How to: May 16, 2025
1. freeCodeCamp just published a comprehensive course that will help you learn modern Android app development. You'll learn how to use Android Studio alongside the Kotlin language, a popular alternative to coding in Java. The final project involves building a clone of the Uber app – complete with map integration and real-time location tracking. (60 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/master-kotlin-and-android-60-hour-course/

2. And after you're done with that 60 hour course, try this other 60 hour course ;) It's a full-length Generative AI bootcamp led by CTO and AI enthusiast Andrew Brown. You'll learn powerful tools like Juptyer Notebook and Ollama. You'll also get exposure to the latest applied machine learning techniques. This course is designed to be reasonably accessible to non-developers as well, so any curious person can learn how to harness the power of these new tools. (65 hour YouTube course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/free-genai-65-hour-bootcamp/

3. On this week's freeCodeCamp podcast I interview software engineer and prolific freeCodeCamp contributor Sam Crombie about life in San Francisco startup purgatory. Sam left his job at Microsoft to go through Y Combinator, and is currently trying to find product-market fit as a lone-wolf developer. We discuss how useful AI coding tools really are, tips for getting people to care about your apps, and how parents can help their kids get scholarships for Ivy League schools. (2 hour watch or listen in your favorite podcast app): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/ditching-a-microsoft-job-to-enter-startup-hell-with-lonewolf-engineer-sam-crombie-podcast-171/

4. Learn how to build web apps faster with Vite, a new JavaScript front end build tool. Vite means quick in French. And this quick course wastes no time in showing you the ropes. You'll learn about Hot Module Replacement, Optimized Dependency Prebundling, Intelligent Caching, and more. (1 hour crash course): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/learn-vite-for-a-better-web-development-workflow/

5. Learn how to become a better analytical programmer by analyzing five different JavaScript implementations of the classic Rock-Paper-Scissors game. Along the way, you'll learn how to use visual tools for code comparison, and learn how to diagram codebases using Mermaid.js. I hope this helps you broaden your horizons as a dev and appreciate the many ways you can accomplish simple tasks with code. (2 hour read): https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/how-to-become-an-analytical-programmer-compare-five-projects/

Quote of the Week: *"You can do all the user research you want. But at some point, you just need to put your project out there. My biggest false starts came from not launching. I've learned that you can’t just theory-craft forever. You have to actually ship."* — Sam Crombie on this week's freeCodeCamp podcast, sharing lessons from startup “pivot purgatory"