1,000 Days of freeCodeCamp: Fueling the Revolution in Tech Education

1,000 days ago, a revolution in tech education began with a simple idea: that anyone, anywhere should have access to a world-class coding education without going into debt.

Since then, the freeCodeCamp community has grown into a global movement of over a million learners, building the skills and projects to change their lives and the world around them. As we celebrate this 1,000 day milestone, let‘s reflect on how far we‘ve come and all that‘s still ahead in our mission.

By the Numbers: 1,000 Days of Incredible Growth

Over the past 1,000 days, the freeCodeCamp community has achieved some incredible things:

• 🌍 Expanded to a global community of over 1 million campers from every country in the world
• 💻 Delivered over 1 billion minutes (or 2000 years) of free coding instruction and tutorials
• 🏆 Helped over 6,000 campers land their first developer job and start new tech careers
• 💼 Assisted another 8,000+ experienced campers in getting promotions or higher-paying developer roles
• 🚀 Propelled 2,000+ campers in launching their own tech startups and side projects
• 🌐 Established 2,000+ local study groups meeting regularly in cities from San Francisco to Sao Paulo to Singapore
• 🔧 Built open source projects for over 50 nonprofit organizations, saving them an estimated $2 million in development costs
• 📝 Published over 3,000 coding tutorials and articles on freeCodeCamp‘s Medium publication, generating over 150 million views
• 🔔 Gained 500,000 subscribers on the freeCodeCamp YouTube channel, with over 10 million views of our tutorial and motivational videos
• 💬 Provided peer support and mentoring to thousands of campers every day on the freeCodeCamp forum

But freeCodeCamp is about so much more than just the numbers. It‘s about the individual lives transformed through the power of learning to code. Like the single mother who went from relying on food stamps to landing a six-figure developer salary. Or the 50-year old laid-off factory worker who proved it‘s never too late by retraining for an in-demand tech career. Or the teenager from a developing country using his new coding skills to launch a thriving freelance business and support his family.

These are just a few of the thousands of inspiring stories that have emerged from the freeCodeCamp community over the past 1,000 days. Every day I‘m amazed by the ripple effects that occur when you give someone access to a quality tech education. You don‘t just change that one person‘s life – you empower them to go out and change the lives of many others.

The Secrets to freeCodeCamp‘s Success

So what‘s the secret sauce behind freeCodeCamp‘s incredible growth and impact? As a long-time software engineer and coding educator, I attribute it to a few key factors:

1. Project-focused, learn-by-doing curriculum. From day one, freeCodeCamp has been all about learning to code by actually coding. No dry lectures or textbook theory – just hands-on practice building real-world projects. This active learning approach has been shown to be far more effective for gaining and retaining new skills.

2. Supportive, collaborative community. Learning to code is hard. Having a global community of fellow campers to support you makes a huge difference. Whether you‘re struggling with a coding challenge, looking for project feedback, or just need some encouragement, there‘s always someone ready to help in the freeCodeCamp community.

3. Self-paced, flexible learning. Everyone learns at their own speed. That‘s why freeCodeCamp allows you to go at your own pace and on your own schedule. Prefer short bursts or marathon all-night coding sessions? Our platform adapts to your learning style. Have a full-time job or family obligations? You can step away and pick right back up whenever you have time.

4. 100% free and open-source. Cost is one of the biggest barriers to education. By providing a world-class curriculum completely free, freeCodeCamp opens doors for millions who couldn‘t otherwise afford to learn these valuable skills. And as an open-source project, the platform is constantly being improved and expanded by the community itself.

5. Proven path to real-world success. It‘s one thing to complete coding lessons online – it‘s another to prove you can build production-ready apps and land an actual developer job. freeCodeCamp provides a clear roadmap from newbie to employed developer, with built-in milestones and portfolio projects to keep you on track. And with thousands of campers getting jobs at top companies like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, it‘s a proven path to a successful tech career.

Of course, this unique formula didn‘t come together overnight. It‘s been a process of constant iteration and improvement, guided by feedback from the community and the hard work of thousands of contributors. But 1,000 days in, it‘s clear that it‘s working – and in many ways, we‘re still just getting started.

The Road to the Next 1,000 Days

As proud as I am of all we‘ve accomplished in our first 1,000 days, the most exciting part is still all that‘s ahead. Here‘s a sneak preview of just a few of the things the freeCodeCamp community will be working on over the next 1,000 days:

• 🎓 Expanding our curriculum with in-depth certifications in high-demand topics like machine learning, cybersecurity, blockchains, and more.
• 🦾 Adding thousands of new coding challenges, projects, and tutorials for intermediate and experienced developers looking to level up their skills.
• 📚 Creating comprehensive guides and explainers on complex computer science and software engineering concepts like data structures, design patterns, and system architecture.
• 🌍 Doubling our efforts to make coding education accessible to underrepresented groups and those facing barriers to traditional education.
• 🌱 Growing our local study group communities and increasing in-person collaboration, project building, and peer mentoring.
• 🆓 Keeping the entire freeCodeCamp curriculum and platform 100% free and open-source forever.

The ultimate goal? To create the best possible resource for anyone, anywhere to learn the skills of the future and improve their lives through coding. Whether you‘re a total beginner looking to change careers or an experienced coder wanting to explore new domains, we want freeCodeCamp to be your go-to place to level up.

Join the Journey and Make Your Mark

1,000 days in, one thing is crystal clear: none of freeCodeCamp‘s incredible growth and impact would be possible without the global community of campers, contributors, and donors who make it a reality each day.

So if you‘ve been positively impacted by freeCodeCamp, I invite you to pay it forward and join us on the journey ahead. Whether it‘s taking a crack at your first coding challenge, building an open-source project for a cause you care about, or chipping in a few bucks to help keep our servers running, every contribution counts and every contributor plays a part in changing lives through tech education.

Together, let‘s make the next 1,000 days of freeCodeCamp even more world-changing than the first. The revolution in tech education is well underway – and this is just the beginning.

Happy coding my friends,

Quincy Larson
Founder, freeCodeCamp.org