How to: Jan 12, 2024
1. This week freeCodeCamp published a massive book on Git. Git was invented by the same programmer who created Linux. It's a powerful Version Control System that virtually all new software projects use. This said, even experienced developers can struggle to understand Git. So my friend Omer Rosenbaum – the CTO of an AI company – wrote this intermediate book. It will teach you how Git works under the hood, and how you can use it to collaborate with other devs around the world. (full-length book): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/gitting-things-done-book/

2. Learn Data Analysis with Python. This comprehensive course will teach you how to analyze data using Excel, SQL, and even specialized industry tools like Power BI and Tableau. Along the way, you'll improve your Python and build several real-world projects you can show off to your friends. The instructor, Alex Freberg, has worked as a data analyst in a variety of industries. He's adept at explaining advanced topics. I think you'll enjoy this course and learn a lot. (19 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/learn-data-analysis-with-comprehensive-19-hour-bootcamp/

3. If you're new to coding but still want to quickly build prototype apps, AI tools can definitely help. ChatGPT is no substitute for programming skills, but it's reasonably good at creating code. This course will teach you some prompt engineering techniques. It will also give you a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of AI-assisted coding. Along the way, you'll build a drum set app and even a Whac-a-Mole game. This course is a great starting point for absolute beginners, and can serve as a gateway into full-blown software development. Be sure to tell your non-programmer friends about it. (5 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/learn-to-code-without-being-a-coder/

4. A String is one of the most primordial of data types. You can find String variables in almost every programming language. Strings are just a sequence of characters, usually between two quote marks, like this: "banana". And yet there are so many things you can do with Strings: Concatenation, Comparison, Encoding, and even String Searching with Regular Expressions. Joan Ayebola wrote this in-depth handbook that will teach you everything you need to know about JavaScript Strings. (full handbook): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/javascript-string-handbook/

5. Hugging Face is not just what happens in the 1979 movie “Alien”. It's also a "GitHub of AI" platform where machine learning enthusiasts share models and datasets. This tutorial will show you how to set up the Hugging Face command line tools, browse pretrained models, and run a few AI tasks such as sentiment analysis. (20 minute read): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/get-started-with-hugging-face/

Quote of the Week: *"Duct tape programmers don’t give a damn what you think about them. They stick to simple, basic, and easy to use tools. Then they use the extra brain power that these tools leave them to write more useful features for their customers."* — Joel Spolsky, developer and founder of Stack Overflow and Trello