Deciding on what online courses to take as a developer is hard. There are so many different providers, prices and platforms to choose from.
When deciding on the best web development courses you are looking for the following:
- A teacher who is passionate and to the point.
- Clear, detailed explanations of complex topics.
- High quality videos and resources.
- A well planned course structure.
- Overall value for money.
In this post I have consolidated the the Top Front End Developer Courses to take in 2019. These are the courses that I have taken personally and highly recommend to colleagues and new developers looking to expand their knowledge of specific libraries and frameworks.
1. Modern React & Redux 2019 Update
If your looking for a course to help you fully understand the React ecosystem this is one I recommend you start with. The course is well structured beginning with the basics of the library, what problems it aims to solve along with how to get set up with your own development environment.
The author is passionate and informative breaking down confusing topics in an easy to understand way. One thing that sets this course apart is that it is regularly updated. The latest edition includes the new React Hooks update along with the Context API.
- Platform: Udemy
- Price: $9.99 (Regular Sales)
- Author: Stephen Grider
2. Modern JavaScript From The Beginning
If your new to Front End Development especially the JavaScript side this is a fantastic course you should take. You start by learning the basics of the language such as how to create variables, loops and functions and then progressing onto creating various different projects to test out your new understanding.
What makes this course stand out is the overall coverage of the JavaScript language, you deep dive into topics such as Async / Await, the Fetch API along with newer ES6 topics such as Maps and Destructuring all of which you will come across regularly as a Front End Developer.
Brad the author is a well known figure on YouTube through his channel TraversyMedia so has lots of experience in teaching web development.
Overall I highly recommend this course if your starting out with JavaScript or have a few knowledge gaps you would like to fill.
- Platform: Udemy
- Price: $9.99 (Regular Sales)
- Author: Brad Traversy
3. Advanced React & GraphQL (Wes Bos)
GraphQL has been regarded as one of the new up and coming technologies for building APIs. This course takes a real world approach from the beginning where you build an e-commerce clothing store from the ground up using React, GraphQL and Styled Components.
The course is aimed at people who want to gain an insight into Fullstack Development however I still believe it's a fantastic course for Front End Developers especially ones wanting to understand how a full application comes together.
During the course you learn about core GraphQL concepts such as Queries and Mutations, along with how to integrate with third party services such as Prisma and Heroku. Wes the author adopts a fun and friendly tone that makes learning new topics interesting.
At the end of the course you feel a sense of achievement as you have built, deployed and tested a real fullstack application that is suitable for production. I have found myself going back through and repeating many videos to clearly nail home the GraphQL side of things along with how Styled Components can make styling in JavaScript a breeze.
- Platform: Advanced React
- Price: $97.00 (Master Package)
- Author: Wes Bos
4. Advanced CSS & SASS
Styling websites can be a complex and time consuming task. There are so many different approaches you can take to display elements within your website, this along with the different CSS methodologies and pre-processors can make it confusing as to where to get started.
This course by Jonas Schmedtmann aims to get you up to speed on the latest ways to style modern websites from the ground up along with how to to structure your CSS for readability and future enhancements. During the course you build three websites each with different styling approaches outlined by the author.
The sections that really stand out are the "How CSS Works" and the "CSS Grid Layouts". Its important as a developer to understand the inner workings of how styles are applied along with how to effectively debug issues so you can get to a fix faster. Overall a great course.
- Platform: Udemy
- Price: $9.99 (Master Package)
- Author: Jonas Schmedtmann
5. The Web Developer Bootcamp
Another great online course if you are a new to web development is The Web Developer Bootcamp. This course takes you from the very start of what a developer is likely to encounter along with exploring a whole range of different technologies and tools you will use in your day to day job.
The course mimics a real world bootcamp that the author has taught to thousands of students that you can purchase and take at home for a fraction of the price.
During the course you will learn a range of different frameworks and tools including server side, Git & Github, DOM manipulation and more. What sets this course apart is the overall amount topics discussed, you learn a lot however I would say as an experienced developer you may find this course repeating many concepts that you already know.
During the course you build a total of 13 real world applications. I found the author to be upbeat and knowledgeable around a range of different topics. New developers would find this course especially useful.
- Platform: Udemy
- Price: $9.99 (Regular Sales)
- Author: Colt Steele
6. Wes Bos CSS Grid
CSS grid has become the standard approach for creating two dimensional layouts with many developers preferring it over full blown CSS frameworks such as Bootstrap or Foundation. This course by Wes Bos aims to make understanding new grid techniques easy.
The course author explores all major new grid concepts such as nesting, re-ordering and column sizing and then concludes with building a full blog layout that can be re-used in future projects. Another great reason to take the course is that it is short and to the point lasting a total of 4 hours so it can easily be completed during a weekend or multiple lunch breaks.
Also its 100% FREE, a great course for developers who are looking to learn the new CSS Grid.
7. Simplify React Apps with React Hooks
If you are a React developer its likely that you have herd of the latest major React release that includes the new Hooks API.
Hooks are a way to access state and lifecycle features from within a functional component. This course is aimed to get you up to speed on the new additions and really understand what problems they solve for you as a developer.
A really great thing about this course is that it guides you through refactoring an existing application to use Hooks, Something that as a developer you are likely to do if your team decides to upgrade.
Kent the author is clear and to the point, exploring why a hooks based approach may be more suitable along with how to solve some of the issues you are likely to come across during the upgrade.
Course content includes useContext, useState, useReducer and useEffect and how they can fit into specific use cases. The only downside to the course is that it requires a pro egghead.io subscription costing $250 per year however you can try it out for just $40 per month.
- Platform: Egghead.io
- Price: $250 Per Year or $40 per month
- Author: Kent C. Dodds
8. Vue JS 2 The Complete Guide
If you are looking to up your skills using the Vue JS framework this is the course that I recommend. Vue is one of the up and coming frameworks and aims to bridge the gap between React and Angular.
During this course you start from the basics of "What is VueJS and Why would you use it?" to then progressing onto a full implementation including forms, state management with Vuex along with deployment. The course is packed full of content and lasts for over 21 hours.
What sets this course apart from the alternatives is that the author breaks down topics into smaller sections with short videos around 2-4 minutes long this helps keep things entertaining in comparison with really long videos from other courses where it can feel like there is a lot to do.
Overall the structure is great, the author is clear and knowledgeable if your looking to learn Vue JS in 2019 this is the course for you!
- Platform: Udemy
- Price: $9.99 (Sales)
- Author: Maximilian Schwarzmüller
9. JavaScript Understanding The Weird Parts
If you have some experience with JavaScript you often come across things that might not make sense at first. Things like language or syntax quirks or core concepts you might have misunderstood at first.
This course aims to fill in those knowledge gaps and provide you with a deep understanding of Javascript. The author Tony Alicea takes time to slowly explain each topic in detail and helps you avoid common pitfalls you are likely to come across when building JavaScript applications.
The course details advanced concepts such as object literals, prototypical inheritance and functional programming core concepts that you should know and are likely to be asked during a real Front End Developer interview. The course lasts for 21 hours so there is a lot to get through, I generally choose topics / videos that I felt I needed to understand first and then went back through.
Overall a fantastic course to gain a deep knowledge of JavaScript.
- Platform: Udemy
- Price: $9.99
- Author: Tony Alicea
10. The Complete JavaScript Course 2019
The final course I recommend that you should take in 2019 is The Complete JavaScript Course 2019, this again from Jonas Schmedtmann and aims to give you a full understanding of JavaScript from a complete beginner. During the course you cover core concepts such as how to structure and organize code along with how to setup a modern development workflow with NPM.
What makes this course stand out is that Jonas doesn't just write code that you then follow along with, he explains key concepts along with leaving in errors so he can effectively show you how to debug, something that lots of other authors choose not to do. During the course you build 3 real world applications including a real world budgeting app.
Overall the course provides you with everything you need to get up and running with building real JavaScript applications.
- Platform: Udemy
- Price: $9.99
- Author: Jonas Schmedtmann