The most common question I get from people looking to learn to code at One Month is, “What’s the difference between Udemy and One Month?”
When you’re new to learning to code figuring out where to start can be confusing. There are a lot of learning platforms to choose from: One Month, Udemy, Codecademy, TreeHouse, General Assembly, and many more resources to learn to code for free. Each has pros and cons. Luckily, I’ve been on both sides of most of them as a teacher and as a student. I’ve learned their strong points and their weak spots because I’ve experienced them for myself.
So, what’s the difference between One Month and Udemy? Here I’ll break it down for you.
Let’s start with an overview of the main components of each:
One Month
- Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and SQL.
- Price: $299/year for access to all courses. A free Python course trial is available, and a free 7-day HTML & CSS course.
- Completion Rates: 80%
- Curriculum: Online coding courses with video. All courses have been created by the One Month team. Students build real-world projects and will receive a weekly coding review for the homework they submit. Time commitment is 3-4 hours a week.
- Number of students: Over 120,000 students have taken One Month courses.
- Year Founded: 2013
Udemy
- Languages: Udemy covers dozens of languages including HTML, Node.js, C++, React, Java, Python, and more.
- Price: Classes range from $9.99 to $199.99 per course. Udemy often offers free trials and discounts on their homepage. They may say it’s “24 hours only” but in reality, it’s 24-hour discounts all the time.
- Completion Rates: 5%
- Curriculum: Varies from course to course. There is no set Udemy standard for courses. In this way Udemy a marketplace of courses, similar to how YouTube works for general purpose videos.
- Number of students: Over 10 million people have taken a Udemy course
- Year Founded: 2009
One Month Review
One Month is the best place for beginners to learn to code. Instead of hundreds of courses, One Month offers five core courses that get our students from zero to coding in only one month. These courses are HTML & CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, Python and, for those who don’t know where to start, Programming for Non-Programmers. Our courses are developed by educators and our curricula are used by dozens of enterprise companies and even at Columbia University Business School.
What One Month Students Can Expect
The hardest part of learning to code is staying motivated. Our five core coding courses include real-world projects, human support, and deadlines to keep you on track.
Human support: When you join our HTML, JavaScript, Ruby, Python, and Programming for Non-Programmers courses you will be assigned a Teacher’s Assistant (TA) and have direct communication with the TA and other students also learning to code. Your TA is there to answer your questions about course material whenever you get stuck. They also will grade your homework and provide you with personalized feedback each week.
Accountability: One Month courses last 30 days. On the day you sign up you will be given your target completion date. Your teacher will check-in on your progress along the way, helping you stay on track. Homework is due every Sunday night and is an important part of your final grade (*Python course only).
Certification: One Month students that receive a grade of at least an 80 will be rewarded with a One Month certification. This is a digital certificate, that can easily be added to your LinkedIn profile or provided to potential employers!
Udemy Review
Udemy offers a lot of courses—over 100,000! There are a lot on coding, but also courses on everything from health & fitness, to marketing and music. Each course comes with lifetime access, which means your opportunity to complete the course never expires. Udemy’s courses are self-directed or designed to let students move as quickly or as slowly as they’d like. This works well for people with busy or unpredictable schedules.
What Udemy Students Can Expect
Udemy courses are video-based. Anyone in the world can record, and upload a course on Udemy, so the quality can vary significantly. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t great and useful courses on Udemy, just that it can be a bit like bargain shopping —you might have to rifle through some junk to get to a gem.
Large Library: Udemy has over 100,000 courses. If you’re looking to learn to code with Udemy, understand that there are over 1700 Udemy Python courses to pick from!
Duration: A Udemy course can range from a one-hour coding course, to other courses which are more than 24 hours long. There’s not one clear definition of a “course” and so the length and quality will vary greatly from course to course.
Deep Dives: The large Udemy library is very helpful if you are looking to deep dive into a niche subject. If after learning JavaScript you want to learn Solidity (the language behind coding blockchain smart contract), for example, there’s a course for that. Are Udemy coding courses for beginners? Certainly, there are beginner coding courses, but they are mixed in with thousands of videos at all levels and so as a beginner, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Mixed Quality: Anyone can upload a course to Udemy, so the quality varies. When you’re sorting through options, it’s important to find a teacher with good ratings and who resonates with your learning style. Udemy’s low cost means you won’t lose much if it isn’t a good fit.
Conclusion: One Month vs. Udemy: Which Should You Choose?
One Month is the best place for beginners looking to code.
Udemy coding courses are a wonderful to use after you’ve learn the fundamentals of programming.
Motivation is the biggest challenge for beginners looking to learn to code. One Month has been designed to provide beginners with the motivation they need to reach their go. Once you learn with One Month, I’d recommend Udemy for programming and tech dives: topics like Node.js, C#, Unity, Java, AWS and Solidity.
Read to learn to code? We suggest starting with One Month HTML! In this One Month course you will build your first website on day one. It will feel like you have super powers.
Don’t know where to start? If you have any questions email teachers@onemonth.com and we’ll help design a personalized plan just for you!
