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Codecademy began with a mission: to provide global access to 21st-century skills. Our interactive learning approach aims to make education engaging, flexible, and accessible to all. Since inception, we’ve empowered millions worldwide to unlock modern technical skills, enabling them to realize their full potential through coding.
Codecademy is an online learning platform that offers a variety of interactive coding courses, providing individuals with the opportunity to acquire programming skills and technical expertise. Launched with a mission to make coding education accessible globally, Codecademy focuses on creating engaging and flexible learning experiences.
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Coding picked pace in the 2010s when computer science became one of the best majors to graduate in. The idea that learning coding can help in your career is not new. In this day and age, almost every software and tool require some form of coding, i.e., programming to build it. Codecademy is one such ed-tech platform that teaches coding, web development, data analysis, and much more with 15 different programming languages.
Codecademy teaches both free and paid courses in the IT arena. It has many options for you to choose from. We at Analytics Jobs have compiled this Codecademy Review with most relevant courses and its details. Here we will explore every aspect of Codecademy with special emphasis on data science courses. This way we can help you choose the right course with the latest information and authentic Codecademy reviews.
Introduction
Codecademy is an American online learning platform that provides free and paid coding bootcamps. It also provides access to resources, career paths, certificates and much more for their paid users.
We have done an in-depth Codecademy review with details from their history to current courses and plans. This article will guide you through their unique features, relevance and reviews from multiple authentic sources.
Understanding Codecademy
Codecademy is an online learning platform based in America that provides 100% self-guided courses. It has catered to 50 million students in 190+ countries across the globe. The website has had more than 3 billion code submits so far. There are courses for both beginners and experts in IT.
As per the website, and Codecademy reviews, it prioritizes hands-on learning with a comprehensive curriculum on various languages and domains. It has a robust community and help from the career center. Elements like career tracks, skill tracks, and quizzes interact with students and provide information about suitable and popular courses. The platform has different payment plans and discounts that we will discuss later.
Mission and Vision
Codecademy has a single vision to provide anyone with the ‘ability to learn the skills they’d need to succeed’ in the digital age. They created an interactive way of learning that can be accessible for as many people as possible to achieve this goal. Their mission is also straightforward. They want to provide people with the tools, resources and opportunities to create something meaningful with technology.
Background and Evolution
Codecademy was started in 2011 to provide hands-on learning to their users. The platform started with courses for learning command line and Git. In 2013, it launched its first iOS app called “Hour of Code” that focused on basics of programming. By January 2014, the 24 million users had completed over 100 million exercises, a remarkable feat for a 3-year-old platform.
Codecademy had received positive reviews from The New Year Times and TechCrunch around this time. It partnered with Periscope in 2015 to started courses in SQL. By October 2015, it had added courses in Java. It added more courses in the coming years. In August 2017, Codecademy Pro was released with additional features for paid users of different levels. It was acquired by Skillsoft in April 2022.
About Founder & CEO
- Zach Sims – Codecademy was founded by Zach Sims in August 2011. Zach is a Columbia University dropout and current CEO of Codecademy. Zach Sims is also a Venture Partner at Bowery Capital, a venture capital firm.
- Ryan Buinski – It was co-founded by Ryan Buinski. He graduated from Columbia University in 2011. He later co-founded Decrypt, an independent media brand.
Overview of Codecademy
Codecademy has self-paced courses that learners can take as per their personal schedule. They cover a wide range of programming languages and technologies to make their learners job ready. There is a heavy emphasis on practical learning with live projects and exercises. There are some features which many popular learning platforms lack to this day as highlighted in some Codecademy reviews.
Key Features and Unique Selling Points of Codecademy
- Interactive Experience – Codecademy does not rely on video lectures. It creates an interactive coding environment coding exercises, coding challenges? and system generated suggestions.
- AI Assisted Learning -The integration of AI in the learning process makes it more advanced and tailored for that particular learner. It is like having an AI buddy who helps you learn.
- Instant Feedback – The platform gives instant personalized feedback and solutions to learners on their exercises and mistakes. It tells you where you went wrong and how to fix it with the help of AI.
- Affordability – It has 3 payment plans in India – Basic, Plus and Pro. Basic is free and the other two are quite affordable if you plan to learn from multiple courses and gain certificates.
- Community – It has a strong community that supports each other and helps to overcome challenges during their learning journey.
- Updated Content – The content on the website is regularly updated to provide accurate information to learners that highlights industry trends and relevant skills.
- Interview Prep – There are dedicated modules for interview preparation for paid users as per the plan. There are also unlimited practice questions to solve to prepare for your interview.
Detailed Review of Codecademy Website and Learning Portal
Layout and Design
- Homepage – The layout of Codecademy website is simple and easy to understand. The design is clean and premium. There is a good blue-dust pink color scheme with added mint and black.
- Sections – There are clear sections and links to pages all over the homepage, sidebar and at the top and bottom of the page.
- Responsive Design – The website works well on both mobile and desktop. There are no lags or glitches, and all the sections work fine.
Navigation Ease & Accessibility
- Categorization – There are a few categories on the sidebar. They are further divided into sections. The categorization is easy to navigate.
- Search Accessibility – The search feature shows results from all the content available on the website. It shows it under three tabs – courses, articles and docs which is quite handy.
- Student Portal Access – It is quite easy to access through a browser. There are courses, career paths and skill paths along with coding challenges, exercises and community support. There is an extensive use of AI that gives system generated feedback and suggestions to enrich the learning experience.
Mobile & App Support
- Mobile Responsiveness – The design is simple, and the app works fine. You cannot do coding in the app. You can only review your concepts and practice them with flashcards and quizzes in the app.
- Mobile Support – The mobile support is only available for Pro users. It is available in both Android and iOS. However, there is no offline support, meaning you cannot download courses and watch them on the go.
Overview of Codecademy Courses
Codecademy has 400+ paid courses and 250+ free courses according to ‘class central’. These courses are divided into skill paths and career paths on the website. There are also multiple courses under a single language or key topic. The skill paths and career paths are specialized courses with multiple skills in them. Here is a breakdown of courses offered by Codecademy.
- Programming Languages – It offers courses on multiple programming languages that cover key concepts from the very beginning and takes it to an advanced level. The languages taught by Codecademy courses are Python, Python 3, Java, JavaScript, C++, C#, SQL, Ruby, Go and R.
- Data Science – It has 90 courses in this category with career paths like data analytics, machine learning, inference, and natural language processing. They teach concepts with languages like Python, SQL and R, among other tools.
- Web Development – It offers 159 courses in web development that cover different stacks for front end and back-end development, along with full stack courses. It covers languages like HTML and CSS along with technologies like React, Node.js and others.
- Cloud Computing – It offers 87 courses, both free and paid. It has courses on programming languages like Python 3, Java, cloud platforms like Azure, AWS, and many concepts on cloud computing.
- Artificial Intelligence – It has 93 courses in management on topics like generative AI, OpenAI APIs, and other popular AI tools. It also has career paths in machine learning/AI Engineer and Data Scientist.
- Web Design – It offers 33 courses and one skill path called ‘Build a Website with HTML, CSS and Github Pages’ with 9 courses and a certificate. There are many free and paid courses in the basics of languages and concepts, and 8 intermediate courses on topics like Sass, interactive design.
- Cybersecurity – It has 28 free and paid courses and 5 skill paths. The courses range from introduction to cybersecurity to ‘defending against AI-generated attacks. The skill paths have a perfect roadmap to learn concepts and skills in a certain direction with interview preparation.
Overview of Codecademy Data Science Courses
Codecademy offers 90 courses in data science that range from the very basics to the advanced level. There are 6 career paths and 20 skill paths that focus on imparting practical skills and knowledge onto the learners. The career paths are specialized courses which provide a structured roadmap to learn skills relevant to one job profile in the data science industry. Here is a list of all the career paths available in data science on codecademy.
- Machine Learning Specialist – This course is a 95 hour course made for beginners. There is no prerequisite to start. It also offers professional certification to Pro users. There are 27 units in this course with 81 lessons and 59 projects for overall skill development. It teaches topics like SQL, Python 3, pandas, scikit-learn, Matplotib, TensorFlow, algorithms, and more.
- Analytics Specialist – This is a 70 hour course made for beginners. There is no prerequisite to start this course. Professional certification is offered upon completion to Pro users. It has 22 units with 69 lessons and 57 projects. The topics are data literacy, SQL, Python 3, pandas, scikit-learn, Matplotib, Tableau, Excel, statistics, machine learning, algorithms and more.
- Business Intelligence Data Analyst – This course takes 50 hours to complete. There is no prerequisite. It has 18 units with 46 lessons and 37 projects. Certification of completion is available for Plus/Pro users. The course teaches topics like SQL, Python, exploratory data analysis, microsoft excel, tableau, among others.
- Natural Language Processing Specialist – This course is 100 hours long with 31 units and 84 lessons. There is no prerequisite to join the course and certificate of completion is available for Plus/Pro users. It covers topics like Python 3, SQL, SpaCy, NLTK, TensorFlow, algorithms, text processing. Language parsing, chatbots, and more.
- Machine Learning/AI Engineer – This is a 45 hour course for intermediate learners. There is no prerequisite to start. A certificate of completion is available for Plus/Pro users. It has 7 units with 39 lessons and 37 projects. It covers topics like Python, machine learning, software engineering, algorithms, pandas, scikit-learn, Git, bash, and more.
- Inference Specialist – This is an 85 hour course for beginners. There is no prerequisite to start, and a certificate of completion is provided to Plus/Pro users. There are 24 units with 78 lessons and 59 projects. It covers topics like Python, SQL, R, pandas, scikit-learn, NumPy, Matplotib, statistics, data analysis, regressions, and more.
In-depth Review of Codecademy Data Science Course
As discussed above, Codecademy offers 6 career paths but only two provide professional certification. These courses offer a similar skill-set and different applications. Here we will discuss these two courses, Machine Learning Specialist and Analytics Specialist in detail.
Program Overview
Both Machine Learning Specialist and Analytics Specialist courses have an extensive syllabus. They are self-paced courses that can be completed in your own time. The AI generated feedback and suggestions makes it easier to learn and tackle mistakes.
The courses focus on developing skills and practical knowledge. The focus on projects and exercise courses is a testament to that. It also focuses on interview preparation with dedicated courses you can access.
Subscription Fee
The subscription fee varies for Plus and Pro plans. Students can get up to 50% discount.
| Billed | Plus | Pro |
Monthly | ₹600 per month | ₹1200 per month |
Annually | ₹3600 (₹300 per month) | ₹5000 (₹600 per month) |
Machine Learning Specialist
Key Features
- Time – 95 hours
- Curriculum – 27 Units, 81 lessons
- Self-paced, flexible learning
- AI assisted feedback and suggestions
- Professional Certification
- Major Skills – Python 3, SQL, pandas, scikit-learn, Matplotlib, TensorFlow
Curriculum Overview
- Welcome to the Data Scientist: Machine Learning Specialist Career Path
- Principles of Data Literacy
- Learn SQL
- Python Fundamentals for Data Science (Part I)
- Python Fundamentals for Data Science (Part II)
- Portfolio Project: U.S. Medical Insurance
- Python Pandas for Data Science
- Exploratory Data Analysis in Python
- Statistics Fundamentals for Data Science
- Data Visualization Fundamentals with Python
- Portfolio Project: Data Visualization
- Data Wrangling, Cleaning, and Tidying
- Communicating Data Science Findings
- Data Science Foundations Portfolio Project
- Next Step: The Machine Learning Specialty
- Python Fundamentals Part III
- Math for Machine Learning
- Statistics Fundamentals Part II
- Machine Learning Fundamentals
- Supervised Learning I: Regressors, Classifiers and Trees
- Feature Engineering for Data Scientists
- Unsupervised Learning Algorithms
- Ensemble Methods in Machine Learning
- Supervised Learning II: SVM’s, Recommender Systems, Naive Bayes
- Deep Learning and Neural Networks
- Machine Learning Portfolio Project
- Data Scientist: Machine Learning Specialist Final Review
Analytics Specialist
Key Features
- Time – 70 hours
- Curriculum – 22 Units, 69 lessons
- Self-paced, flexible learning
- AI assisted feedback and suggestions
- Professional Certification
- Major Skills – Python 3, SQL, pandas, scikit-learn, Matplotlib, Tableau, Excel
Curriculum Overview
- Welcome to the Data Scientist: Analytics Specialist Career Path
- Principles of Data Literacy
- Learn SQL
- Python Fundamentals for Data Science (Part I)
- Python Fundamentals for Data Science (Part II)
- Portfolio Project: U.S. Medical Insurance
- Python Pandas for Data Science
- Exploratory Data Analysis in Python
- Statistics Fundamentals for Data Science
- Data Visualization Fundamentals with Python
- Portfolio Project: Data Visualization
- Data Wrangling, Cleaning, and Tidying
- Communicating Data Science Findings
- Data Science Foundations Portfolio Project
- Next Step: The Analytics Specialty
- Advanced Exploratory Data Analysis
- Visualization for Data Science Applications
- Advanced SQL for Data Science
- Learn Tableau for Data Visualization
- Learn Microsoft Excel for Data Analysis
- Data Analytics Final Portfolio Project
- Data Scientist: Analytics Specialist Final Review
Review of Curriculum & System
According to Codecademy reviews on various platforms, their curriculum is fairly similar for all career paths in data science. Most of the topics are the same, just the application is different. The curriculum is well paced and beginner friendly as per most of the reviews. The problem is how value for money it is. For some users, it was not that helpful as the same content can be accessed for free on some platforms. The USP of Codecademy is their use of AI to provide instant feedback and suggestions. Some Codecademy reviews found them to be insufficient. They teach you every topic, but the final project was too difficult as per some reviews.
Application Process for Codecademy Data Science Course
Step 1 – Visit the official website of Codecademy and sign up (here).
Step 2 – Browse the courses and select any of the Data Science courses, career path or skill path.
Step 3 – Subscribe to Plus or Pro membership to access the content and certification. Check the pricing and benefits here.
Step 4 – Enroll in the course and start.
Step 5 – Track your progress as you learn.
Pros and Cons of Codecademy Courses
| Pros | Cons |
| – Well curated course curriculum made by experts for beginners and experienced coders | – No dedicated instructors or guide provided |
| – Free limited courses; along with all resources and certificates for paid users | – Certificates are usually not recognised by universities or companies |
| – Integration of AI and system generated responses for users | – No offline access |
| – Affordable payment plans with two types of paid plans – Plus and Pro | – Access to Codecademy Go app for only Pro members |
Codecademy Reviews from Different Sources
Source – Trustpilot
- “I took advantage of the Codeacademy free trial for a week. The course I tried out was the data science one, the content seems great and a nice UI. I didn’t end up continuing the trial, and I forgot to cancel, but Codeacademy generously refunded.”
- “Been using it for 3y. Started with the very basics by learning Python, then onto Full Stack Web development and currently on ASP.NET. By far the most beginner friendly platform to learn programming.”
- “Without buying a membership (Pro) there is no real way to effectively ensure that you won’t forget everything you’ve learned in a few days.”
- “The courses are mostly basic but well-paced; Help options are there if you get stuck. All in all, you will not make a mistake joining Codecademy. But during learning I lost progress on several occasions, which is not great.”
- “It’s a lot of, “monkey see, monkey do” learning, given the exact code what you need to type, which is not a way to learn, especially with coding. It should be encouraged that you try and fiddle around and figure stuff out yourself first.”
Source – Coursereport
- “I purchased an intensive for $199, which was advertised as “no prior knowledge required”, in order to get certification students have to complete a final project that is beyond hard and is impossible to do with the instruction provided in the intensive.”
Source – Analytics Jobs
- “I feel that instead of joining Codeacademy’s data science course, it is better to explore some other platform. Their placement support system is very weak and students do not actually get any benefit. I would not advise anyone to do his data science course.”
Conclusion
Codecademy is a great option to start your coding journey. It is especially useful if you are just starting out and need a platform to help you create your foundation. The platform works fine without any problems. It is simple and easy to navigate. Most of the content requires a paid subscription which is on the affordable side. The significance of Codecademy certificates is not very much, but the professional certificates can be mentioned in your resume.
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