A product is only as good as the customer’s perception of it. This is why the front-end experience is so vital to selling any good or service. Banks and FinTech firms know this better than anyone else and pour billions each year into software development to enhance and optimize their front -end user interfaces. JavaScript is a big component of this push.
JavaScript continues to be one of the most in-demand skills for tech developers including those working in the financial services industry. The world wide web is still exploding at an exponential rate and there is always demand for talented techies who can create astonishing experiences for users.
But the fact is that there is quite a gap between the average JavaScript programmer and the pros who are sought after by the entirety of the Global Fortune 500 and beyond. You need to upskill if you want to be hired by the top firms that are offering the most lucrative pay packages. Here are some of the best courses to help you do just that.
1. Intermediate JavaScript Nanodegree from Udacity
Course Review
This is the most comprehensive JavaScript on this list that has been designed to get you desk-ready for all sorts of web-development, server-side application development and desktop development roles. If you only want to learn the basics, then this course might not be right for you. It is a course better suited for those interested in advanced JavaScript skills for specialised careers.
The object-oriented programming features of JavaScript are the first focus of this Nanodegree program. You will lean how to build applications with reusable and maintainable blocks of code. You’ll also learn to build classes to construct objects, how to use inheritance, and how to keep data secure using private properties. Functional programming is the next area of focus because of its increasing popularity. You will learn the foundational concepts of functional programming and will practice with modern JavaScript syntax that uses these concepts in practice.
From there you move on to asynchronous programming. You will learn to think and write to handle asynchronous events in JavaScript. There are plenty of real-world exercise to help you along. You will work on projects like created a user generated infographic, creating a Mars rover dashboard, and even building a simulation game.
Udacity provides more than just training materials through. This Nanodegree comes complete with technical mentor support to help you out with your queries, career support like CV/ LinkedIn profile reviews etc.
Summary
- Time to Complete: Should take around 3 months depending on your weekly commitment.
- Offered fully online and on-demand.
- This is the most comprehensive JavaScript course for those who are serious about it as a career choice.
2. Web Design for Everybody from the University of Michigan
Course Review
A very beginner friendly course that will teach you to create interactive web experience with JavaScript. However, HTML and CSS are also inseparable components of creating such tools so this course focuses on all three. This should be ideal for beginners who need help with full stack training. But if you already know the basics of these languages, then its best to pick the advanced course mentioned above.
The first half of the course focuses on HTML and CSS. These languages are fundamental into how the world wide web operates and thus make for required reading.
The second half of the course focuses on JavaScript and the responsive design that can be achieved with it. JavaScript provides interactivity for users and this course will teach you how the basics of how to achieve that with JavaScript. Concepts such as variables, looping, functions and debugging are explored. The Document Object Model (DOM) is used by JavaScript and you will explore that, in addition to DOM events that can dynamically alter the contents and style of the page. There is plenty to do here.
Lastly, you have the capstone project where you have to create an actual front end user experiences that utilizes all the concepts that you learned throughout this course. This is great way to cement your learning and provide you with the confidence that you need to initiate your own projects and ace any interviews/ tests.
Summary
- Time to Complete: Should take around 70-100 hours depending on your prior skill.
- Offered fully online and on-demand via Coursera’s excellent eLearning program. Complete at your own pace.
- A very beginner friendly introduction to web design that lets you explore JavaScript from a position of comfort.
3. Front End Web Developer Nanodegree from Udacity
Course Review
Another comprehensive Nanodegree program from Udacity that lays the foundational for front end web design of which JavaScript is an inseparable part. Pic this course if you need a more beginner friendly introduction to the subject, that will still take you from a beginner to an advanced level in just a few months.
The goal is to teach you to build interactive websites and applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. You learn to use JavaScript and the Document Object Model (DOM) to control a webpage. You will learn to dictate page content and interactions using JavaScript and work with browser events and improving website performance by controlling content creation efficiently. There is also a practical project where you have to design a dynamic landing page using these skills.
This Nanodegree further covers CSS, web APIs, asynchronous applications, build tools such as Webpack and Service Worker. There are plenty of interesting practical projects intersperse here like building a weather journal or an article analysis website. Lastly, there is a sizeable capstone project to complete to get you some real-world skills.
As always, Udacity’s offerings are chock-full of value-added services like technical mentor support, career support like CV and LinkedIn profile reviews and so on. This is a great opportunity to learn JavaScript and other tools like HTML and CSS to create winning front-end web designs.
Summary
- Time to Complete: Expected to take around 4 months depending on your time weekly commitment.
- Offered fully online and on-demand.
- A full spectrum Nanodegree program to teach you the ins and outs of front end webs design using the power of JavaScript and other tools.
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