Video courses have been an absolute game changer for my career as a web developer. In fact, I wouldn't even be doing web development today if it wasn't for one very specific course that I took early on when I was first learning to code. So, here are 10 amazing video platforms to learn Web Development!
YouTube
Let's kick things off with the big one - YouTube.
With over 2 billion monthly users, it's no surprise that YouTube is an incredible (and free!) resource for learning practically anything. I've used YouTube tutorials to learn web development, of course, but also for DIY projects, woodworking - you name it.
The great thing about YouTube is that there is a never-ending supply of learning content being added daily. In a quick scroll through my personalized homepage, I see amazing web development content from creators like Ania Kubow, Kevin Powell, and Traversy Media.
However, one downside with YouTube is that there typically isn't a structured learning path to follow as a beginner. With so many topics and creators to choose from, it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to watch and in what order.
The downside of YouTube is that it doesn't provide you a direct learning path.
That's where more comprehensive course platforms can provide that step-by-step structure that many beginners need when starting out. But as a free resource for learning bite-sized web development topics, YouTube is hard to beat!
Udemy
Next up is Udemy, which you've probably heard lots of mixed reviews about. It definitely has some lower quality content (and ripped off content), but there are also some real gems if you know where to look.
The Web Developer Bootcamp is the reason I became a Web Developer!
In fact, the #1 course that I recommend to anyone looking to become a web developer is Colt Steele's The Web Developer Bootcamp. Going through this course will give you all of the core skills you need to land your first developer job!
Some key things I recommend when using Udemy:
- Ratings/reviews are usually a good indicator of quality.
- Never pay more than $10-$15 USD
- Use the Q/A forums for help
Never pay full price for a course. There will always be a sale tomorrow 🤣
In addition to Colt Steele, I've taken great courses from Andrew Mead (React) and many others on Udemy. It's worth browsing for courses in your specific area of interest. Just make sure to vet the instructor and read reviews first. With the right course, Udemy can be an amazing (and affordable) resource.
Wes Bos
If you're looking to take things up a notch in terms of price point and quality, Wes Bos is one of my absolute favorite instructors. I've taken at least 5 of his premium courses and they have all been top-notch. Some of the courses I've taken from Wes include:
Affiliate links incoming
His courses truly take you from beginner to advanced with any topic he teaches. They are on the pricier side but extremely high value given the amount of content and resources he provides. Definitely check out Wes Bos if you're looking to take your skills up a level!
Level Up Tutorials
Another one of my favorite premium course platforms is Level Up Tutorials from Scott Tolinski. He releases a new course on a different topic each month, so there is always fresh content to dive into.
All of Level Up Tutorials content is now free since being acquired by Sentry!
I've taken his courses on React, Gatsby, GraphQL, TypeScript, and more. The production quality is top-notch!
Zero to Mastery
Next is Zero to Mastery, which is another platform I've heard rave reviews about from fellow developers. They focus on comprehensive, project-based courses that aim to take you from beginner to mastery level with different web dev topics.
A few courses that caught my eye (affiliate links):
- Complete Web Developer in 2023 - Gives you all the core skills needed for full stack development
- JavaScript: The Advanced Concepts - Takes your JS skills up a level
I don't have personal experience with their courses yet, but have heard great things. You can use my affiliate link for 10% off your first purchase if you want to check them out.
Egghead
Egghead takes a different approach than traditional video courses, focusing on bite-sized video lessons that teach single concepts extremely well. No fluff or wasted time, just straight to the point lessons that teach one thing and teach it well.
Egghead teaches you Web Development in bitesized chunks with no fluff!
It's a really neat platform with both free and premium content. Often you can preview a few videos of a course for free before purchasing full access.
I’m proud to be friends with several of the creators as well!
- Get Started with AI-driven App Development by Colby Fayock
- Securing React User Authentication by Will Johnson
Frontend Masters
Frontend Masters is another amazing premium platform. One interesting thing to note is that many of their courses are recorded from live workshops, so you benefit from instructors teaching actual students.
The lineup of teachers is also quite impressive, including:
- Kyle Simpson
- Scott Moss
- Ryan Carniato
- Jason Lengstorf
The production quality and depth of content is top-notch!
Scrimba
Scrimba takes a unique approach that makes courses incredibly interactive. As you follow along with the videos, you can actually edit code RIGHT inside the lesson! You can see the instructor's code as they type it out and edit it yourself in real-time. This makes the courses super engaging and helps concepts stick since you're coding alongside the videos.
Follow the Frontend Developer Career Path to get a full learning plan!
One particular thing they offer is their Frontend Developer Career Path, which provides a structured roadmap for gaining all the skills needed to become a frontend developer. I love that they built together an entire roadmap for aspiring developers to follow.
Fun fact, I also have two of my own courses published on Scrimba as well:
Scrimba is a really unique and engaging platform worth exploring.
Codingcat.dev
Now for a couple smaller platforms you may not have heard of, starting with Codingcat.dev created by my friend Alex Patterson. He's recently started creating some courses around topics like Svelte, CSS animations, and more.
It's awesome to see him pursuing course creation! While newer, I think Codingcat.dev shows a lot of promise and is worth checking out as more content gets added.
Galaxies.dev
Lastly is Galaxies.dev created by my friend Simon. Again, through the Learn Build Teach community! The site design is just gorgeous and really grabs your attention. Most of the courses focus on Flutter development, but there are also topics like React, React Native, and more.
So if you're looking to get into Flutter development in particular, I'd highly recommend checking out what Simon is doing over at Galaxies Dev!
Wrapping Up
Well, those are 10 of my favorite video platforms for learning web development! Just remember that taking courses is great, but nothing beats building real projects yourself. Make sure to reinforce what you learn by coding up your own apps and websites!
Let me know if you have any other favorite course platforms I should check out. Thanks for reading and happy learning!