at the level of math required in that area.
Hope that helps!
1 Like
Hey! I’ve been using FCC to learn how to code since January. I wanna say I definitely finished the Responsive Web Design portion without putting in 300 hours. As far as learning from FCC, I just wanted to mention that I take handwritten notes while I’m completing lessons. Reading stuff and then typing stuff doesn’t particularly stick in my brain but taking the time to write stuff out helps. It also gives me something to reference when I’m stuck in later challenges but know that I’ve seen the concept before. I know you can go back to lessons in the curriculum but it feels a bit tedious to do so imo. In addition, I watch YT videos! FreeCodeCamp has a channel a worth looking into. If you learn better by watching someone do it and then practicing, that’s totally valid. I use YT primarily when a lesson or concept is not making a ton of sense to me as it is presented in FCC. I watched like 5 vids on recursion(JavaScript concept) alone. Wishing you good luck!
You were a complete beginner right? Also how many total hours did it take you to finish Responsive Web Design and on average how many hours did you commit to each day?
1 Like