Websites

Websites I have used while learning to code in java.

Must have:
Oracle Download the Java JDK here!!! You will need this in order to run java on your machine.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Your top resource for all things java. This is your first stop on the road to becoming a developer and the actual site to reference.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ You can follow along most learning websites using the IDE Eclipse. Download it here.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must have if you are interested in creating Android apps.

Highly suggested:
Meetup  https://www.meetup.com/
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An outstanding resource to meet local people interested in the same things. This can be anything from exercise to android development. Many of these learning opportunities are free.

Udemy  https://www.udemy.com
⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is an excellent resource with some free courses and some for purchase. I definitely recommend taking John Purcell's free course Java Programming for Complete Beginners.

Programming by doing https://programmingbydoing.com
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good practice. Not too hard to follow and gives use of java from the command line. There are no solutions or help if you get stuck which is a downside to this great site. These exercises are done from the command line and can be very time consuming. I opted to put completing this on hold due to time.

CodingBat http://codingbat.com/java
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great website for practicing java. I was able to answer quite a few questions as a beginner with help from my Java books and online. They have recently started adding videos and help if you get stuck. The best practice website I have found so far.

Code School https://www.codeschool.com/
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great website with a bunch of free interactive tutorials on different programming topics, corny videos included. Sign up for their mailing list and watch for their free weekends to get access to all content at no cost!

Free Code Camp: Free Web Development Coding "Bootcamp"  https://www.freecodecamp.com
⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is an awesome free web development bootcamp. It is a great supplement to our other Java resources. It teaches HTML, bootstrap, CSS, JavaScript (not Java) and more but is definitely strongly recommended if you are starting out trying to become a developer and can help you build your portfolio page.

Udacity https://www.udacity.com/
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love this website. Used by a Google Study Jams class I attended. Many of their courses are free but many come at a more expensive cost.

Chicago Java Users Group Podcasts
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Free podcasts from experienced Java Developers.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/javapubhouse-off-heaps-podcast/id985064111


⭐⭐⭐⭐ Track your coding time, simply add a plugin to your IDE. Four stars since it only lets you go back a couple weeks to see actual time spent unless you purchase the full version. But, it still gives you your average daily time spent coding and what language on your dashboard for free and it is shareable.

Not recommended for Java:
Codecademy https://www.codecademy.com
⭐⭐ I only found one java course here "Learn Java" which I thought was just ok. I ran into technical issues with the site and was only able to complete 50% of this class. I have heard many people strongly recommend this site for other languages which have more content. Also, someone told me these bugs were recently fixed.

Good for young learners or people new to programming:
Alice http://www.alice.org/index.php
⭐⭐ I downloaded Alice 2 which contained included tutorials. There was a known bug in tutorial 4 with placing a beach chair on the grass, after I reached this I could not get past it. Overall this seems like a good program to teach early programming but not for those ready for more of a challenge.

Too advanced for beginners:
⭐⭐ Practice coding here. The website boasts that coders are often hired from here.I tried this website and found it not to be good for beginners. Most questions require combining multiple skills learned. I plan to come back to this resource once my skills are stronger.

Try this practice site instead:
CodeWars https://www.codewars.com/
⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a good practice website for beginners. The site can be a little hard to navigate but there are user pages on Github if you need more info. Many of the practice questions here are easy enough for someone new to coding and are available in many languages.

No comments:

Post a Comment