Written by: Lynn Cadet
Edited by: Lillian Castro
Reviewed by: Cristian Lopez
Learning has always been a fundamental part of life and has evolved throughout the centuries. There has always been more than one way to learn, from traditional apprenticeships and private tutoring to public education and universities. Although you no longer have to attend a prestigious private school or be an elite of society to earn a degree, many employers still try to pigeonhole applicants with degrees or lack thereof.
Thankfully, times are changing. Technology and high job demand have made achieving a career in a new field much easier and more accessible. To reduce the opportunity gap, many companies have torn down the paper ceiling — the degree requirement limitation — allowing users from all backgrounds to apply for a position with fair consideration.
People can now leverage alternative routes to get the skills they need to pursue a career. And one of the most popular ways to do so is through online certification programs. Aspiring developers who complete a web development course can experience life-changing benefits, whether they’re on the fast track to a new career or want to hone their skills.
Developers can choose from fast-paced boot camps, self-paced certifications, or in-depth degree programs. Below, we review the top 10 web development programs in 2023 to help you either jump-start or further your career.
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The “free” in freeCodeCamp’s name is not just there for embellishment. The nonprofit organization offers students free courses in web development, ranging from responsive web design to relational databases. Its program is best built for beginners and has helped more than 40,000 graduates land jobs at tech companies, including Apple and Microsoft.
More about freeCodeCamp:
- Cost: free
- Duration: 300 hours/self-paced courses
- Suitable for: beginners
It’s not easy to find a free program that covers almost everything coding with the reputation and results to back it up. freeCodeCamp is an exceptional option for anyone who wants to learn on their own time and dime with aspirations to break into the web development industry when it comes to it.
User experience (UX) design has catapulted to the forefront of web development. With application use growing increasingly, UX designers have become highly in demand. App users want designs that fit their needs and journey, and Google has the perfect certification course to help future designers learn to deliver just that.
More about Google UX Design Certificate:
- Cost: $39 monthly
- Duration: less than 6 months
- Suitable for: beginners
Google offers its certification program through Coursera and reports that 75% of its graduates have reported positive career outcomes. Students learn the basics of UX research, the design process, and foundational UX concepts. They also get to form a UX portfolio with three projects for their career search, with assistance from Google and Coursera through an employer connection portal, interview prep, and résumé review.
Cornell has one of the best-established educational systems in the world. And its online department is no different. Its eCornell programs include a comprehensive web design and development certification that helps beginners launch a career for themselves or experienced developers learn more about frontend development.
More about the eCornell Program:
- Cost: $3,750
- Duration: 3 months
- Suitable for: beginners and experienced developers
The Cornell program has an intimate setting, with less than 35 students per class. It also has six two-week courses on topics that include responsive designs, HTML, CSS, and data collection. This program teaches you coding and the web design process, and shows you what target audiences want for successful and appealing websites.
BrainStation is an educational hub for all things tech. Besides its award-winning boot camps, BrainStation offers a variety of courses, from data analytics and digital marketing to UI design and web development. Its web development course is a quick and relaxed introduction to frontend development.
More about BrainStation’s course:
- Cost: $3,250
- Duration: 10 weeks
- Suitable for: beginners and intermediate
This BrainStation course allows students to learn to create responsive websites with hands-on projects, interactive classrooms, and in-depth teachings on the web’s building blocks, including HTML and CSS. BrainStation also ensures updated and industry-relevant content and has experienced professionals from top companies as instructors.
Some people like to dip their toes into the water, and others like to dive right in. If you’re the latter, this CareerFoundry program will be perfect for you. CareerFoundry’s full-stack web development program provides users with all the tools and industry knowledge they need to make it as a successful developer. Its curriculum doesn’t shy away from any topic and covers every area of web application development with rigorous teachings.
More about CareerFoundry’s full-stack program:
- Cost: $8,500
- Duration: 10 months
- Suitable for: beginners and intermediate
By the end of its program, CareerFoundry promises users will have the skill set required to enter the job market and succeed. You’ll learn to use industry-standard design tools, work with active industry experts and mentors, and earn real-world experience with a project-based curriculum.
Springboard’s software engineering career track serves as a career launching pad for intermediate developers. Its program graduates have gone to work for IBM, Walmart, and Google, among others. Springboard is so confident in its ability to land its students a job that it even offers a full refund if they don’t experience a fruitful job search.
More about Springboard’s career track:
- Cost: $13,860 or $9,900 upfront
- Duration: 9 months
- Suitable for: intermediate developers
Springboard’s program is ideal for people who have basic knowledge of web development and JavaScript fundamentals. Students will learn every step of the development process, from design and coding to testing and deployment. They will also have to get the opportunity to build a database-driven website with API and complete other capstone projects for a job-ready portfolio.
Having played a fundamental role in our society’s technological advancements, IBM has teamed up with Coursera to help aspiring developers meet their goals in tech as well. Its professional certification program will prepare students for a career as full-stack developers and provide them with the in-demand skills to tackle development head-on.
More about IBM’s developer certification:
- Cost: $39 monthly
- Duration: 4 months
- Suitable for: beginners
IBM’s curriculum focuses on cloud application development and cloud-native methodologies, including containers, Kubernetes, and microservices. Users will be able to build their GitHub portfolios, create software with frontend and backend development, and master tools and skills needed for daily developer roles.
General Assembly is well-known for its immersive and part-time tech-focused courses. Thousands of companies and individuals leverage its services to upskill their workforce and grow in their respective fields. Its immersive software engineering prepares students for a direct path to a coding career.
More about General Assembly’s immersive:
- Cost: $16,450
- Duration: 12 to 24 weeks
- Suitable for: beginners
General Assembly begins its program with a prework element that covers software fundamentals, then moves on to four units in this order: frontend development, full-stack development, frontend frameworks and API, and exploring different technologies. General Assembly ensures its graduates are ready for the real world by providing them with a curriculum made for top employers and access to a massive hiring network.
Coding Dojo is an educational extension of Colorado Technical University. It offers programs in cybersecurity, software engineering, and data science. While it has a full-time boot camp, students can also choose from part-time accelerated or flex options for its software development curriculum. In as little as 16 weeks, students will learn all the skills to become full-stack developers.
More about Coding Dojo’s boot camp:
- Cost: $16,995
- Duration: 16 to 34 weeks
- Suitable for: beginners
Coding Dojo teaches students the ins and outs of programming, with an in-depth focus on each popular backend language — Python, JavaScript, and the choice of Java or C#/.NEt. Before signing up, users can look at Coding Dojo’s rundown of the program’s schedule and course packet to see if the program can meet their needs. Students can also choose how many stack levels they want to learn with its part-time offerings.
UCF’s Coding Boot Camp is an excellent program opportunity for budding programmers. Its program has led its graduates to job offers from thousands of global organizations, including Adobe, Disney, and NBC Universal. And a lot of that can be credited to the boot camp’s project-oriented nature, which gives students real-world experience.
More about UCF Coding Boot Camp:
- Cost: $11,745 – $12,745
- Duration: 12 to 24 weeks
- Suitable for: beginners and intermediate developers
Through its rigorous coursework and live online classes, users will learn to build API-based client-side applications, full-stack solutions, and MERN single-page applications. And the UCF faculty is there every step of the way, providing on-demand learning assistance, one-on-one tutoring, and admissions support.
Be the Tech Talent the World Needs
Tech talent is in high demand. Even with the highly publicized tech layoffs last year, the shortage of tech candidates has not subsided. So entering a career in web development can be an excellent opportunity for anyone. If you’re interested in becoming a developer, these fast-paced online programs we listed above can be an ideal bet for the future. After completing a certification, you will be ready to hit the job market in no time.
