Front-End Web Developer Nanodegree

It is still a very early stage in the program for me, based on my experience with the program so far, I would say that it is going very well. If I had no prior experience to web development then I think the course content would be great introductory content to base my FEWD learnings on, I am guessing Google has had influence on this which is great to be apart of. I am glad that the “Web Foundations” component of the curriculum covers relatable topics like “How to Code Faster” and takes lessons from the “Responsive Web Design” Google-Udacity course. I feel that these lessons were perfectly placed in the curriculum (early-on rather than later) and also sets a good standard for when using CSS and HTML in development especially for today’s modern web development which is more likely to see the use of flex box than float-based layout. I recall how much joy I had when I discovered package control in Sublime, because I could finally code faster, and am glad that the lesson enables a student to code faster early on. While browsing all the lessons, at first I thought it was a let down that some of the curriculum seems to be a combination of the other freely available courses offered by the Google-Udacity partnership, but in the end I was relieved because if the Nanodegree expected those full courses to be completed as apart of this Nanodegree then it would be overwhelming to accomplish. Instead, and luckily, those relatable classes are touched upon in this Nanodegree and allows a student to further explore those concepts later on by going to those dedicated classes - sort of like supplemental material to build on. I do look forward to the upcoming JavaScript-centric lessons of the curriculum, as some of those lessons seem to be premium and not freely available like some of the other classes that are found through Udacity or the Google Web Fundamentals site. The mentorship has been interesting, while very helpful I am still figuring out the relationship between the mentor and myself. I feel there is something lacking in communication but in a real world scenario I would expect that a person like myself, a student, would need to come to understand that it is necessary to figure things out on yourself rather than have a mentor guide you all the time. Luckily I have a kind/positive mentor who has been very helpful but perhaps in the future I would like to have mentors initiate or provide supplemental material that can help deepen the understanding of the lesson concepts or provide real-world advice or tooling they use - for example it be cool for a mentor to explain potentially or tangental underlaying computer science concept seen in front-end technologies. Example: a mentor making a student aware of the “single source of truth” concept when talking about adding CSS, HTML, general code and JS to a project - perhaps I am alone in this thinking, it would depend on the students expectations. I overall am still ecstatic about the program and feel very fortunate to be apart of it... I am looking forward to all the upcoming lessons, so I gave 5 stars but keep in mind that there is always room for improvement, but so far I feel the curriculum has been great!

Learning through a project-based curriculum approach proved to be exactly what I needed while I was attempting to switch careers. It allowed me a flexible way to use trial and error, explore additional technical topics(outside of the curriculum), and solve interesting real-world projects. By providing a step-by-step course road-map I was also able to incrementally improve my abilities as a Front-End Web Developer and not be overwhelmed by the enormous amounts of information and rabbit holes I could have went down. My favorite part of the program was the project feedback given after each submission. I was very pleasantly surprised to see the amount of effort the reviewers put in their evaluation of each project. While they first make sure the project requirements are met and up to industry level coding standards, they also gave additional recommendations for best practice and links to articles on advanced topics for further exploration . It was apparent the course was developed from real world experience and by real-world developers because after getting my first job as a application support developer, I've already reflected back on lessons I completed earlier and found myself nodding my head in agreement with the instructor. Finally, I really appreciated how current and up to date the courses were. As programming languages improve and best practices change, it's hard to know what new article or tip to follow. I definitely felt the courses stayed on top of this ever-changing environment. I would definitely recommend to anyone interesting in becoming a front-end web developer (or those just looking for a fun and interesting challenge). This was the right choice for me!

Front-End Nanodegree program was indeed a delightful and career changing experience for me. I come from a mechanical engineering discipline with a humble background in computer science and took the program alongside my job. I got my first web development job when I was halfway through the program, which was quite an achievement. Full marks to Udacity forums and coaches for promptly and patiently answering my silliest of the queries. I would not say that the road to graduation is easy, especially if you are a working professional.It requires some grit and dedication on part of the student to stick with the program until the end. My advice to the incoming Nanodegree students would be to make the fullest use of the discussion forums and one-to-one appointments with the Udacity coaches . It is the best way to get going when you get stuck and believe me you will get stuck.It is part and parcel of a new learning curve.Also make sure that you give honest and sincere attempts to the meticulously prepared quizzes in between the lectures.They will eventually make your life easy when you attempt projects at the end of the courses. What Nanodegree does best is it makes sure we implement what we learn in form of project submissions and review feedback on the projects. Trust me projects are where the actual learning happens. They make sure we know what we think we know. Thank-you Udacity for the wonderful educational experience.

The Nanodegree is totally worth it, I know I've acquired vital skills for our current and future job market. Learning by doing is vital, and learning at Udacity is amazing. Total support on the forums, on weekdays and weekends, whenever you have a question, be sure that Udacity's coaches will help you. Being able to learn from experienced developers who review my code and point me in the right direction is priceless. They correct your code line by line, give advice and also encourage you when you need to improve some aspect of the code and when your code is correct. They check that the code meets specifications from a functional point of view and from a style point of view, very important aspects when working on teams in the real world. When we study at Udacity, we are part of a community, even after we graduate. You will work on several projects that will push you to learn things you never knew you could implement in a real world project. You'll learn how to learn, how to stay updated with new technologies and how be able to master them after you finish the Nanodegree. Career services are great, you can have your resume and profiles reviewed to improve your online presence. If you're thinking on signing up for the Nanodegree, do it! it will be a great investment for you future.

This Nanodegree program has changed me all together. This program is really helful for those who are really into web designing and development. Udacity Nanodegree program is a very good platform to improve our coding skills. All the teachers and mentors excellent in their field and we also get to study from engineers in GOOGLE , HACK REACTOR etc. They share their experiences about writing codes and gives us advice on how to tackle problems when we face them. There is a forum where we can post our doubts regarding the projects. The forum is a very good place to search answers. We get to play around with many styles and javascript libraries. This gives us a lot of exposure to various technologies and techniques available. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to the best in the web development field. This course helps us to build a strong foundation to our web designing and coding skills. I loved doing every project even though it was difficult at first. But i have to say its part of the job !!!! I am glad to be a part of this course and moreover i have to say i am proud to be a UDACIAN !!!!!

All in all, I believe the course deserves the 5 stars. The lessons aren't extremely detailed, but well concentrated. You are given just the right amount of concepts and information, which helps lay a good base. For further deepening and stabilization of the things learned, I've been provided useful links to certain Documentations and side Courses. The videos are fun, the teaching method is very non-formal and relaxed, so you can study and sketch a smile on your face too from time to time. The projects have both organized descriptions and links to the special rubrics, which specifically tells you what checkpoints you must touch in order to submit. The review is very fast, it takes less than 24 hours to get a response, and most of them are very detailed and encouraging even though maybe you didn't get it right yet. But no worries, even if you resubmit the project, it won't take more than a few hours to get it reviewed again. The Nanodegree is a great experience and I am thankful to be part of it. I am convinced by this point that I won't regret the time invested.

FEND is a great program to get started in web development. If you do not have any IT background it will be very tough. However, there are so many supporting tools and community around you that when you feel completely lost and in the dark, there is always someone who could put some light on. I have got five projects to complete. These projects required to build different skills, being each very relevant, up-to-date and meet the highest standards. Be prepared, you will code at night, during weekends and even in your dreams. Stackflow and google search will be your best friends. But that is the point, you will learn how to search and process information, keep yourself up-to-date in order to make the right decisions, choose the most optimal tools to be an efficient, highly qualified professional . At last, the financial incentive to complete the program within 12 months is awesome. I made it and got back my half tuition fee! THANK YOU!

The skills learned in FEND feel immediately applicable to JR-front end employment. Since I took it several very nice courses and activities have been added like Responsive Images, Browser Rendering Ops and Backbone.js Nutrition app so the breadth of techniques covered has improved. On the negs, how engaged each cohort community will be seems hit-miss, coach help may not available at the moment you really need it. Suggestion for future additions: project planning/kickstarting. Projects all have a starter repo of assets that are super helpful. But what happens when those training wheels are gone? For me, it was frustration stemming from uncertainty how to approach beginning a new project (I.e. lots of futzing around). Overall would recommend with the caveat: you'll get out what you put in. Don't roll on until you understand the code you are committing, don't be in a rush when its ultimately your integrity on the line.

I learnt a lot and the curriculum is laid out excellently. What I didn't like so much at first is that Udacity by no means will "hold your hand" and tell you what to do step-by-step. A lot of the subjects are taught in a way that needs further research (from external sources). I feel each subject is more "presented" than "taught", ie you are given a brief introduction and exercises. But this is, in my opinion, not enough information to actually complete the projects successfully. This has pros and cons. I got used to it and appreciate that a Developer will always have to research when working professionally. But sometimes it was a bit frustrating. Another thing I loved is that you are amongst a community of motivated individuals. This general motivation vibe is excellent towards success in learning. And I do believe, after finishing, that Udacity is committed to the students' success! Thank you Udacity <3

I have completed the program and it was a really good experience. Learning with udacity does not feel like studies. Instead it's more like fun! All the projects were of the right difficult level and very interesting. My expectations when I joined this nanodegree was that I get a hold of web development and atleast feel confident that I can code and make something. Well udacity not only fulfilled all my needs but at the same time it has exceeded my expectations about online courses. I was worried about one thing that I am all by myself and I'll have to deal with problems alone and won't have anyone ask for help. But in udacity u always have help I'm one way or another. Either in forums or through 1:1 appointments help is always available in udacity for those who look and ask for it. :)