From CodeCademy and away

I feel like my interest with coding was always there, but when I discovered CodeCademy it was amazing. The vision of making programming affordable to learn for EVERYONE was something I could wholeheartedly support. Now, I never really got into this for a job, however, I thought it was a valuable skill to have and so I kept coming back. After some years of success, CodeCademy has changed. The vision isn’t the same as it was back when this was new, wanting to teach everyone how to code from kids to professionals.

I’m glad this place still helps a lot of people, I really am. But over the years, there have been many changes to how you can approach learning to program. And at a much more reasonable cost. I had actually sent an email about why they doubled their prices, the response I got was not what I expected. I was told in no uncertain terms that it was a marketing plan to weed out anyone not “serious” enough about learning to code. This told me that CodeCademy had moved away from it’s original vision to a more “career aspirations” only type of market.

Obviously CodeCademy can do whatever they feel is best for them, it’s a for profit business. But it’s sad to me that the original vision has been buried, since it’s not about everyone learning anymore. I don’t want people to be discouraged from using this service, as I still believe it’s good. But it used to be the best.

I would pay $20/month in a heartbeat if I didn’t have to pay a full year up front regardless of if I used the service. Because that’s how much I used to believe in this place. Back when it wasn’t just the “super serious” that got Pro and hobbyists and curious people did too. It felt like we were all on an adventure at sea with different destinations and we’d travel together. This is what I truly believed to be the best part of CodeCademy.

I wish you all the best, but this is the end of my coding journey with CodeCademy. Since there are better learning tools for more affordable prices these days. I hope all your dreams come true.

13 Likes

I think it’s a reasonable price. And there are plenty of free resources out there as well.

2 Likes

I understand your view as someone who’s recently joined. And I hope you get a lot out of CodeCademy. But as I said before, CodeCademy was for everyone 6 years ago and now it’s being designed/priced only for those who they believe are serious about learning for a career. So no hobbyists, curious people, or those who simply like to learn.

Again though, CodeCademy can do whatever they feel is best for them as they’re a for profit company. The price is fine for what they now aim for with regards to customers. I only take issue with them pulling a 180 with what started this in the first place, an accessible resource for EVERYONE to learn to code. Not just the serious career people.

2 Likes

I’m new here myself, and it seems to me that there are enough free courses to get your feet wet before you decide to jump in to the paid plan. I have to say, though, that I’m kicking myself for not taking advantage of the 50% discount code yesterday. Also, isn’t there an option to pay monthly? Yes, it ends up costing more in the long run, but for those of us with limited resources, it helps.

1 Like

Demand the discount. They are still advertising it, as of yesterday.

But it was only for that one day…

If you’re not able to get a paid plan, don’t worry about it - you don’t need it.

Go for the free plan, learn everything you can, then move onto another free resource, learn everything you can from there, and so on. Cross-reference everything you’ve learned from the various resources and you may find that you achieve a deeper understanding.

Then practice, practice, practice! Make sure to report back to your peers with your progress, for some helpful tips, tricks, and general encouragement. It doesn’t have to be here - after all, the majority of users here are learning the same things as you. Perhaps they’re even learning with less varied resources, making you more of an authority on certain concepts.

As with your learning resources, find various feedback sources and ask the same thing in different places to see how the answers differ and match. StackOverflow is a good place to ask questions if you’re just filling a little bit of knowledge in as the result of a “brain fart”, but there are many better forums out there for you, if you do some searching.

You could always come back to CC when there’s another discount…

6 Likes

I’m more the methodical, step-by-step in sequence kind of person, but maybe I could be a bit more free-floating, as you suggested. I’m just afraid I’ll miss some essential concepts…I don’t want to learn just how to do things but also the why of it. Can I get that by free-floating? I have a 7-day free trial…

2 Likes

Learning is fluid and ongoing. You build on your knowledge bit by bit. You decide your pace and make sure you understand concepts before jumping into something else. Sure, do the 7day free trial and make sure to cancel it. If you finish a free lesson and don’t understand then clear your progress and do it again. There are many resources out there to supplement one’s learning too.

1 Like

That’s very helpful, thank you!

1 Like

On a Wednesday, not a Friday.

1 Like

It’s impossible to miss essential concepts, if they’re truly essential.

Imagine you’re learning a human language. You’re worried you’re not going to learn a certain word.

…but if you don’t learn it, especially after speaking to people more experienced than you, is it needed? Probably not. If it’s essential, you’ll hear and see it everywhere.

Same thing with programming concepts - if you need to know, you’ll find out.

2 Likes

Monthly price is double what it was before. If I’m going to pay $40/month for a tool like this it needs substantially more to offer than what it has. And I’m talking about quality benefits, not a few new languages.

Anyways, if you want to learn syntax in a cool “virtual environment” this is definitely the place. Can you learn for free here, technically yes but the pro benefits make it much easier.

If you want to learn the theory behind programming, you’re better off somewhere else as other resources teach that better. I won’t list them here since it would be disrespectful to CC and the community, but if you look you can find them.

I’m new here myself, and I can’t help suspecting that there are an adequate number of free courses to consider making the plunge before you choose to hop in to the paid arrangement. I need to say, however, that I’m kicking myself for not exploiting the half rebate code yesterday. Additionally, isn’t there a choice to regularly scheduled pay? Indeed, it winds up costing more over the long haul, however for any of us with restricted assets, it makes a difference.

1 Like

Something key to note here is that while yes, some people have restricted monetary assets, learning assets are quite equally accessible to all. The information you can access with $0 comprises most of the information out there.

Anything that you hear about but haven’t been taught, you can just look up. If you haven’t heard about it but need it (“is there a way to do xyz better?”), just look it up.

Programming languages are exactly the same as human languages in this context.

“What does that word mean?” == “What does that function do?”

You don’t need to pay to learn those, do you? It might be quicker, but you can find a way without paying. It’s what most people do, most of the time.

4 Likes

You do have the option to pay monthly, although you don’t get the prepay discount.

With how frequently they offer discounts, it’s obvious even they know the price is too high. My Pro membership has a student discount, which is $150 a year. I was absolutely not paying $400!

Which is every month, so your wait at most is roughly 30 days.

To me, that signals they’re well aware the price is too high. If you find yourself needing to constantly discount your services, maybe you should rethink your pricing.

As I mentioned earlier;

You have no requirement to stay with Codecademy. Look for cheaper sources of knowledge.

1 Like

Sugar, in case you missed it, I already have a Pro membership, although at a student discount. So, I don’t know why you felt the need to direct this comment at me, or anyone else who already has a pro membership. Second, you work for Codecademy as a forum moderator, yet you’re actively discouraging people from staying. That can’t be good marketing for any business. Third, when and where did I suggest Codecademy was my only source of learning? It is one source for me, but certainly not the only one.

I would expect a moderator to think their comments through before trying to make a comeback at someone.

On a different note, I love that my avatar is very appropriate for this comment.