Interested in Front-End Web Development? Try this Course by Udacity

Sofia Nayak

21 October 2022

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Course Overview

The Front End Web Developer Nanodegree Program aims to provide learners with the skills necessary to create and maintain a wide range of websites and applications (apps). This Nanodegree program will prepare graduates to create responsive websites using CSS, Flexbox, and CSS Grid, to develop interactive websites and user interface applications using JavaScript, HTML, and to connect a web app to backend server data via JavaScript.

The students will also be able to automate application build and deployment with Webpack and improve the offline performance of websites with Service Worker. This program helps the candidates to learn how to build high-quality websites and dynamic applications to create stunning user experiences for the web.

Some handy knowledge concerning web development will be useful, but students completely new to this niche can also take this course. The course covers all the important aspects of developing a website using modern front-end technologies. They also cover advanced topics like Webpack, React, and service workers.

The instructors provided one-to-one sessions initially, and gradually, they stopped it as the tutorials are curated in such a way that they act as a self-explanatory guides for imparting the technicalities being taught in the live sessions. The instructor was there to assist me with my doubts and provide technical clarity.

"The course covers all important aspects of developing a website using modern front-end technologies. They also cover advanced topics like Webpack, React, and service workers."

- Sofia Nayak

Course Structure

This online certification program is an intermediate-level course. It is spread for the duration of 4 months and requires an effort of 10 hours per week. The critical areas you learn in this curriculum include Style Sheets, Document Object Model (DOM), Node.js, HTML, etc.

The professors associated with this course have degrees from renowned institutions in the field of cloud development. Thus, the course offers a great opportunity to study under international professors. The applicants get to be a part of a Capstone project, an innovative way to enhance conceptual learning.

Instructor-moderated discussions prove to be great opportunities to make and build connections. The learners get to enjoy the benefits of hands-on training. The curriculum prepares the learners for a career in the real world. Moreover, the prescribed modules of this course are detailed, comprehensive, and practical.

Technically, the course is spread over 3 prime modules:

Module 1: CSS and Website Layout

Module 2: JavaScript and the DOM

Module 3: Web APIs and Asynchronous Applications

Module 4: Build Tools, Webpack, and Service Worker

Insider Tips

In order to get the best out of this course, I have included some important tips below that I think you might find useful.

Devote Enough Time for Capstone Project and Other Assignments

This course contains many assignments and projects which will help you to apply your skills and have hands-on experience. I recommend giving enough time and energy to these projects. You will get to learn something new from each project though at times it may even be challenging. You will get three chances to submit the project after evaluation and discuss constructive feedback on the same.

Add Git and Terminal to your Charts

Git and GitHub are very essential skills for any developer, no matter what you work on. It makes managing code and collaborating with other developers easier. Almost all the major companies use it, and it is even marked as a prerequisite for this course.

First, you should familiarize yourself with basic commands like add, commit, amend commit, checkout, and push. You should create an account in GitHub and create repositories to play with. If time permits, you should also try advanced git commands like rebasing, merging, squash, and reset.

Udacity provides a free course on git, which you can explore: https://www.udacity.com/course/version-control-with-git--ud123

Learn Prerequisites

Learning web development in one go can be overwhelming. It is important to learn one skill at a time and give yourself some time to absorb new concepts. This course expects some basic understanding of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, git, and debugging in the browser. I would recommend enrolling in some fundamental courses beforehand, like:

Final Take

Currently, I am not working, but soon I will be applying for jobs. This course has boosted my confidence and given me technical clarity. I hope you were able to get a fair idea on how this course is going to be like and what it will help you to learn.

Learning web development can seem overwhelming at first, but it is also a lot of fun and rewarding if you stick to it. You will eventually learn the essential technical and behavioral skills necessary to be a successful web developer.

Key Takeaways

Learn to create responsive websites using CSS, Flexbox, and CSS Grid Learn to develop interactive websites and user interface applications using JavaScript, HTML

Learn to connect a web application to backend server data via JavaScript

Learn to automate application build and deployment with Webpack

Learn to improve offline performance of websites with Service Worker