Introducing-workspaces---A-new-way-to-build-projects-and-experiment-with-code

Introducing workspaces: A new way to build projects and experiment with code

07/23/2021

As a professional developer, you’ll often need to write code with little to no instruction — coming up with your own solutions and processes as you create programs and applications. To do so, you’ll need experience with building your own projects. That’s why we’re excited to announce workspaces.

What are workspaces?

Workspaces allow Pro learners to work in their own integrated development environment (IDE) right inside Codecademy. Unlike the code editor you use in your lessons, workspaces are independent of your coursework and allow you to engage in free, unguided coding.

With workspaces, you can skip the work involved with setting up a local environment (which can take a lot of time and resources) and jump right into coding — tinkering and experimenting with the skills and concepts you’ve learned in your courses. You can even create your own projects from scratch!

Workspaces are also shareable, which is great if you’re looking to build a portfolio. Or maybe you’re just looking for a little help with a project. In that case, you can share the link to your workspace with other developers — or even other learners on our forums — to get some feedback on your code.

Similarly, you can also share your workspaces with recruiters and potential employers to showcase your skills.

What languages are supported?

Currently, workspaces support HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Python. Support for other programming languages will come with future updates, but in the meantime, learn how to use the languages above with the courses below (if you haven’t already):

Why should you be excited about workspaces?

Workspaces are exciting because they provide a space for you to try things out with different programming languages. Plus, they give you room to be creative, which will help cement the concepts and skills you’re learning and develop your problem-solving ability.

While studying creativity’s influence on learning, Lakshini Mendis, Ph.D., found that adding a creative element to your education can help you stay engaged and motivated. Plus, it also develops the parts of your brain related to imagination and focus, which helps you “become comfortable making new, meaningful connections, and thinking of new possibilities.”

In other words, experimenting with code will help you both memorize your languages’ syntax and come up with new ideas.

Plus, while you can always start from scratch in your Workspace, you can also copy over and experiment with code you wrote in your lessons.

Ready to create your first workspace? Click here to get started.

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