Navigate Your Career Path in Tech with Codecademy

You might already be familiar with Codecademy. The bright and inviting platform is heralded for its unique ability to provide affordable, accessible, and flexible courses on a wide array of in-demand tech skills. 

Unlike some coding bootcamps where students have to take long stretches of time off work, take out loans, or jump through other lifestyle hoops to participate, Codecademy is an e-learning platform that allows students to learn and challenge themselves on their own terms.

But, there’s a part of Codecademy you may not know about yet. Codecademy is not just a steady and consistent companion for learning to code, upskilling, and boosting career growth. It also has a streamlined, guided plan for landing an entry-level tech position, whether you’re starting from scratch or making a career change. 

If you know the career you want but aren’t sure how to get there, Codecademy’s Career Paths might just be what you need. With its Career Path option, you can go from beginner to career-ready in four to 12 months, while still benefiting from Codecademy’s signature affordability and flexibility.

What Is Codecademy’s Career Path?

Before we get into the Career Path section, let’s take a look at how the rest of Codecademy functions. 

Codecademy is an online learning platform with hundreds of courses available. You can select a specific language you want to learn, like this Learn CSS course, and you will be guided through several lessons that will teach you the ins and outs of that specific coding language. You can also navigate by a specific goal or skill you want to learn, like this course that teaches you to build interactive JavaScript websites.

The Career Path option is for those who want to use Codecademy to land a job in a specific field. Designed and curated by Codecademy’s team of experts, Career Paths equip learners with the essential skills and knowledge they need to land an entry-level job in the field they wish to pursue. No prior experience is required, meaning that learners can go from zero to job-ready during the course. 

Career Paths go beyond just the technical skills. Because landing the job is just as important as learning how to do the job, Codecademy also incorporates career-focused content like interview prep and portfolio projects throughout each Career Path. 

Which Codecademy Career Path Should You Take?

Codecademy offers Career Paths for the most in-demand fields in tech: web development, data science, and computer science. Within those categories, there are several Career Paths to choose from. Each Career Path is taught through lessons, quizzes, and projects that test your skills. Every part of your learning experience is hands-on, so you’ll be practicing the whole time.

Note that the estimated time to completion for each path will vary by how much time you’re able to put towards learning from week to week. On average, if you spend 10 hours of study per week, you’ll complete a 350-hour Career Path in about eight months.

Read on to see which Career Path is the right fit for your career goals.

Full-Stack Engineer Path

• Length of Path: 350 hours

This path will give you the skills you need for an entry-level job as a full-stack engineer. You’ll build foundational skills in JavaScript and the confidence to use front-end technologies like HTML, CSS, and React. You’ll also be comfortable building back-ends with Node.js, Express, and PostgreSQL. 

You’ll leave the path with a full understanding of how the front-end and back-end of web development function together to carry out web development projects from start to finish. 

During the course, you’ll complete six portfolio projects that will test and hone your capabilities from week to week. These projects will ultimately form a tangible example of your skills to show employers during the job search.

Front-End Engineer Path

• Length of Path: 350 hours

Codecademy’s Front-End Engineer Path prepares you for a job as a front-end engineer, responsible for making websites look great and run smoothly. 

In learning to create the user-facing side of the website, you’ll become proficient in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. All three programming essentials are the pillars of the dynamic website designs that you often see. You’ll also learn React and Redux.

It isn’t enough to know the tools to become a bona fide front-end engineer. Learning to think like one is also important. This Career Path teaches you design theory and web accessibility so that you can build sites that are easy to navigate and beautiful to interact with.

In this course, you’ll complete three portfolio projects to test your skills and use as proof of your capabilities during job interviews.

Back-End Engineer Path

• Length of Path: 350 hours

In this Career Path, you’ll learn all the tools necessary for building strong foundations for websites and databases. JavaScript and SQL are the languages you’ll be focusing on, and they’ll allow you to work with back-end technologies such as Node.js, Express, and PostgreSQL. 

You’ll learn the best practices for back-end engineering, building APIs and databases, and securing web applications and back-ends. Expect to build five portfolio projects throughout the course.

Data Analyst Path

• Length of Path: 350 hours

Codecademy has identified data analyst as one of the most in-demand positions in the tech world right now. Being receptive to industry trends and demands, Codecademy created a Career Path for it.

In this path, you’ll learn everything you need to land a job as an entry-level data analyst. You’ll learn Python and SQL, tools necessary to structure and analyze data. You’ll also learn how to conduct statistical analysis, create data visualizations, and translate your findings into actionable insights. 

You’ll complete four portfolio projects during your training.

Data Scientist Path

• Length of Path: 350 hours

This Career Path will take you from beginner to competent data scientist. You’ll learn to analyze data with Python and SQL, communicate your data analysis, and draw predictions with the use of machine learning.

You’ll complete five portfolio projects that will demonstrate your capabilities as a data scientist to future employers.

What to Expect from Codecademy’s Career Assistance

A large portion of the Career Path program is dedicated to learning the languages, skills, theory, and fundamentals necessary to excel at the career you want. But that’s not where it ends with Codecademy. They know that it’s not just the knowledge to do the job that counts, but also the knowledge to land the job. To address this, Codecademy incorporates career assistance into the Career Path programs.

Interview Prep

Codecademy includes robust interview preparation that’s tailored specifically to your chosen Career Path. 

You’ll learn interview techniques for technical interviews, as well as the communicative skills necessary for nailing the face-to-face interview. You can also take these interview prep courses as standalone courses. 

Portfolio Projects

At the end of each section of a Career Path, you will have the opportunity to work on portfolio projects. These projects vary depending on the Career Path, but they all have two things in common: you get to test the skills you’ve learned, and you get to use the projects you create as a great example of your capabilities when applying to jobs.

Learner Groups and Forums

Codecademy also has built-in ways for students to connect and receive support throughout the Career Path. 

Learner Groups is a new initiative Codecademy has launched to connect learners with peers and supports during the program. Once you’re enrolled in a Career Path, you’re placed in a group with other learners who also enrolled in the same week as you. 

You can meet other programmers, network, support each other, and help each other out if you’re stuck. There are suggested points during the course to take the opportunity to pair-program, code review, and complete group projects. 

The Codecademy Forums are another way for learners to connect. Learners can ask and answer questions, and share feedback or tips on both the learning and job-seeking process. Codecademy notes that many learners share their portfolio projects for review and feedback. This gives learners a network and peer group to stay focused and motivated during the Career Path work.

Let Codecademy Be Your Career Guide

Codecademy’s Career Paths take what Codecademy does best and amplifies it. By providing interactive, high-level learning content at an affordable price and a flexible schedule, Codecademy empowers everyone willing to put in the work to get the skills they need to land a great job. The Career Path programs aren’t just about learning, they’re about helping you find your career in tech.

Could landing your dream job be as simple as following Codecademy down the Career Path? Sign up for the Career Path of your choice at Codecademy and find out.