Technical Tuesday: Learning Platforms

When it comes to refreshing or learning a new technical skill, there are a lot of sites that one can learn from. From workshops and webinars to full courses, there are so many options it can be overwhelming and a little intimidating on where to start. I know it took me a good while to create a list of sites that worked for me or had potential to be useful in my job hunt and career future. Here I’ll talk about a few sites that have been my learning companions and made keeping up with and learning code just a little easier and fun.

Flatiron Post-Work:

First things first, I went to Flatiron Bootcamp for Software Engineering. After the course is done, they go above and beyond to offer post-grad learning. I think it’s forgotten about at times since we’re so busy job hunting and learning new skills when we have a great foundation for that at our fingertips.

Udemy:

Udemy is a site with courses on nearly everything. Similar to SkillShare, there are lessons of everything from learning a coding language, machine learning, algorithms, design, illustration, color theory, even personal development like networking! While the classes can be pricy, there are sales often enough that it’s worth looking at. I personally am learning Python, C++, C#, Machine Learning, and more complex algorithms through Udemy and its been very much worth it. If you don’t know where to start and are willing to at least spend 9–15$ during one of their sales, I highly recommend the site

freeCodeCamp:

freeCodeCamp is another site for learning a new language that I would recommend. You learn for free, can get certified, and most importantly you make some impressive projects for your portfolio. A good example is I’m learning on making a python app on my phone AND an Instagram clone! The fact that it is free makes it one of top favorites. They are thorough and they have the same vibe as Flatiron which (of course) I love.

HackerRank, LeetCode, and CodeWars:

These three sites are more for practice and refreshment than learning but I think they are valuable beyond belief. They’re each worth it and similar but it will depend on what works for you, if looks factor into it for you, etc.

• Some challenges and whiteboarding now are done on HackerRank and the site itself offers algorithm practice in multiple languages. They prep you for interviews with algorithms more than anything.
• LeetCode is similar, but (in my humble opinion) it is a bit more friendly user wise. There is interview prep, challenges, and problems to practice to maintain your skills which I appreciate since 30 day challenges can be really fun and gets you committing more.
• CodeWars again is one where you can “train” for points in your prefered language from fundamentals to algorithms and puzzles.

Overall, every site on here, I have used since I graduated. It keeps my brain sharp in my languages and is great for review. I think they all prep you better for those coding challenges and whiteboarding processes that happen in the job hunt and help you establish what you’re weak on, what you’re strong on, and how to level up and get better and stronger.