#176 overall
CS75 Web Development
Harvard University
3 recommenders · 3 threads · recommended in 3 years, 2011–2016 · score 2.6
CS75 is Harvard's follow-on web development course taught by David Malan, covering building web applications with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python and Flask-style back-end work. Lectures, notes and assignments are published online for free.
Commenters call it a good follow-up to CS50 and a solid crash course in web development, praising Professor Malan's engaging teaching and the freely available materials.
Web & Mobile Developmentbeginnerfreevideo lectures#web development#harvard#malan#cs50 follow-up#javascript#python
Recommendations by year
20062026
I can't say enough great things about the lectures on cs50.tv & cs75.tv. The prof (David Malan) is engaging, all the materials are available (homework, TA sessions, notes, slides, videos... everything). cs50 is particularly great for those who don't have a CS background but are interested in understanding CS principles from the ground up (vs trying to learn JS by doing a few tutorials).
Cs50 and cs75 by prof David malan are great courses. The prof is really cool
I studied economics and finance in college, worked in banking for about 5 years, and have spend the past 12 months learning computer science. I did a combination of university courses and self study, and I now have a fully built web application in python/django.
Here is what you need:
1) Discrete Math - this is the core of all computer science theory. You'll be able to talk about Big Oh and all the fancy pants stuff that you'll wish you learned later on.
2) Algorithms/Data Structures - As one of my friends working at a well known YC startup said - this is basically all that matters when getting hired as a programmer. You'll be able to solve those tricky technical interview questions on linked lists, hash tables, and graphs, etc.
Helpful, but not necessary: Operating Systems, Databases, Artificial Intelligence, Software Engineering.
Everything else you'll have to hustle and pick up yourself. I chose python/django and found a great community of people willing to help me. Get yourself a nick on IRC and start asking questions in #python and #django. Also, check out the Harvard cs75 course (www.cs75.tv). This will give you a crash course in web development.
For server stuff I suggest looking at the Linode.com library. It's a great crash course in administering your own linux server. Plus, at $20 per month, you really can't beat it if you want a box to learn on.
That should be plenty to get you to the point of building prototypes for your ideas. You'll also have a solid foundation to learn from should you need to deploy and maintain your software yourself. Feel free to shoot me an email with any questions.
I wholeheartedly agree with the OP. I took Prof Malan's course via the Harvard Extension School my junior year of high school while trying to get into programming. I first tried to get into PHP and C++ the prior summer (I had no clue, and had no idea of how clueless I was). Enter MIT's OCW and CS50. I quickly watched all of the lectures in about a week or so, and decided to take the course for the following fall shortly thereafter.
Prof Malan is one of the best lecturers I have had the pleasure to learn from, knowing how to keep an audience interested in just about anything. Malan and his army of TAs have also done a fantastic job of creating a community around CS50, and have provided a plethora of resources for their students. Their assignments and problem sets were also perfect. They were challenging and interesting without being inaccessible; teaching both programming skills and being relevant to important CS concepts. We also got a special lecture from Brian Kernighan at the end, which was a real treat.
I'm extremely appreciative for the skills and knowledge CS50 has given me, and would highly recommend it to anyone willing to take on the challenge. It's the reason why I have my current interest in and basic understanding of CS.
I'm really excited for what online education can offer if many other classes can be brought up to the high standard Prof Malan and his team has set. With 5 years of community college (8th-12th grade) and a semester at a top liberal arts college, all taken in-person, CS50 remains one of my favorite classes (in terms of interest, challenge, fun, etc).
I should also mention I took CS75 with Malan as well, and while it wasn't quite as enjoyable for a number of reasons, it was also an excellent course.