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The Odin Project is a free coding bootcamp created in 2013 by Erik Trautman. It offers an open-source curriculum to aspiring web developers worldwide, allowing them to study at their own pace. The Odin Project maintains a Discord community of nearly 718,000 learners and provides job assistance after graduation.
Our Odin Project review explores courses and career opportunities the program offers to individuals aiming to break into the tech industry.
What Does The Odin Project Offer?
The Odin Project is a free, open-source community for full-stack web development training. The bootcamp prepares individuals with no technical experience to become web developers while collaborating with other learners.
The program offers courses covering web development basics, JavaScript, and Ruby on Rails. Enrollees can access course materials at any time and from anywhere in the world. The Odin Project does not provide a certificate after completing the program.
Odin Project enrollees can develop practical tech skills while completing self-paced lessons and working on portfolio projects. The curriculum, constantly maintained and updated, applies free resources from the web. Students learn to create various full-stack projects, including games, websites, and mobile applications.
The Odin Project assists graduates with resumes, portfolios, and interviews. Students do not receive feedback or one-on-one support, but learners can connect with other users through the online community.
The Odin Project offers the following:
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Free Courses
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The Odin Project is completely free and available to everyone. Learners can access lessons without creating accounts, but signing up is required for tracking progress. The linked resources are also free.
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Practical Training
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Most of Odin Project's curriculum consists of working on practical projects that become part of a student's Github portfolio.
A Snapshot of The Odin Project
Odin Project Program Paths
The Odin Project offers three programs: Foundations, Full Stack JavaScript, and Full Stack Ruby on Rails. All paths are self-paced and available online.
This path covers the basics of web development that learners need to build working web applications. The program begins with an introduction to computing fundamentals before covering software installation. Coursework also explores Git, GitHub, and working with the command line.
Users then learn the basics of HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and back-end programming. Enrollees in The Odin Project should review the courses in the recommended order without skipping lessons. Each course has an additional section with links to helpful resources on the web, and the online community can help resolve queries and concerns along the way.
The Foundations path helps students decide if they want to pursue JavaScript or Ruby on Rails after completing the basics.
This path covers JavaScript, teaching enrollees to create responsive websites using JavaScript and NodeJs. Courses include intermediate HTML and CSS, JavaScript, advanced HTML and CSS, and NodeJs. Students learn to build stand-alone applications, manipulate programming APIs, make websites work for any device, and construct the back end of sites.
Each course has several lessons for enrollees to complete in the displayed order. The final course in the program prepares students for their first tech jobs by covering desirable traits, collecting leads, and interview assistance. This is not a one-on-one mentorship program — students must learn on their own using Odin Project materials.
This path has six courses covering Ruby, including object-oriented design, testing, and data structures. It begins with Ruby's building blocks, includes elements of computer science, and teaches each enrollee to create and launch a website in an hour using the Ruby on Rails framework.
Students receive opportunities to work on practical projects in this program. There are also many areas of overlap between Ruby on Rails and JavaScript paths — students taking both programs might find repeated information.
The program concludes with a career prep course for tech roles.
How Do I Get Into The Odin Project?
The Odin Project is available to everyone with any background or amount of experience. Creating an account is not mandatory for accessing the courses, but only users who sign up can track their progress. Because this is a free, open-source project, there are no instructors or formal classes.
Anyone can view the courses and begin learning at their own time and pace. The Discord community allows learners to seek project feedback, help, and support from fellow learners and contributors.
Is The Odin Project Worth It?
The Odin Project reviews favorably compared to paid bootcamps because of its vast, in-depth, and rigorous curriculum. The courses are available worldwide, and the asynchronous format allows individuals to learn at their own pace and repeat courses if needed.
However, unlike other bootcamps, The Odin Project does not hold classes or provide instructions. Students need dedication, discipline, and self-motivation to complete the program. It is not an accredited bootcamp, and although it helps with job prep, there is no employment guarantee.
Its courses build entry-level skills and may not be suitable for advanced learners with prior tech experience. Students do not receive a certificate of completion.
There are many coding bootcamps today, but the right program will align with the individual's career goals, background, and budget. A traditional computer science or software engineering degree will better prepare students to pursue senior roles.
Additional Questions About The Odin Project
How much does The Odin Project cost?
The Odin Project is free and open source, with a community of over 717,500 learners and more than 5,000 contributors. Its programs can be accessed by all, and students can repeat lessons as needed.
What programs does The Odin Project offer?
The Odin Project offers three programs: Web Development Foundations, Full Stack JavaScript, and Full Stack Ruby on Rails.
Will The Odin Project help me get a job?
At the end of each program, The Odin Project provides a short course preparing students for their first web development jobs. The course offers guidelines for writing a resume, applying for jobs, and preparing for interviews. However, The Odin Project does not offer placement assistance or job guarantees.
Does The Odin Project give a certificate of completion?
No, The Odin Project does not provide a certificate of completion.
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