CodeGym Review: Is It the Best for Learning Java in 2023?

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If you’re looking for a detailed CodeGym review? Make sure you read this article till the end because after reading this article, you won’t need to look for another one.

Having experienced CodeGym’s Premium Pro, I can provide you with a comprehensive guide and review.

So, if you’re inclined to learn Java programming, this CodeGym review is definitely going to be helpful to you. In this article, I’m going to tell you everything that need to know about this Java learning platform in 2023, including its pros and cons.

Let’s begin with a fundamental question…

What is CodeGym?

CodeGym is an online Java learning platform founded on July 8, 2018, by the company HiTech Rush Inc.

Whether you are a beginner or an average Java programmer, this platform offers courses at all levels and more than 1200 Java practice tasks.

The platform strongly believes that programming is all about practice and getting hands-on experience, which is certainly true. That’s why it emphasizes 80% practice tasks and 20% theory. CodeGym provides most of its courses in written form, and some lessons include video content.

Furthermore, CodeGym offers CodeGym University for students who wish to receive proper training with a mentor. We will discuss this in more detail later.

CodeGym adopts a gamified approach to teaching Java through stories. These stories incorporate quests, levels, lessons, characters, and rewards.

The entire course is divided into four units or quests: Java Syntax (Java Basics), Java Core, Java Multithreading, and Java Collections. There are two more quests currently in development: JSP & Servlets, and SQL & Hibernate. Each quest consists of a number of levels, and each level contains 10-15 lessons and 20-30 exercises.

For each task you complete, you’ll be rewarded with a few units of dark matter. To progress in your quest, you’ll need dark matter to unlock new levels and lessons.

Read also: Here is why I choose StationX to learn Cybersecurity!]

What is CodeGym University?

CodeGym University is designed for learners who require mentor support from Java experts. This university provides step-by-step learning with experienced mentors, assists you in tracking your learning progress, and enables you to quickly acquire a solid foundation in Java development.

CodeGym University offers two types of courses: Java Fundamentals and Java Developer Profession (for India). Let’s discuss each one separately…

1. Java Fundamentals

This course at CodeGym University is dedicated to learning Java Fundamentals. If you’re an absolute beginner in programming and just starting to try your hand at software development, this Java Course is worth pursuing.

It contains 3 modules: Java Syntax, Java Core, and Final Project, which are designed to last for 3 months. Each module includes lessons, homework, and coding practice.

These 3 modules cover various aspects that can strengthen your Java fundamentals. Throughout the course, you will solve 576 practical tasks.

The cost of this course is $99/month, and it also includes a free subscription to Premium Pro.

The best part of this course is it provides regular lessons with a mentor who is an experienced Java developer. Additionally, you can receive support via chat, where you can ask questions about Java theory and Java experts will promptly provide answers, even on weekends.

2. Java Developer Profession

CodeGym University India offers a Java Developer Profession course that claims to provide a 100% job guarantee.

This course consists of 6 modules: Java Syntax, Java Core, Java Professional, Working with Databases, Hibernate, Spring + Spring Boot, and a final project. The duration of the course is 12 months, during which you will learn and become a Java Developer.

Whether you are a beginner in Java or looking to enhance your Java skills and pursue a career as a Java Developer, this course can be the right option for you.

Similar to the Java Fundamental course, this program also includes regular lessons with a mentor, chat-based support, an interactive online development environment, and a course completion certificate upon finishing.

Additionally, the course offers job placement assistance. CodeGym’s career center will help you refine your resume, prepare for suitable job openings, and succeed in interviews.

If you don’t get a job after finishing this course then you will get a refund as per the CodeGym guarantee policy.

Sounds AMAZING?

Oh! I forget to tell you about its pricing…This Java Developer Profession costs you INR 6,700/month and is applicable for Indian students.

CodeGym Course Vs CodeGym University

Let’s compare and contrast CodeGym’s generally written gamified course and CodeGym University and see what makes them different.

Which Course should you go with?

So far, you have learned about the various types of courses offered by CodeGym. If you are undecided or unsure about which course to choose, let me provide you with a helpful guide.

As I mentioned before, CodeGym offers a Premium subscription course that includes written content presented in both gamified and story formats. If you prefer learning through written materials, I highly recommend trying out the Premium subscription course. Not only will it help you save money, but it will also foster your ability to learn independently.

Don’t worry! If you take this plan, you’ll receive full support from CodeGym members in your zeal to learn Java. However, please note that you can’t expect live mentor training or any certification or placement opportunities. This is where CodeGym University courses come in.

As mentioned earlier, CodeGym University offers two courses – Java Fundamentals and Java Development Profession (applicable only for Indian students) – which are perfect for those who need regular lessons with a mentor. By enrolling in these courses, you’ll also receive free access to a Premium Pro subscription, which typically costs $99 per month.

If you want to strengthen your Java fundamentals with live mentor training, the Java Fundamentals course is the right choice for you.

On the other hand, if you are from India, I highly recommend the Java Development course. This course is designed to make you a proficient Java Developer within 12 months and guarantees a professional job upon completion.

Moreover, the Java Development course is priced lower than the Java Fundamentals course, while offering a broader syllabus and a job placement guarantee or refund option.

Till now, in this CodeGym review, I have discussed the important features and recommended courses for your Java learning.

Now, it’s time for the actual review of CodeGym, where I will provide my honest views on its content quality, pricing, ease of use, support, and more, as I promised at the beginning.

CodeGym Content Quality

(Since I’ve experienced the content quality of the CodeGym Premium Pro subscription course, which is written content, I’m here to give my opinion based on that course.)

Now, CodeGym offers many services for its users, such as a forum, chat community, and games. But what about its content quality? Will its courses help you learn Java, especially if you’re a beginner?

The answer is yes!

To determine the content quality of any online learning site, we need to experience it firsthand. I have personally experienced CodeGym Pro from a beginner’s perspective. I have identified four factors to assess the content quality, as always…

• Content Clarity
• Content Depth
• Content Usefulness
• Presentation of the content

After examining each factor thoroughly, I would like to rate it 4.8/5 for its content quality.

Now, CodeGym has a unique and gamified way to teach Java. It creates a story and starts by explaining how a robot named ‘Amigo’ is learning Java. Reading these stories certainly helps you learn Java Programming effectively.

You must have fun while learning. In fact, the gamified version of lessons also keeps those learners engaged who have a short attention span. In every lesson, you have the opportunity to interact with practice tasks and exercises, which I personally enjoy.

You see, programming is all about practice. That’s why this platform focuses on 20% theory and 80% practice tasks, allowing you to grasp the concepts instantly.

Now, if you ask me about the quality of the courses and live mentor training offered by its university, it’s unbeatable.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in Codegym’s free live webinar, where one of their trainers explained the basics of Java, discussed the future and opportunities in Java programming, and more.

The webinar was truly amazing. Based on that experience, I can confidently say that its live mentor training must be exceptional. You will have a conducive environment for learning Java.

Pricing and Value for Money

There is something great about this platform: you can take the first few lessons for free without even signing up. This free trial can help you determine whether this platform is good for learning Java or not.

Once you start enjoying, you may opt for any suitable subscription. Let me explain the pricing plans and what they include. Afterward, we can discuss whether CodeGym is worth the money.

CodeGym offers three subscription plans: Free, Premium, and Premium Pro for gamified courses.

As you can see from the image above, the Free plan offers you a trial course. Additionally, you can take advantage of CodeGym community content, Q&A sessions about learning Java, and the games section.

Once you sign up for the free trial, you’ll receive Dark Matter to unlock the next lessons. The more Dark Matter you earn, the more lessons you can unlock. Furthermore, you can be recognized by your name in community forums and Q&A sections.

Once your Dark Matter reaches zero, you will need to purchase a subscription plan to continue learning.

A premium plan could be the best option for you if you’re serious about learning Java with a gamified version. This Premium plan costs only $29/month (INR 1499) or $99/year (INR 5499) and includes everything you need to learn and enjoy Java Programming with CodeGym.

With this plan, you get access to all CodeGym quests, task verification results, instant task verification, task hints, mini-projects (big tasks), and more. You will also have access to the IntelliJ IDEA plugin, which is one of the most convenient and popular IDEs for writing Java programs.

The Premium subscription is well worth the money. However, based on my own experience, I do not recommend the Premium Pro subscription course.

The reason is that this plan includes all the features of the Premium plan and offers only two additional features: Style Check and ReCheck. Moreover, it costs significantly more, at $99/month (INR 7351) or $209/year (INR 14999).

However, in my opinion, CodeGym University’s Java Development course is the best option for you if you are from India.

Is CodeGym worth the money?

Now, you’ve understood the different CodeGym subscription plans and what they include. You must have also determined which plan is worth considering for you.

The big question remains: Is CodeGym worth the money?

Absolutely, yes!

You might not have any idea, but Java programmers are in high demand worldwide, and the salary for a Java programmer is $69,722 per year, with an average salary range of $47,169 to $105,367 per year in the United States.

And you can acquire most of the Java programming skills by paying just $29/month. If you consider the Java Development Profession course, it will only cost you INR 6700/month.

I know big companies frequently look for software engineers or degree graduates. However, you should not neglect the importance of skills, especially when they are in demand. With the right skills, you can develop something of your own or provide services as a freelancer.

I have no doubt that CodeGym can make you skilled in Java programming. If you take the Java Development Profession course, you don’t need to worry about placement and job opportunities either.

You might have no idea, but CodeGym is also much cheaper than Udacity’s Java Programming Nanodegree, which costs $399/month.

Interface and Ease of Use

If you have already taken a tour of the CodeGym site, you must have been satisfied with its easy-to-use and easy-to-navigate interface.

Alternatively, if you haven’t done so yet, please visit CodeGym and create a free account first. I won’t provide instructions on how to make an account because I’m confident that you’re smart enough to handle these steps on your own.

(There is also a dark and light interface to use CodeGym and write programs.)

Once you make an account you can see the sidebar of CodeGym which contains all the features it offers. In the Course section, you can see the Quest map and Lesson. Select any quest that will show you the total levels included in it. These levels are further divided into Lessons.

While learning with lessons, you can also write comments and ask questions. You may also share your progress on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.

Initially, you get access to a couple of lessons. If you want to access other lessons then you need to earn dark matters after finishing the previous lessons and tasks.

If you want to know more about dark matters and how to use CodeGym, you better check out its Java Syntex Level 1, Lesson 1 which will give you enough guidance to use it.

Let’s talk a little bit about the tasks because programming is all about practice. And, you must be glad that CodeGym provides you with 1200+ practice tasks to nail the Java.

The first task you will come across in New Java Syntax, Level 1, Lesson 3 after learning what classes, Methods, and Commands are.

Here is how a task looks:

As you can see in the above image, the task requirements are on the left side and the program you have to write on the right side. Also, notice if you’re unable to write a program or make mistakes then there are four helping options available for you.

Try it by yourself…

Support

If any platform provides support, you can trust that. How about the CodeGym support system?

In one simple word, It works great! Here is why?

CodeGym provides support in different ways to its users. The best and easy way to get help is via the support page which is added to your My Account section. You can directly send your issue to the administrator and also make a conversation with them.

This platform also has a Chatbot to ask questions. There are many articles added in CodeGym for FAQs like Do you issue diplomas/certificates? or, What are task recommendations?

You can also send an email to support@codegym.cc. You will receive the response within a few hours. You can also ask a question on its Facebook page. No need to worry about the support, I've personally experienced and asked for certain help. It's commendable.

If you become a student of CodeGym University, you get Chat-based support and on weekdays, Java experts will promptly answer your questions on Java theory or solving tasks.

My Views about the CodeGym:

Now I’m going to put my final views about the CodeGym here. It is a great platform for learning Java Programming. Its gamified and fun story way of teaching Java makes it completely different from other Java learning platforms.

The course that I experienced in CodeGym was fruitful. Its Premium subscription course is best if you engage and learn better with written content and 1200+ practice tasks. It also makes you an Independent learner.

If you need live mentor training and want to make a career in Java Programming then the Java Development Profession course would be the best investment for you. However, in my opinion, the Premium Pro and Java Fundamentals course cost more than enough.

To finish up this CodeGym review, below you’ll find a few alternatives to CodeGym and some queries that you might have in your mind before making up the final decision.

As you can see clearly, the list of CodeGym pros is higher compared to its cons, nevertheless, they are worth considering before making up your final decision. Hence, now I’m going to put some alternatives to CodeGym that you may also look at.

CodeGym Alternatives:

If you’re inclined to learn Java Programming, CodeGym is not the only platform out there. Let’s take a look at these platforms and how they are different from CodeGym. Make sure, you also check them out.

Codeacademy:

This is also one of the best Java Learning platforms. Apart from Java, It offers courses in many coding languages HTML & CSS, Python, SQL, Bash/Shell, Ruby, C++, and whatnot in written content. This platform offers most of the programming courses for free, however, there is also a pro plan that costs only INR 416.58/month and provides Real-world Projects, Step-by-step Guidance, Certificates of Completion, and more.

Udacity:

As I mentioned earlier in the article, Udacity also has many courses in programming languages. If you want to learn Java in Udacity, you may pursue its Java Developer Nanodegree. Remember, this course is not ideal for beginners in Java. You must have Intermediate knowledge of Java. Recently, I published a Udacity review where I covered all the things like the quality of courses, the pros and cons of it, and more. Hence, you better check it out first.

Udemy:

Udemy also offers many courses in Java programming in the form of video content and articles. There are many individual instructors who upload their courses on Udemy so it’s difficult to find a series of sessions if you’re not sure what to learn in Java. However, many beginner-level courses you may take on it. Udemy keeps changing its price but you get lifetime access to all the courses you paid for. You must read our Udemy review before considering learning Java through it.

Coursera:

Last but not least, we have on the list Coursera which is also a great online learning platform that offers courses in all ranges. Its courses are provided by top universities and companies like Google. It’s Most Java Programming courses are offered by Duke University. If you’ve no idea about Coursera and its certificate courses you better read our Coursera Plus review.

For a limited time, Coursera is offering its Plus subscription for just $1 for one month and $100 off on the annual subscription. If you're in India, you can also get Coursera Plus for ₹82.76 for one month and ₹8,267.66 off for the annual Plus subscription. For more information, please read our Coursera Plus Discount in September 2023.

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