[Blog] Choosing the Codecademy Pro Path That’s Right for You

There are so many reasons to learn to code. Maybe you’re looking to start a new career you’ve always dreamed of, want to learn new skills to help you excel at your current job, or simply believe that coding is the future. But where do you start?

Here at Codecademy, we’re passionate about helping you achieve your goals. That’s why we’ve put together a series of Paths, available with your Codecademy Pro membership, designed to give you the skills you need to succeed.

If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll help you decide what the best Path is for you based on your specific goals and dreams. Plus, we’ll share some resources you can turn to if you still have questions.

Have you been thinking about upgrading to Pro? For a limited time, when you purchase a Pro membership we’ll donate five memberships to people whose work has been affected by COVID-19. Learn more here.

I want to change careers

Excited about working in a brand new field? If you’re interested in changing careers, that’s where our Career Paths come in. They’re designed to guide you through all the elements necessary to build a solid foundation for a new career.

You can learn more about each of our Career Paths below.

Computer Science Career Path

The Computer Science Career Path is designed to help you learn to think like a programmer and gain confidence for technical interviews and screenings.

You’ll learn the fundamentals of Computer Science, starting with an introduction to Python, the world’s most popular programming language. Understanding Python is key to the fields of Data Science, Machine Learning, and AI.

Once you’re familiar with Python, you’ll learn about Data Structures — the fundamental building blocks of Computer Science. Understand heaps, graphs, linked lists, trees, queues, and more.

This Path is a great option for anyone that didn’t study Computer Science in school, or CS majors who want to prepare for their Data Structures and Algorithms classes. All of the fundamentals taught in the Computer Science Career Path can be applied to other languages as you continue to develop your programming skills.

Data Science Career Path

The Data Science Career Path gives you all the tools you need to become a Data Analyst, Data Scientist, or a Machine Learning Engineer.

You’ll learn SQL and Python — two languages that are loved by data scientists. Plus, learn techniques for gathering, cleaning, analyzing, and visualizing data, using real datasets provided to Codecademy by Warby Parker, Twitch, Hacker News, Yelp, and more.

You’ll also explore the principles of machine learning and, by the end of the course, you’ll be ready to develop your own machine learning algorithms.

This Path is a great option for anyone interested in getting a grasp of big data, or anyone that’s interested in learning more about data visualizations, data analysis, and working with machine learnings.

Web Development Career Path

The Web Development Career Path will set you up with the tools you need to become a Web Developer.

You’ll start by learning the foundational tools of web development — HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. These languages will help you get set up for building interactive web pages.

Then, you’ll dive into the backend and learn how to use databases and build your own server in order to make full stack web applications.

This Path is a great option for anyone that’s interested in becoming a web developer or software engineer, or is just curious about learning more about these two career tracks. As you make your way through the courses in this Path, you’ll also build portfolio-ready projects that will help you shine when you start your job search.

I want to learn skills to advance in my current role

Coding isn’t only for dedicated programmers and developers. Learning to code can help you to master new skills that you can apply in your current job. Workers in marketing, consulting, administration, finance, customer service, IT, and beyond all have the opportunity to add value in their positions by learning to code.

Our Skill Paths are outcome based. Once you’re done, you’ll be armed with a new job-ready skill. Check out the list below and click through to learn more.

I want to learn to code for personal growth or fun

Do you believe in a future where everybody knows how to code? So do we! But we also know that if you don’t have a specific skill or destination in mind, it can be even harder to decide where to start.

If this is you, we recommend the Code Foundations Career Path. Code Foundations is designed to give you a basic introduction to the world of code. You’ll get an overview of the Computer Science, Web Development, and Data Science industries, including insight from professionals.

When you’re done, you’ll be set up to make the right decision about what Path to start next!

Still not sure where to start?

Outside of our Career Paths and Skill Paths, we also offer a collection of Pro Courses that dive into some pretty interesting topics.

Learn Python 3, one of our most popular Pro Courses, will get you up to speed on the latest and greatest version of Python. Check out Learn Web Scraping with Beautiful Soup to learn how to pull data off the web. Or, explore some of our other interesting Pro Courses (many of which you won’t find in our Career or Skill Paths):

You can head to our Catalog for a full list or Pro Courses.

If you still have questions, we’re here to answer them! The public Codecademy Community Facebook group is a great resource. You’ll be able to ask questions and get advice from other learners that have been in your shoes. The Codecademy Forums are also a great place to find advice on getting started.

Once you decide on the Path or Course that’s right for you, let us know what you choose! Drop a comment below.




This post written by Codecademy Team was originally published on 06/05/2020 at news.codecademy.com.

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