JavaScript, more commonly known as JS, is a high level, core programming language. When using JavaScript to code, you can enable interactive web pages and web applications, and this style of programming language has been around for over 25 years. If you want to have a dynamic web page or application, you will likely need to know how to use JavaScript. Many of the applications that we use in our daily lives and consider indispensable are some form of JavaScript, so it’s absolutely integral to know if you want to become a programmer.
Since JavaScript is a type of computer programming, it only makes sense that you would learn how to use it online. There are many free courses that you can use to access and learn about the JavaScript language, and it might only take only a few days or weeks before you’re up and running, writing your own code. If you have ever been curious about learning to write code in JavaScript, keep reading to see ten free online courses that will teach you how to do so.
1. JavaScript Introduction
Hosted by edX, offered by W3C
W3C, also known as the World Wide Web Consortium, is an international organization that decides the standards and guidelines for the web, and they have partnered with edX to offer this introductory JavaScript course. The course takes about 5 weeks to complete if you work at a pace of about 6 to 8 hours per week, and you can add a verified certificate from W3C for only $199, much less than it would cost to take a college course. edX is widely known as one of the most trusted MOOC (massive open online course) platforms, as they often work alongside organizations like W3C to bring exciting courses to their students.
By the end of this class, you will be well on your way to becoming a front-end web developer, and you will feel confident about writing simple code in JavaScript. Instructor Michel Buffa is a professor at the University Côte d’Azur, so he is more than qualified to teach this introductory JavaScript course. Some of the modules covered during the course include an introduction to JavaScript, playing around with HTML 5, how to structure data, and how to work with different types of forms.
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes (with $199 fee)
Time to Complete: Approximately 5 weeks
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Partnered with W3C, a world-renowned internet organization
- Feel confident writing your own code
Cons:
- Verified certificate costs $199
2. Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization
Hosted by Coursera, offered by Duke University
Something that’s unique about Coursera is that they often offer these specialization programs, where students can take multiple linked courses for free that results in an eventual certification. This program is one of these, offering students the ability to take 5 JavaScript programming classes entirely for free, giving them a well-rounded understanding of what the language looks like. The specialization takes about 5 months to complete if you work at a pace of about 4 hours a week, and you’ll earn a free shareable certificate upon completion that can easily be shared with employers or on your LinkedIn profile.
During these 5 courses, you’ll be given a solid foundation of JavaScript, HTML, and CSS programming. You’ll also learn how to solve software-related problems, how to interpret structured data, the principles of software design, and how to build a recommendation system. By the end of the specialization, you will feel confident about pursuing a career in JavaScript programming, as you will have been given all the tools to start writing creative and innovative code on your own.
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes
Time to Complete: Approximately 5 months
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Partnered with Duke University, a preeminent institution
- Learn from five different individual courses
Cons:
- Long specialization, takes five months to fully complete
3. JavaScript: Gentle Introduction for Beginners
Hosted by Skillshare, offered by Chris Dixon
This course from Skillshare is designed to act as an introduction to JavaScript for full beginners, even those who have never coded before in their lives. Chris Dixon is one of the top teachers on Skillshare, so taking a class with him will undoubtedly boost your skill level in programming. Skillshare is a unique kind of MOOC platform as it gives instructors the freedom to fully upload and control their own course materials, and instructors have courses of both the professional and creative variety. While a Skillshare membership would normally cost you a flat monthly fee to get access to all of the site’s content, they are currently offering a two-week free trial for new members, so hop on this JavaScript course right away!
More than 7,000 students have enrolled in this Javascript course thus far, which will teach you how to take your programming skills to the next level. By the time you finish the course, you will be able to add interactive applications to websites or even build your own standalone applications. You will even design your own business card application during the course, which you’ll be able to share with classmates.
Cost: Free (With Skillshare free trial)
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Approximately 5 hours
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Taught by one of the top teachers on Skillshare
Cons:
- No certificate of achievement
- Content is locked behind paywall after free trial
4. Javascript Essentials
Hosted by Udemy, offered by Lawrence Turton
Udemy is a MOOC platform that’s similar to Skillshare in the sense that instructors are permitted to upload their own course materials. Unlike Skillshare, however, they are also allowed to price it, making it free or paid depending on the skill level, length, and more. Udemy is completely free to join, and it’s perfect for those who don’t want to spend money as users have the option of only choosing to take free courses as opposed to paid ones. This course from Lawrence Turton takes about 6 and a half hours to complete and has been given 4.5 out of 5 stars from over 25,000 ratings, so it’s definitely not a course to pass on.
During this course, not only will you learn the basics of JavaScript, but you’ll also learn basic programming syntax that you could apply to any language. You’ll also learn about programming as an overall concept, understanding what it has the capacity to do once you’ve learned it. JavaScript can be used to create mobile apps, desktop apps, and more, and once you’ve finished this course, you’ll be able to write your own code.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Approximately 6.5 hours
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Course content is free to revisit or review anytime
- Learn skills that can be applied to any programming language
Cons:
- No certificate of achievement
5. JavaScript Essential Training
Hosted by LinkedIn Learning, offered by Morten Rand-Hendriksen
LinkedIn Learning is an amazing interactive education tool, especially for those who are already familiar or have a profile with LinkedIn, one of the internet’s most popular professional networking sites. Many users are unaware that LinkedIn has a sister site called LinkedIn Learning, which operates on a subscription-based fee system that gives you access to all of the site’s materials. The platform offers courses on a variety of topics including IT, healthcare, business, finance, and more. Luckily for you, new users have the opportunity to try LinkedIn Learning for free for a month, which is plenty of time to complete this JavaScript course.
This course, taught by Morten Rand-Hendriksen, takes about 5 and a half hours to complete, giving you all of the fundamental tools you’ll need to start coding in JavaScript. Not only will Rand-Hendriksen lead you through practical examples, but he will also ask you to complete exciting and creative mini-projects that will challenge you to get outside the box and think critically about your coding. You will learn core principles like data types, variables, conditions, functions, and more during the course, so it’s certainly something you’ll want to get started on right away.
Cost: Free (With LinkedIn Learning free trial)
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Approximately 5.5 hours
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Learn through practical examples and mini projects
Cons:
- No certificate of achievement
- Content is locked behind paywall after free trial expires
6. Programming for the Web with JavaScript
Hosted by edX, offered by the University of Pennsylvania
As mentioned earlier in the list, edX is a widely trusted and highly reputable MOOC platform, as they often partner with Ivy League universities like the University of Pennsylvania. This course is designed to power your innovation for web design and applications, taking about 4 weeks to complete if you work at a pace of about 6 to 8 hours a week. Professors Chris Murphy and Swapneel Sheth both work in the Department of Computer Science at Penn and Bryn Mawr College, so they are more than qualified to teach you about programming.
This course does assume that you have some basic knowledge of programming in general, as it is designed to take your skills to the next level. Therefore, this course is likely not the best one to take if you are a complete beginner. During each of the one-week units, you will learn about important topics like web programming basics, how to use JavaScript to create dynamic web pages, how to develop modular web page components, and how to build scalable web apps with JavaScript.
Cost: Free
Certificate: Yes (With $149 fee)
Time to Complete: Approximately 4 weeks
Curriculum: Intermediate
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Learn how to create modular web applications
Cons:
- Certificate of achievement costs $149
- Assumes you have prior programming knowledge
7. Software Engineering Prep Program
Offered by HackReactor
HackReactor offers a different kind of JavaScript program: one that’s designed to get you into the programming bootcamp of your dreams. HackReactor’s program is not designed to teach you everything you need to know on your own, but rather to give you the tools you need to succeed in a legitimate programming bootcamp. They offer two pathways to achieve this goal: their basic prep and their premium prep. Their basic prep comes to you completely for free, allowing you the opportunity to access their high-quality curriculum, study at your own pace, and work independently.
During the coursework, you will go from more broad and introductory software engineering concepts to more complex challenges, testing your critical thinking skills and allowing you to create dynamic programs and applications with your code. JavaScript is everywhere, and HackReactor believes that you should have access to a bootcamp regardless of whether or not you have the money to fund it. The exercises you’ll encounter during the prep program have been designed by programming professionals, so you’ll be able to maximize your understanding of the fundamental elements of programming.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: As long as needed (self-study)
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Work with problems designed by industry professionals
- Designed so you can move onto further study
Cons:
- No certificate of achievement
- No collaborative studying with classmates with free prep
8. Introduction to JavaScript
Offered by Codecademy
Codecademy was created with the idea that anyone in the world should be able to get the resources to code, even if they wouldn’t usually be able to afford it. This free JavaScript course is designed to give you the fundamentals to work with one of the most widespread coding languages in the world for free. Codecademy is free to join, and you can start the introductory JavaScript course as soon as you sign into your account. The course is self-paced so you’re free to move onto the next lesson as soon as you’re finished, meaning deadlines are flexible and you can work on your own time.
Courses from Codecademy have been taken by highly-respected employees at companies like Google, IBM, NASA, Dropbox, and Facebook, so you’ll know you’re in the right hands with a class from Codecademy. There are 14 lessons that you’ll encounter during this course, which cover important topics like promises, modules, objects, functions, scope, arrays, iterators, conditionals, and more! By the end of the course, you’ll feel confident about writing your own code and creating your own applications.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: As long as needed (self-study)
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Take the same course as professionals from Google and IBM
- Learn about JavaScript fundamentals, get prepared for a job
Cons:
- No certificate of achievement
9. Intro to JavaScript
Offered by Udacity
Udacity is a for-profit educational organization based in the US, but many of their paid nanodegree programs offer courses within them for free to get you started on a learning track. This JavaScript introductory course is one of those, and it is currently being offered free to students who are interested in Udacity’s Full Stack Web Developer nanodegree program. If you plan on going forward with your programming studies and getting a full certification, Udacity is a great place to do so because their credentials programs are quick and effective.
This introductory JavaScript course contains 7 different lessons that cover fundamental programming topics like objects, loops, functions, arrays, data types, variables, and more. Instructors Julia Van Cleve and James Parkes are well-equipped to take students on a journey of what it means to create interactive and dynamic web applications, and you will feel confident about taking on your new creative projects after finishing this course. The class takes about two weeks to complete and operates on a completely beginner level, meaning you don’t need any experience prior to starting.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Approximately 2 weeks
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Begin your progress toward an Udacity nanodegree
- Taught by industry professionals
Cons:
- No certificate of achievement
10. JavaScript Tutorial For Beginners
Hosted by YouTube, offered by Clever Programmer
YouTube, while it might not be your first thought, is actually a great place to look for free online courses. Many instructors who want to offer their materials for free upload them on YouTube, and YouTube videos can be saved, reviewed, and rewatched whenever you want, so you’re always free to re-evaluate your course materials. While YouTube courses are certainly less interactive, they’re great for those who work well on their own and enjoy following a lesson independently. The Clever Programmer has many other programming videos on his channel, so he’s a good person to follow if you want to watch more programming instruction videos.
During this nearly 8-hour tutorial, you’ll learn how to take your JavaScript programming skills to the next level. This video premiered in late 2019, so it’s more up to date than some of the other courses on this list, and it will be able to help you feel confident about looking for a job in the programming world. You’ll cover important topics like numbers and functions in JavaScript, learning JSON, conditionals and switch statements, Blackjack, and more.
Cost: Free
Certificate: No
Time to Complete: Approximately 8 hours
Curriculum: Beginner
User Experience: Excellent
Quality of Instruction: Excellent
Pros:
- Start anytime and go at your own pace
- Free project assets and creative challenges
- Taught by industry professionals
Cons:
- No certificate of achievement
- Not very interactive, just a video lecture
Frequently Asked Questions About Free Online Courses for JavaScript
Coding, programming, and virtually any other avenue of computer science is hard! Don’t feel bad for feeling intimidated by starting to code or starting to use JavaScript. Whether you are an experienced programmer looking to learn a new coding language or someone who has never coded before, don’t worry. There is a course on the list for you! Many of the courses above are suitable for those with no coding or programming experience, so you can start even if you have no idea what you’re doing.
Even if you have a lot of experience with programming, you likely have some questions about what these courses will really be like. In the following section, we will answer and explain some of the most commonly asked questions by people who want to start a new career in programming using JavaScript. Hopefully, reading some of the answers to these questions will make you feel a bit more confident about starting these courses! Keep reading if you want to answer some of your burning questions about online JavaScript classes.
What Will I Gain From A Free Online JavaScript Course?
Learning how to code with JavaScript can open up a lot of new opportunities. If you’ve never worked in coding or computer science before, a brand new career window could even be opened! There are literally endless jobs that are possible with a proficiency in JavaScript coding, including:
- Software engineer: Software engineers are professionals in both computer science and engineering (which is the perfect job for those who have an engineering background). They use principles from both of these fields to build pieces of software, create computer applications or games, run network systems, debug systems, and otherwise work with a company on their software products or web-based applications. A knowledge of JavaScript is essential for this job, as many web apps run on JavaScript.
- Front-end web developer: A front-end web developer’s primary job is to make sure that people visiting a website have an easy, seamless, and pleasurable time navigating it. If a website is difficult to use, people likely won’t use it, and it is a developer’s job to create the refined, streamlined appearance and use that we normally associate with a great website.
How Long Do Free Online JavaScript Courses Take?
The length of free online courses tends to vary greatly depending on the type of course and the platform. Many courses, like ones on Coursera and edX, are designed to be taken as more college-level classes. Therefore, many of them take a few months to complete as they are designed to fit the classic college semester timeline.
Other, more independent courses, however, operate on different schedules. Some short courses might only take you a couple of hours to fully complete, especially if they’re designed to be more of a crash course or a fundamental overview of the material.
Are Free Online JavaScript Courses Hard?
JavaScript as a programming language is certainly not what many would consider “easy.” Programming is a hard skill to learn, which is often why it is compensated so heavily in the workplace. With this in mind, an introductory course for learning programming might be one of the more challenging courses you’ll face.
However, since many of these classes have live professors overseeing them, you will always have an industry professional available so you can ask questions when you feel stuck. The difficulty of the courses are certainly worth the reward!
Are Free Online JavaScript Courses Worth It?
Programming, not just in JavaScript but in general, is one of the most highly sought-after skills in the workplace right now. Every single company has a website and likely a mobile profile, so virtually any business you can think of needs front-end developers and software engineers. If you have been thinking about adding another skill to your resume, you really can’t go wrong with JavaScript programming.
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