Top 5 Web Development Courses Worth Taking in 2024

Demand for web developers is expected to grow 16% from 2022 to 2023, “much faster” than average, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. With that demand in mind, web development could be a lucrative first (or second) career.

We've compiled a list of convenient courses to help you get started or continue working in web development. Courses can provide structured learning and certificates that can demonstrate work ethic and skills to a potential employer. To select the best web development courses, we chose courses that had positive reviews on their platforms and on Reddit and courses that covered contemporary web development in a way that would lend itself well to listing on a resume.

To get started in web development, you'll need to learn how to build a website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Many web development skills can be learned for free. For example, I learned some HTML for free by creating forums when I was a teenager and still use it sometimes at work. Additionally, the CSS tutorial from W3Schools has a lot of useful information and a very easy-to-use sandbox that helped me become more familiar with CSS.

To become a web developer, learn to solve real-world problems as early as possible and create personal projects that expand and showcase your skills. That way, you can learn while also building a portfolio for potential employers.

Best Web Development Courses: Comparison Table

The Complete Web Development Bootcamp of 2024: Best Overall

Instructor Dr. Angela Yu is another Udemy teacher with good word-of-mouth reviews. She teaches this course and an in-person coding bootcamp. The Complete Web Development Bootcamp 2024 receives praise for Yu’s teaching style and the course’s understandable and entertaining approach to the fundamentals of the field. Plus, this course is up-to-date with current technologies, versions, and use cases.

Advantages	Cons
Up to date. Detailed and complete. Efficient path for absolute beginners to acquire intermediate skills.	Some reviewers ask for more practical instructions on implementing web applications.

Cost

This course costs $109.99. It can be accessed through a Udemy plan, which costs $21 per month for individuals and has a seven-day free trial.

Web Applications Specialization for Everyone – Ideal for Database Administrators

Building web applications allows a budding web developer to delve into the details of using web servers. In this course, you'll learn the basics of how web browsers interact with web servers, and then progress to building database applications in PHP and designing databases in SQL. The PHP and SQL sections can be especially helpful for people who manage databases at work and want to make sure they understand the basics of web development first. The final course in the specialization covers JSON, the jQuery library, and JavaScript.

Advantages	Cons
Covers setting up a development environment. Practical tips for managing databases for job training or mid-career skills building.	Some of the information covered in this course is available for free through other providers.

Cost

This course costs $49 per month after a seven-day free trial.

IBM Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate – Ideal for working with cloud and serverless projects

This is one of the longer courses on this list, with a robust curriculum of 12 courses taught by the IBM Skills Network team, including one on web development. This certification is also approved for inclusion in college credits in some online degree programs. Because this is a relatively long and rigorous course, it can be especially helpful to display this certification on a resume, especially since the certification walks you through a project that can help you build out your GitHub portfolio. This certification covers many of the same user interface languages ​​that the other courses on this list cover, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Advantages	Cons
Provides guidance on building a portfolio that could be useful in your job search. Learn how to implement and scale projects.	It focuses on cloud computing in general, with a web development section rather than web development specifically. Relatively long.

Cost

This course costs $49 per month after a seven-day free trial.

HTML and CSS in depth: the best way to learn basic web development languages

As the title suggests, this Meta course focuses on two of the pillars of web development: HTML and CSS. You can complete this course during Coursera’s free trial period, so enrolling is a relatively low-commitment option. At the end, you take an assessment to see what you’ve learned. Reviews for this course are mixed, as the relatively brief coverage of the material doesn’t win over everyone, but we decided to keep it on our “best of” list due to the number of positive reviews, Meta’s pedigree, and the convenience of having one module cover both core programming languages.

Advantages	Cons
It can be completed for free. Dive deeper into HTML and CSS with practical exercises.	Relatively limited in scope. Some reviewers say the content is rushed or doesn't connect concepts well, requiring students to do their own research.

Cost

This course costs $49 per month after a seven-day free trial.