It’s not always easy to learn to code whilst on the go. Heavy books or lugging a laptop around isn’t always practical. This is where learning to code with Sololearn could help.
Sololearn is a resource with a devoted mobile app where you can learn multiple coding languages. Sololearn is available on iOS, Android and in the browser. Video courses (such as on Udemy) are great on mobile until you’re expected to code along – then your progress via mobile reaches an impasse. This is why Sololearn caught my attention.
When it comes to learning on the go, has Sololearn cracked the code (pun intended)? My non-biased, non-affiliated opinion follows.
How does Sololearn work?
My review is based on my experience of learning on Sololearn through JavaScript Beginner, JavaScript Intermediate, and Angular Beginner courses.
Sololearn is a compendium of courses for multiple coding languages that could provide you with the knowledge to build anything from websites, to apps, to video games and more. With so many to choose from I recommend you check out the list here.
A quick google provides the blurb for sololearn as “Learn on the Web or on the Go with Sololearn. Join Now to learn the basics or advance your existing skills. Join +45 000 000 Learners.”
The UI of the app, as you’d expect, is top-notch. Navigating the app, it’s courses and additional elements on offer is a breeze which is a big selling point. Working through a course feels rewarding as you progress.
Each course is made up of modular sections that you complete sequentially. The sections are bitesized which makes it easy to dip in and out of your course whilst on the go or when you only have a few minutes to spare (a good alternative for something to do while waiting for the bus etc).
Your results are compared with other users and there is an active community that is accessible through the app. At the end of each course you are rewarded with a very formal, professional looking certificate.
The sections contain material to read and are interspersed with activities and quizzes to test how well you’ve retained and understood the content. The challenges are fairly simple and tend to consist of questions with multiple choice answers, drag and drop, or fill in the blank type answers.
At the end of some sections you may be expected to complete a more in-depth challenge that resembles actual coding.
You are assigned ‘lives’ which gamifies the experience, if you get questions wrong then you lose a life. Running out of lives means that you must wait a matter of hours before your lives are refreshed. Unless…
Going Pro with Sololearn
As with most apps these days, there is an option to upgrade to a pro account which unlocks additional content on each course, removes adverts that tend to pop-up after sections are completed and removes the concept of ‘lives’ – your learning is uninterrupted and infinite within the app.
There is a two week free trial of the pro version before you are asked to pay – there are monthly and annual subscriptions, the usual approach applies where it works out cheaper to subscribe for 12 months in a one-off payment than it is to subscribe on a month by month basis.
As my focus has always been on JavaScript orientated languages I checked out the JavaScript Beginner and Intermediate Course before moving on to the Angular Beginner Course (a JavaScript framework).
This review was written just before the end of the two week trial.
Did I subscribe after the two week trial?
No. But, read on as that doesn’t mean it may not be worth your hard earned cash.
My main issue with this way of learning and the content of Sololearn is that a lot of the learning is formed solely (pun intended) around the syntax of a language. This is important, obviously, but, I feel the courses lack deeper understanding of the languages it teaches.
Sololearn will not teach you how to apply the language into real world examples. What it will teach you is the makeup of a language.
I don’t think this is necessarily Sololearn’s fault, I just think this way of learning doesn’t lend itself to what I feel would be the most important lessons when learning a language.
However, when starting out, Sololearn can accompany your primary learning elsewhere and is time well spent if compared to social media, or smoking or whatever else you do to kill time.
I just think that once you have a grasp of syntax with one language it becomes easier to learn additional languages. Much like being an English speaker and trying to learn French or German, you start to notice patterns and some familiarity with certain words. I feel programming languages are the same.
Summary
If you do choose to try out Sololearn, or if you chooce to pay and subscribe for the Pro membership – I recommend not relying on Sololearn as your main source of learning. It is the best way to learn on mobile that I’ve found (other than perhaps reading blogs – such as Outfox Code (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) – but it doesn’t cover enough ground, doesn’t give you complete hands-on experience with solving coding problems.
I repeat, I don’t think this is the fault of bad design by Sololearn – I believe it is just down to the limitations of mobile learning (small, singular screen, small keyboard + fat fingers).
There will never be a one-sized fits all approach to learning how to code.It is also unwise to rely purely on one source of learning – variety is key. Sololearn could definitely fit into your learning, especially for beginners. But, if you’ve been coding regularly for a couple of years, I would only approach Sololearn as a fun way to kill some time on your phone.
Have you used Sololearn? What did you think? I’d love to know your thoughts – contact us.