What is the Best Way to Learn Java?
Let’s face it: the web today is full of educational materials for every taste and budget. On the one hand, it is good for learners as they can gain the needed knowledge without spending a fortune and years in university. On the other hand, this whole lot of courses sometimes makes the newbies confused and stumbled upon a tricky choice. There is an endless number of courses, books, websites, video tutorials, and other resources to get in-depth knowledge about any programming language.
But, what is the best way to learn Java? That is the question.
In this post, I’ve put together a few of the most effective ways that will be a good starting point in your path to mastering Java. So, stay tuned and get ready to write them down.
How to Become Proficient in Java
A couple of years ago, there were not so many Internet resources for learning Java, which cannot be said about modern times. Today, there is a myriad of interactive educational materials online. The form of learning has also changed a lot.
Previously, you had to either study completely independently or take full-time courses. Now, you can find online courses that would meet your needs both in theory and practice.
So, the first step in your programming journey is to select the main source of knowledge and practice.
Choose the Appropriate Java Course
Although most modern Java courses are interactive and interesting, some of them meet your needs, and the others don’t. So, it is important to find the right course you will be excited about.
CodeGym
Pricing — from free options to premium subscriptions ($49 for Premium; $99 for Premium Pro).
Key features:
- Practice-based 1200+ tasks
- Instant verification by a virtual mentor
- A huge and active community
- Zero levels of Java syntax Quest for free
- Game section for free
CodeGym is a platform focused on teaching you the Java programming language. Right after joining the course, you will be forced to write lots of code while completing practical tasks of increasing complexity. The course is suitable for both newcomers and developers with previous experience. The students can learn Java from scratch, whereas more or less experienced coders can hone already acquired skills by writing their own version of a classic video game, among other things.
The Complete Java Masterclass
Pricing — $129.99.
Key features:
- 36 coding tasks
- Challenges after every single topic
- Certification
- Additional info about tools and best practices used to improve productivity
- Mobile and TV access
The course name itself means you will learn Java from the very basics and will gradually move on to more advanced topics needed to land your first job as a Java programmer. Other than covering Java concepts, the course also comes with practical examples to check your knowledge before you start the next section.
Java Programming for Complete Beginners
Pricing — $139.99.
Key features:
- 200 practical code examples
- 26 hours of on-demand video
- Theory-practice-solution approach
- Certification
- Java tips on blocks, methods, classes, and other topics
How many steps do you need to take to master Java? 10, 100, or 200? The author of this course is sure that you will be able to edge Java in 250 steps and acquire the skills needed to apply for a job. You will also be offered to test your knowledge by passing over 200 coding challenges, quizzes, and exercises.
Java Fundamentals by Pluralsight
Pricing — $29/month, $299/year, or $499 for the premium package. The quote for team and enterprise packages needs to be requested additionally.
Key features:
- SOLID concept explained
- Practice-oriented tasks
- Short and precise theory
- Interactive videos and quizzes
- Concepts with real-world examples
If you’ve set a goal to work with large projects, Java is a good option to step forward to your purpose. There is literally an endless number of educational sources, and this course is one of them. You will start with Java syntax and fundamentals and get to more complex topics, such as OOPs and Java’s HttpClient.
Java Certification by Duke University
Pricing — 7-day full access free trial.
Key features:
- Beginner-friendly course
- 5 courses that cover different aspects of the language
- Certification
- Assessment tasks with feedback from peers
- Capstone Project
If you are looking for a program that would help you solve real problems, this course by Duke University is a way to go. Other than learning Java programming, you will also come through basic web development with HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
Have You Finished with Java Fundamentals? Start Your Own Project
Once you get a solid knowledge of Java fundamentals, including language syntax, OOP, and collections, it’s high time to move to the next step and write your own real-world project. Working on a small project will let you try out already acquired knowledge and hone your skills. Here’s a shortlist of ideas you can choose from:
- Create a calculator
- Create your own version of classic video games, such as my Picker, Hungry Snake, 2048, Super Mario Bros Clone, Flappy-Bird, etc.
- Develop school, sports, recipe, inventory, or library management system
- Consider creating a billing system or banking application
- Come up with a currency converter
Learn From Others and Teach Someone Else
If you’ve found a mentor who is ready to spend time reviewing and editing your code, providing you with feedback, and setting the bar for your professional growth, you are a lucky one. Yet, it is not an easy challenge to find a really good mentor — not all professional developers are good at teaching, and not everyone is ready to invest their time into that (although I would definitely encourage you to go looking for such a person).
That is why a “collective programmer” from StackOverflow or GitHub may become a so-called mentor for a newcomer. The main goal for a newbie here is to learn to ask the right questions. So don’t hesitate to do so.
Once you become more confident about programming, start answering newbie questions yourself. This practice is useful and helps you remind yourself of the key language concepts.
If you ask me where you can find a professional programmer who is willing to guide you, I would suggest you consider my favorite coding-related forums, such as:
- Reddit channels
- r/programming
- r/learnprogramming
- r/codetogether
- r/programmingtools
- r/gamedev
- r/prograrticles
- r/webdev
- r/dailyprogrammer
- Slack channels
- Hashtag Developers
- European Dev Explorer
- DevOps Chat
- StackOverflow
- SitePoint
- Hackers News
- Quora
Read Someone Else’s Code and Tinker With It
Other than writing code on your own, it is also important to read good and bad codes and learn to distinguish them. Where to get guaranteed good code? For example, in the classes of Java itself, their code can be opened in IDE.
Another option you can put on the list is to read code on GitHub or StackOverflow. When you examine someone else’s code and see how it works, you will get a clearer picture of the development process. Since there is a number of open-source code on the web, you can learn literally everything while reviewing the perfect work of experienced developers.
But, you shouldn’t limit yourself to only reading the code and trying to understand how it works. Set aside your time to run and play around with it as well. This will make the learning process much easier and will help you find a lot of ways to solve the problem. Remember — the more you explore the code and practice, the better Java coder you become.
After reading the code and changing it on your own, I recommend sharing it back with the community or a mentor while you are at the beginning stage. Doing so now will save you from unlearning after.
Writing Code by Hand is Still Effective
The whole Java ecosystem involves way different operations, be it dependency management, class imports, refactoring, or annotations. They all have nothing in common with logic, so it is necessary to use IDE during the development process. That is why Java programmers must know how to utilize the integrated development environment.
Newcomers, in their turn, should be careful with IDE — since it “adds” a lot, the specialists are likely to not notice that they have missed something. This is where coding by hand can come to the rescue and help to understand if the coders have a solid knowledge of syntax and structures. If for some reason the developers have gaps, this old-fashioned yet effective method allows them to reveal them and improve.
Apart from that, writing code by hand is what interviewers expect applicants to do when the latter pass the technical interviews. This is a universal way to test the programmers’ proficiency. So, don’t put off code handwriting and start practicing it today.
Wrapping Things Up
Now you know what is the best way to learn Java and I am sure you will make the most of the mentioned methods. Remember that you are not alone in this boat and you can always ask for help if you experience difficulties in your learning process. The Java community is friendly and its members are willing to help beginners. So, keep in mind the listed tips and start mastering the language right now.
