Front End Web Developer

Not Worth the Money
I received a scholarship to complete this nanodegree for free, but it had to be completed within 3 months and I have one project left before I graduate as of writing this review (I will finish and graduate). So, trying to complete it in 3 months does affect my review at least somewhat, because I don't believe you can really learn all that you should (i.e. become job-ready) from this program in 3 months unless you treat it like a full-time job (which I don't have the discipline to do).

That said, I can't imagine paying for this for, say, 6 months or even for 4 months (which, I think you maybe CAN learn enough in 4 months)--it's just not worth it, even with 50% off, given other resources out there. If I had paid for this nanodegree, I probably would have quit halfway through, i.e. around the time it reaches object-oriented JavaScript/project 3. I have been very disappointed in how this program approaches JavaScript, and, really, the two reasons I wanted to do this program were to have a portfolio full of projects and to really learn JavaScript. Unfortunately, the basic JavaScript they cover is tailored towards what you need to learn to complete project #2 only, and I have gone through JavaScript "courses" on YouTube, some paid courses on Udemy and I think one on Code School, and they cover many things this program does not. And their object-oriented JavaScript course is simply horrendous (most people struggle to follow the Hack Reactor teacher). I found it remarkably difficult to complete the projects in this nanodegree that really required building with JavaScript, especially having to finish everything in 3 months, and I still don't feel that I could build anything completely on my own using JavaScript (which is how I felt before enrolling in this nanodegree, WHICH is why I enrolled). I've seen other people say they had to go to Team Treehouse or some other source so that JavaScript and OOJS would make sense to them. They also kind of introduce you to Knockout.JS, JSON and AJAX, but no JS frameworks and libraries that are more typical to see desired by employers in job ads like Angular, React.JS, Node.JS, etc.

This nanodegree would probably be way more helpful/useful if they scrapped the JavaScript parts and replaced them with WordPress and some PHP, especially since there are so many jobs and freelance gigs out there for that, and WP is easier to teach/learn. Their course on Website Optimization is outdated, making it hard to follow. The best, most thorough part of this nanodegree is the very beginning with its HTML, CSS and responsive design lessons.

For getting help, your options provided by Udacity are the forums and 1:1 appointments. I've seen many people say no one showed up to their appointment to help them, and the forums have about 2 people answering questions for this program--one of them is the same one who seems to do ALL of the 1:1 appointments, which is probably why he can't always show up for the appointments. I did a 1:1 with him and he was great. But you can only schedule one appointment per week, which is not good if you're in a time crunch to get a project submitted. I.E. It's somewhat difficult to get help. Almost forgot--there is also a Slack community, and people do ask for help in there, but you're asking people who are in the same boat as you.

The reviews can be very picky at times, sometimes unnecessarily so. This is more so true for career projects, which you will definitely do if you enroll in the Nanodegree Plus option or in some scholarship options. So far, I can't see what kind of career assistance Udacity gives as far as finding a job. They are still saying it's coming, though. In my scholarship cohort, they required us to have career projects done about midway through the nanodegree, so there was a rush to do that for what if career assistance is not coming until the end of the nanodegree? Anyway, back to reviews--you do tend to get reviews back fast, always within 24 hours for me, though I have seen others wait a little longer for theirs. There are pretty much always good suggestions in the reviews, but it's just irritating how picky they can be, to the point of all of my coding projects failing at least once.

I know everyone is interested in job readiness and getting hired after this nanodegree. My experience with that so far: 1) I would not be able to pass a JavaScript interview test still and am very hesitant to apply for jobs where I can see they will give a test, 2) I have had job prospects already and WAS able to say with some confidence that I got a lot out of the website optimization course/project, the responsive design aspects, what they exposed us to with APIs...practically everything other than the JavaScript aspects of the nanodegree. The one job interview I've had, I know that probably the most useful/impressive part of my skillset was stuff I did outside of this nanodegree, i.e. what I learned in Rob Percival's Udemy course on web development, i.e. MySQL and PHP, and that interviewer also was wanting someone who knows WORDPRESS (which I have been learning alongside this nanodegree). Another person in my scholarship cohort has also interviewed, and his skillset also extends beyond this nanodegree and would be very helpful to getting a job. Otherwise, most jobs I apply for ignore me completely, and I have Indian recruiters contacting me who, I guess, find me on Dice (I am in the US, and it's heavily-accented Indians at US staffing agencies emailing and calling me). I.E. I don't see what you learn in this nanodegree and projects you build in this nanodegree being enough alone to get hired as a developer.

My advice: if you're curious about this nanodegree, you can do the courses for free--you just can't submit projects, get reviews or officially get a nanodegree (unless you sign up and pay for a month and just submit projects after going through the free courses). I advise doing the HTML, CSS, responsive design, website optimization and testing courses, as well as their GitHub course and README course (skip the stupid exercises in the GitHub course). Go elsewhere for JavaScript, if you even bother with JavaScript at all (and you don't have to if you learn WordPress)--I read great things about Team Treehouse and will be signing up myself. Take Rob Percival's "The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0" course on Udemy, and go to YouTube and go through the WordPress tutorials from "LearnWebCode." Use all of this to build projects, including the ones for Udacity's front-end nanodegree if you can, and you'll be far better positioned to get a job than you would be by mainly relying on this nanodegree. Aside from doing a very poor job with JavaScript, this nanodegree just doesn't quite teach all the right things. Subscribing to Team Treehouse for a while, buying a few Udemy courses and going through free YouTube courses/tutorials is a lot cheaper, yet more helpful, than paying for this nanodegree.

Oh, and there are countless positive reviews for this nanodegree on Udacity's site. Be suspicious--I am. Either those people already knew JavaScript, spent a lot of time completing this nanodegree (i.e. paid $200/month for many months or $100/month with 50% off), some of those reviews are fake, or some combination.

Udacity Front-End Web Development Nanodegree
I am presently a student in the Udacity Front-End Web Development Nanodegree program. I'm about half-way through it. Overall I am glad that I enrolled, however, they do have their shortcomings. I'm an inexperienced programmer with knowledge of C#, VB.Net, Java, and Python and entered the program with minimum experience in Javascript. I have found their videos on the subject to be pretty shallow. They seemed rushed and don't really dive deep into it. They give superficial explanations of how Javascript works. I've had to enroll in codecademy and code school in order to get the depth of knowledge that I feel I need to pass their quizzes. Most of the theory isn't the problem its just that to me, JavaScript syntax is whacked and really different from other languages I know. If I had it to do again, I would have enrolled in and completed the codecademy and code school courses prior to enrolling in the Nanodegree program. At $200 a month, the delays have been costly. Another option would have been to taken the courses for free until I had a good understanding and then signed up for the program. I do like the projects though. Unlike courses I've taken in the past, they don't walk you through their code step by step. You actually have to think about what you have learned and apply it to your project in the best way you know how. If you get stuck there are forums to ask questions on and you can request an appointment with Udacity personnel. They also have online meetups on a regular basis you can attend, although they are limited in time and the number of people who can attend at one time. This allows them to be able to answer everyone's questions. Even with its shortcomings, overall it has been a positive experience. Hopefully they will create a JavaScript Full Stack program in the future

A very rewarding experience with a very good staff support.
This Nanodegree program is perfect in order to get a structured education about Frontend Web Development. I will recommend it to people with some prior experience in Web Development. Since the events like the Google+ Webcasts are always scheduled for the USA, the attendance for the European students could be complicated. Is possible to get a 50% of the tuition back when the course is finished (take a look at the conditions before).

In my opinion the course is well structured and you can learn not only the basis of the Frontend Web Development but also advanced concepts like design patterns. I found very useful the TDD with Jasmine and Knockout.js projects.

The first two projects are not very challenging but the amount of resources given and quality of the explanations are worthwhile. The additional courses like the Git and Github are very also very useful and well explained.

They are constantly developing the platform so expect to see improvements and interesting additions often. The user community is very nice and you can find very useful topics in the forums.

The Nanodegree offers resources such as:
- Videos.
- Repositories with the code you need for the exercises or projects.
- Discussion Forums.
- Google+ Webcasts.
- Office Hours Schedule.
- Coach Appointments.
- A very interesting Career Resource Center.

The feedback provided by the Udacity team is very useful and they usually give you tips and encourage you to keep working. The office hours are also very helpful and usually you can resolve many doubts just watching this videos. In my case I have always received a prompt response from the Udacity team.

I will definitely recommend this Nanodegree to every one interested on hone their skills or just learn about Frontend Development.

Amazing experience from the Udacity's Front End Nano Degree
The Front End Nano Degree program from Udacity was a wonderful experience. To fully complete the program it took me about 2-3 months. Most of the video courses were amazing and very helpful. That said I have issues with the Object Oriented Javascript course but the project made up for it. Some things to watch out for when going through the program is they expect you to research some things on your own. This can make some of the projects have steep learning curves. To combat this Udacity is constantly coming out with more courses to help support students and fill in the gaps. On top of that they provide a great network through Google plus were you can watch interviews from experts and get support on projects.

The best part about each project was the review process. I learned more from the projects and reviews than anything else. Watching videos only get you so far. Having to struggle to figure something out and get it to work for real was the most helpful part of the program.

The career team and Udacity helped with with my resume, github.com profile and my Linkedin account. Since their help I have received a large number messages from recruiters from the Linkedin profile recommendations alone.

I am very grateful for all the support provided from Udacity and I recommend their programs constantly. I loved it so much I am going through the IOS Nano Degree right now.

Awesome program, short and effective, and oriented towards helping you get a job!
All in all, I did 6 years of traditional college before realizing that this way of learning was really working out for me. I completed the Udacity nano degree program in April 2015, and I couldn't be happier!

Most of my issues with traditional education were addressed in the nano degree. No longer I had to sit through blocks of 3 hours of class; I could study at my own rhythm. Also, I love that the program is so project oriented : you get a much better grasp of the subject matter by exploring it in exercises. What is awesome most of the more complex exercises are portfolio worthy.

When I completed the program, the platform hadn't perfected their professional help program. From what I have seen recently it is currently AWESOME. They help you prepare for interviews, review your Github and Linkedin profile as well as your resume, and they help you build it up.

Honestly this is one of the best program I have ever completed/participated in, and I will definitely complete more nano degrees in the near future.

One of the most comprehensive online programs available.
The front-end nanodegree was an excellent program, and I'm very satisfied with the experience. The program requires you complete several projects. In order to be better able to complete the projects, you are provided with coursework although it's not required to go through the course materials. What I liked most about the program is that you must submit your projects and in return you get feedback. I was surprised when I would submit projects and learn that it did not meet requirements. The feedback helped me improve on the project and that's very valuable. As far as concepts covered, we went through HTML, CSS, an extensive overview of JS, to even the concepts of using a JS framework.