I Almost Got Scammed $10K by Coding Bootcamps! These GitHub Projects Saved Me

A few days ago, I was chatting with a friend who said he wanted to learn programming but the bootcamps were too expensive - easily costing tens of thousands of dollars. I laughed, "Bro, you're taking the wrong path. GitHub has tons of great stuff, and I learned everything from these free resources."

To be honest, when I first started learning programming, I was also fooled by those training ads and almost got scammed out of $10,000 on various bootcamps. Full-stack development for $3K, AI courses for $2.5K, mobile development for $1.5K, plus various advanced courses - it really added up to over $10K.

Fortunately, I later discovered open source projects on GitHub and realized what real treasure looks like. These free resources are not only higher quality but also teach you the latest technologies.

Today I want to share the great projects I've collected over the years. These projects really saved me and helped me avoid getting ripped off by bootcamps.

Frontend Development - From Zero to Hero

freeCodeCamp - My Programming Mentor

⭐ 390k+ stars
🔗 GitHub | Website

I have to put this project first because it truly changed my career trajectory.

At that time, I was working in sales, working overtime until late every day with low pay. I stumbled upon freeCodeCamp and started learning with a "let's try it" attitude. I didn't expect to spend half a year learning, from HTML/CSS to JavaScript, then to React, step by step following along with projects.

What impressed me most was its project-oriented learning approach - not just pure theory, but making you build things that actually work. I remember the sense of achievement when I first built a calculator was truly indescribable.

Looking back now, if I had enrolled in a bootcamp then, it would have cost at least $20-30K, and it might not have had such systematic content.

30-seconds-of-code - My Code Snippet Collection

⭐ 120k+ stars
🔗 GitHub | Website

This project is literally a lifesaver at work. Every time I encounter a function I don't know how to write, I come here first to see if there's a ready-made solution.

For common functions like array deduplication, deep copying, debouncing and throttling, there's not only code here but also detailed explanations. I often browse through a few during work breaks - learning something while not getting caught (laughs).

I remember during an interview, the interviewer asked me about array operations, and I directly used a method I learned here. The interviewer even praised my solid foundation. If I had enrolled in a JavaScript advanced class, it would have cost at least $800, but here it's all free.

Backend Development - From Beginner to Expert

Spring Boot Examples - Java Backend Bible

⭐ 30k+ stars
🔗 GitHub

When it comes to Java backend, Spring Boot is absolutely unavoidable. This project collects examples of various real-world scenarios, from the most basic Hello World to complex microservice architectures.

When I transitioned from frontend to backend, I knew nothing about Spring Boot. I looked at several bootcamp introductions, all costing $1200+, not including accommodation. Later I found this project, followed the examples one by one, Googled when I didn't understand something, and taught myself.

Now I'm responsible for backend development at my company, and many of the technologies I use came from this project. Database integration, Redis caching, message queues - everything's there.

Node.js Best Practices - Pitfall Avoidance Guide

⭐ 95k+ stars
🔗 GitHub

This project saved me many times. When I first started using Node.js, my code was a mess, performance was poor, and bugs were frequent.

Later I discovered this project, which summarizes various best practices and common pitfalls. How to handle async errors, how to design project structure, what to pay attention to for security - all written in detail.

Now when I write Node.js projects, I always check here first to ensure there are no obvious problems. Much more practical than those $1000 advanced courses, and it's continuously updated.

Design Resources - Aesthetic Savior for Programmers

Design Resources for Developers - My Design Asset Library

⭐ 55k+ stars
🔗 GitHub

As a straight male programmer, my aesthetics have always been a problem. The websites I built functioned fine but looked terrible.

This project is literally my savior, collecting various free design resources. Fonts, icons, color schemes, UI components - everything's there. Now when I work on projects, I come here first to find materials.

Most importantly, these resources are all free and high quality. If I hired a designer, even a simple logo would cost hundreds of dollars, but the resources here are enough for me to use for years.

Awesome CSS - CSS Effects Collection

⭐ 4k+ stars
🔗 GitHub

CSS is simple in basic syntax, but creating cool effects is not easy. This project collects various CSS tricks and effects, from simple button animations to complex 3D effects.

I often come here for inspiration, bookmark good effects, and use them directly in future projects. Much more practical than those CSS advanced courses, and it's free.

AI Learning - Catching Up with the Times

Machine Learning Yearning - Andrew Ng's Free Course

⭐ 7k+ stars
🔗 GitHub

AI is so hot that not learning some machine learning makes you embarrassed to call yourself a programmer. But AI bootcamps easily cost $15-30K, which is really too expensive.

This project is Andrew Ng's machine learning practical guide, completely free! The content is very practical, not pure theory, but tells you how to apply machine learning in actual projects.

I followed along for several months. Although I can't say I'm proficient, at least I can understand some AI-related technical articles and chat about it during interviews.

TensorFlow Examples - Deep Learning Practice

⭐ 43k+ stars
🔗 GitHub | Website

To learn deep learning, TensorFlow is unavoidable. This official example library contains various application scenarios, from image recognition to natural language processing.

I previously wanted to enroll in a deep learning bootcamp, but the price was discouraging - even the cheapest was $15K+. Later I found this project, followed the examples step by step. Although the process was a bit painful, I really learned a lot.

Now I can contribute some code to AI projects at my company, which feels quite fulfilling.

Mobile Development - One Codebase, Two Platforms

Flutter Examples - Cross-platform Development Magic

⭐ 20k+ stars
🔗 GitHub | Website

Mobile development was always a field I wanted to learn but didn't dare to, mainly because I thought I had to learn both Android and iOS technologies, which was too troublesome. Later I discovered Flutter could run on both platforms with one codebase, so I started researching.

This official sample library contains various practical examples, from simple UI components to complex state management. I followed along and built several small projects, finding Flutter really powerful.

Now I've built two small apps with Flutter. Although they're not published yet, at least I've proven my mobile development capability. Much more cost-effective than enrolling in a $1200 bootcamp.

DevOps Tools - DIY Everything

Awesome Selfhosted - Self-hosting Service Guide

⭐ 180k+ stars
🔗 GitHub

This project teaches you how to self-host various services, from blogs to cloud storage, from monitoring to collaboration tools.

The blog, cloud storage, and password manager I use now are all self-hosted. Not only does it save money, but I also learn a lot of DevOps knowledge. For example, my personal blog uses Ghost, deployed on my own VPS, which costs much less per year than using WordPress.com.

The advantage of self-hosting is complete control - you can modify however you want without worrying about service providers shutting down or raising prices.

Calculating How Much I Saved

To be honest, I didn't initially think about saving money, I just found these open source projects interesting. Later I calculated and found I saved quite a lot:

• Full-stack Development Training: At least $20-30K on the market, I learned it free with freeCodeCamp
• JavaScript Advanced Course: Bootcamps cost $800+, 30-seconds-of-code is free
• Spring Boot Training: Offline classes start at $1200, GitHub examples are more comprehensive
• AI/ML Courses: Easily $15-30K, Andrew Ng's materials are free
• Mobile Development Training: Around $1200, Flutter official docs and examples are enough

Roughly calculated, I saved at least $10K. That's enough to buy a nice MacBook Pro.

Of course, self-learning is indeed harder than attending classes and requires stronger self-discipline. But the rewards are also greater because you learn not just technology, but also self-learning ability.

How to Efficiently Use These Resources?

Don't Be Greedy, Choose One to Study Deeply

I made this mistake at the beginning too - bookmarking good projects when I saw them, ending up with a pile of bookmarks but not finishing any.

I suggest choosing one project that best fits your current needs. If you want to learn frontend, focus on freeCodeCamp; if you want to learn backend, focus on Spring Boot Examples. Finish one before moving to the next.

Must Practice Hands-on

Just reading without practicing is useless. My experience is to immediately try hands-on after reading a chapter, Google when encountering problems, or ask ChatGPT.

Remember to create a GitHub repository and put all your practice code there. This way you can record your learning process and use it as a portfolio to show interviewers.

Join Communities, Don't Work in Isolation

Many projects have their own communities, like Discord groups, Telegram groups, etc. Join these communities - you can ask for help when encountering problems and see other people's learning insights.

I met many friends in the freeCodeCamp community. Everyone encourages each other, and learning efficiency improved a lot.

Learning Path Suggestions for Beginners

If You're a Complete Beginner

I suggest starting with freeCodeCamp. This project's curriculum design is very reasonable, progressing from HTML/CSS to JavaScript, then to backend.

That's how I learned. I spent about 6 months completing the frontend part, then found my first programmer job.

If You Already Have Some Foundation

You can choose direction based on your interests:

• Want to do frontend: 30-seconds-of-code + Design Resources
• Want to do backend: Spring Boot Examples or Node.js Best Practices
• Want to learn AI: Machine Learning Yearning + TensorFlow Examples
• Want to do mobile development: Flutter Examples

If You Want to Change Careers

I suggest choosing one direction to study deeply, don't try to learn everything. I've seen too many people fail because they bite off more than they can chew.

Specialize in one direction, find a job, then gradually expand other skills.

Final Thoughts

Writing this article reminded me of when I first started learning programming. Information wasn't as rich as now, learning something required searching everywhere for materials, often taking detours.

Today's beginner programmers are really fortunate to have so many high-quality free resources. But remember, no matter how good the tools are, they're useless if you don't use them.

The most important thing is hands-on practice. Don't be afraid when encountering problems - Google it, ask ChatGPT, or seek help in communities. Programming is something no one is born knowing - everyone practices bit by bit.

If you're hesitating whether to enroll in a bootcamp, my suggestion is to try these free resources first. If you can persist in completing one project, it shows you have self-learning ability and can completely rely on yourself. If you can't persist, then enrolling in classes might not help either, because learning ultimately depends on yourself.

I hope these resources can help you and that you can go further on the programming path.

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