On January 10, Class Central is launching two new bootcamps that are free, remote, and open to all.
You’ll complete freeCodeCamp’s JavaScript or Responsive Web Design certification, with weekly live streams, projects, and a friendly group of learners worldwide.
Free Bootcamp Based on the freeCodeCamp Curriculum
Hi everyone, I’m Jess! I’m a former language teacher. Later, I decided to get into tech. So coding bootcamps drew my attention. They promised to teach me how to program and break into tech in no time. But they were awfully expensive.
So instead, I self-taught my way into the field. But I kept thinking about creating a bootcamp, wondering if I could do it using open educational resources and bringing together my passions for teaching and tech. And three months ago, I put that idea to the test.
I partnered with Class Central to launch a free web development bootcamp based on freeCodeCamp’s curriculum. 8000 learners enrolled! So in January, we’re doing it again. This time, my friend Ramón is joining us as an instructor, so we’ll launch two bootcamps:
- Free Web Development Bootcamp: an improved rerun of our inaugural bootcamp led by yours truly, based on freeCodeCamp’s Web Design certification. You’ll learn HTML, CSS, and accessible and responsive web design. It starts on Jan 10. You can enroll here.
- Free JavaScript Bootcamp: a new bootcamp led by developer Ramón Huidobro, based on freeCodeCamp’s JavaScript certification. You’ll learn JavaScript, algorithms and data structures, and object-oriented programming. It starts on Jan 10. You can enroll here.
In this article, I'll go over the basics so you'll know what to expect. Here's what we'll cover:
- How the Bootcamps will Work
- What You’ll Learn in each Bootcamp
- Who We Are: Meet Your Instructors
- What’s a Typical Study Week
- How to Enroll in the Free Bootcamps
How the Bootcamps Will Work
I get really mad about expensive, exploitative bootcamps. Many make big promises, but offer courses of dubious quality while costing tens of thousands of dollars.
This is what makes freeCodeCamp so special: it offers self-driven learners quality technical education for free.
But learning online can be lonely. So some aspects of paid bootcamps can be valuable to learners — most notably, the shared learning experience: having an instructor and classmates to keep you motivated, accountable, and on track toward your learning goals.
So I started thinking about how to offer the best of both worlds: a learning experience that would be entirely free but retain the best aspects of traditional bootcamps. Fortunately, Class Central had also been working on adding a social layer atop free online courses. So ours was a match made in heaven!
Promptly after, we launched our inaugural webdev bootcamp. And in January, we’re doing it all over again, but bigger and better. The new bootcamps will involve:
- Live Streams: Weekly live streams with Ramón or myself, where we’ll cover the course material and answer your questions.
- Guest Sessions: Weekly guest sessions, where software engineers, researchers, and other professionals working in development or related fields will talk about their craft.
- Project Portfolio: Most weeks, one of our live streams will be dedicated to working on a coding project to put into practice and showcase your new skills.
- Community: You won’t be learning alone. You’ll work through the course with learners around the world, and you’ll support each other through a dedicated forum.
The bootcamp will be 6 weeks long, with 10–20 hours of work per week. We’ll start on January 10, and if you’re diligent, by the end of February, you’ll be all done and will have earned one of the certificates above.
What You’ll Learn in Each Bootcamp
The bootcamps will be based on freeCodeCamp’s JavaScript certification and the Responsive Web Design certification.
In the JavaScript bootcamp, you’ll learn:
- Programming fundamentals: syntax, variables, operations, loops, functions.
- Data structures: arrays, multidimensional arrays, array methods, objects.
- Algorithms: searching, sorting, reversing, merging, splicing, hashing.
- Object-oriented programming: methods, constructors, prototypes, inheritance.
- Functional programming: terminology, constraints, mapping, filtering.
- Projects: palindrome checker, caesar cipher, telephone number validator…
In the webdev bootcamp, you’ll learn:
- HTML fundamentals: syntax, elements, images, links, lists, forms, buttons.
- CSS: selectors, classes, ids, attributes, fonts, colors, sizing, positioning.
- Accessible and responsive web design: websites for all and on all devices.
- CSS layout tools: positioning elements with CSS Flexbox and CSS grid.
- Projects: personal portfolio website, survey form, landing pages…
Who We Are: Meet Your Instructors
My friend Ramón Huidobro will lead the JavaScript bootcamp. Ramón has worked as a software engineer for over 10 years. More recently, he started consulting in developer relations and became head of Open Source at CodeSee.
He has a strong focus on community, which has led him to speak at numerous conferences and become a Mozilla Tech Speaker. Always joyful to connect and learn from you, so do please reach out!
And I’ll lead the new webdev bootcamp. I’m a self-taught developer obsessed with fostering more equal access to technical education and meaningful work in tech.
I used to work with FutureLearn and Mozilla. Now, when I’m not working in technical outreach, I like to do weird projects like this webdev bootcamp. I always love to hear what you’re learning or working on. Come say hi!
What’s a Typical Study Week
The simplest way of explaining the bootcamp experience is probably to walk you through a typical week:
- Lesson Monday: On Mondays, you’ll attend a live stream led by Ramón or myself. Think of it like attending classes. We’ll work our way through the lesson’s concepts and challenges. And at the end of the stream, you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions. If you can’t make it, don’t worry, all live streams will be recorded.
- Lesson Tuesday: On Tuesdays, we’ll continue working on the course. As always, the session will end with a Q&A. But you’ll also be able to take your questions to the discussion forum, where you’ll get support from peers, mentors, and instructors.
- Project Wednesday: On Wednesdays, when the week’s curriculum is theory-heavy, we’ll continue working on lessons. But most weeks, we’ll instead work on projects: an opportunity to apply the concepts you’ve learned and build a project portfolio.
- Guest session: Once a week, you’ll have the chance to attend a live stream where a guest speaker will talk about the realities of being a developer, or concepts and tools relevant to a programmer’s day-to-day. For example, during our inaugural bootcamp, Prof. Barbara Oakley and software engineer Zach Caceres explained how to become better programmers by understanding the neuroscience that underpins learning.
- Long Weekend: From Friday to Sunday, you’ll continue working independently on the lessons and projects you might have yet to finish. Your peers, bootcamp mentors, and instructors will be able to help via the forum. And when you’re all done, you’ll be able to enjoy a well-deserved rest, before starting it all over again the following week.
How to Enroll in the Free Bootcamps
Bootcamp enrollments are open. Remember: the bootcamps are free, remote, and open to all!
Once you enroll, you’re all set. The bootcamps start on January 10. In the meantime, enjoy the end-of-year celebrations, and be ready to hit the ground running in January.