Today Java software runs on over 3 billion devices worldwide. It’s everywhere. No wonder there are more than 10 millions of Java developers globally, and their number would increase, because this language is an undeniable leader among dozens of programming languages.
Java developers are highly sought specialists. Their average salary exceeds $ 100 000 per year in the U.S. They are welcome in a majority of largest global enterprises and, of course, startups, too. You can do almost anything you want with Java, because it is a multi-purpose language for mobile & desktop software development, Internet of Things, and many others. Generally, joining a Java developers community is going to be a clever decision for many years to come.
What’s more important, you can learn Java from scratch even if you don’t have any technical background. The best way to learn Java coding is to code daily and acquire the programming skill through practice, enhanced with useful and easy to read lectures. One of the courses, that meet the list of requirements is CodeGym.cc.
It is a relatively new online platform for mastering Java programming. It is designed to bring user an integral experience with an exciting futuristic storyline, hundreds of coding tasks and a comprehensive plan to learn Java from scratch.
What’s important, CodeGym attempts to help students with a major obstacle in self-education — a lack of self-motivation. So, here are three key CodeGym features, which may help in reaching the goal: learn how to code in Java and become confident at using this skill.
1. Learning Java through game instead of memorizing
Studying can be both fun and effective. Like a number of other online platforms, CodeGym uses gamified technologies to catch a user’s interest:
- A quest with a futuristic plot
An introduction to the course briefly covers the CodeGym’s universe. You’re going to play and learn in a distant future, where galactic travelling, aliens and robots are no shocker.
A user’s game character is a robot called Amigo. The main goal is to pass four “quests” to understand Java fundamentals and get a programming practice to pursue a Junior Java developer position.
- Perks for reaching certain milestones
When you successfully solve tasks, you receive a certain number of a “dark matter”. Let’s say that it’s your “fuel” to progress through quests and open new levels with lectures, and more tasks.
- Unique characters and fun
The player’s character will learn Java programming basics with the whole crew of a galactic starship. They’re fun and believe that each subject should be explained with the real-world examples and a dash of humour.
2. A theory adjusted to learn on the go
The course includes four “quests”. Right now two of them are available and free, and two more are expected to be available soon. The first two quests provide an introduction to Java Syntax and Java Core pool of topics. It is necessary to pass them in sequence. Two more quests are designed to give a deeper comprehension of Java Collections and Multithreading.
Each quest consists of 10 levels, while each level has 12-13 lessons, both lectures and sets of different programming tasks. The lectures include just a dash of theory you need. It will take you 5 to 8 minutes to read a piece of new material and then go straight to practice.
3. Hundreds of hours of coding with an instant review
There are more than 1200 tasks in the CodeGym course, such as:
- Writing code from scratch as a solution for certain tasks;
- Correcting an existing code to fit the requirements;
- Accurately retyping a part of the code.
Each task is presented in a new tab right in the web version of Java development environment. At first you see two tabs. One of them includes task conditions:
And another tab is for writing a solution. You start solving each task with a few tips, which are included in a code block:
You can write a code in a web version of IDE or use a desktop version for more complicated assignments. Once you’ve done, click “Code analysis” to receive the tips from a virtual mentor and bring in the improvements to you code. And then — “Verify” button to check the result:
In case your solution is right, you’ll see the important statistics. For example, the average number of attempts taken by other students, the comparison between your solution and users’ solutions, and your reward for a certain task:
If you find any of the tasks too tricky, you can return to them later or ask for help by sending a part of your solution straight into “Help” section. Sooner or later, you’ll get useful tips on the solution from other students or even CodeGym.cc developers.
But be sure not to leap over too many tasks, because they bring you the “dark matter” and, of course, the required amount of coding time to develop the programming skill.
Conclusion
All in all, the major benefit of learning Java at CodeGym.cc is learning to code through practice. Roughly 80% of all the time you’re about to spend on practice, so by the end of the course you’ll have approximately 300-500 hours of programming. The gamification tools will help you reach the end without losing motivation. And, of course, there’s a growing global community of Java learners, so everybody can improve programming skills by sharing the experience.
Image Credits: start coding in Java from BEST-BACKGROUNDS /Shutterstock