Today, we are delighted to announce a significant milestone in The Odin Project's journey – we are becoming an independent and self sufficient entity.
Since 2018, The Odin Project has been financially supported by Chegg, and we are immensely grateful for the resources they have provided us.
Going forward, The Odin Project will be completely funded by community donations through Open Collective. A platform designed for transparently collecting and managing funds for open-source projects just like ours. Open Collective will allow The Odin Project to secure vital financial resources directly from the community of developers and learners that benefit from the platform.
For over a decade, The Odin Project has been providing free and open-source web development courses to thousands of aspiring developers worldwide. Through our comprehensive curriculum, project-based learning, and inclusive community, The Odin Project has empowered countless learners to kickstart their careers in the tech industry.
We firmly believe that access to quality education should never be a barrier, and The Odin Project embodies this by offering a wealth of tools to anyone with the passion and dedication to learn. But to continue on this mission, we need your help!
By donating, you're not just giving financial support to The Odin Project; you're supporting people in their pursuit of knowledge and a fulfilling career. Your contributions will enable us to:
✅ Expand and enhance the curriculum to cover the latest technologies and industry best practices.
✅ Pay for the platform's hosting, improve user experience and accessibility, making it even more learner-friendly.
✅ Foster a vibrant and supportive community where learners can grow and collaborate with like-minded individuals.
🎁 Every Dollar Counts 🎁
No matter the amount, every dollar you contribute makes a real difference. Even the price of a cup of coffee can help us bring more valuable content to learners worldwide! Your generosity will ensure that The Odin Project remains free and accessible to all, providing a stepping stone for passionate individuals to launch rewarding careers in web development.
If you can't donate at this time, you can still help spread the word! Share this post with your friends, family, and colleagues, and let them know about The Odin Project's mission and the impact they can make.
This journey wouldn't be possible without our amazing community. Let's celebrate this monumental step! Thank you for your continued support and passion for what we’re doing!
Top comments (28)
TOP is wonderful. It would be great if you could talk a bit about how much money would be the goal, how is needed, what would be done if more money is coming in. How will the money be used?
Thanks for the kind words @rolandstuder. Our initial and most important goal is to cover hosting costs - Roughly $2,700 per year with our current usage. But that could be different next month. Things have been changing rapidly with the growth we've had lately.
We'd like to do more if we can. Our ultimate stretch goal would be following in Free Code Camps foot steps and being able to hire staff to look after TOP on a full or part time basis. TOP has grown so big, theres a lot of moving pieces and it's getting increasingly hard to juggle them all using our evenings and weekends.
Thx Kevin, thank you for those answers. It's good to know the server costs, I'll try monitor the amount coming in, really no one should be stuck with having to pay server costs, when they provide so much value to people out there.
That sounds interesting, I think this also comes with its risks, once you get money rolling and pay for some positions the incentive structure changes a lot. But we are a long time off of this. In terms of financing there are probably a lot of foundations for educations that might give out grants for things like TOP.
Good luck! And thanks again!
(also I am gonna adjust my contribution now :-) )
Hi Roland,
Long time no see! I’d like to know these things as well.
I only wish I found TOP sooner in my career! Much appreciate the work of the mods and the whole community.
I love Top, it's really helpful for me, both the platform and its community. The fact that it prepares you for real work is truly appreciated. I'll be glad to collaborate and contribute in any way I can
I really like Top. I have been learning to become a JavaScript Web Developer using Top. When I get a developer job in the future, I will surely make contribution and donate to the cause. Thank you for all the amazing lessons. :)
I really like the way how TOP has structured it's curriculum. It helped me get out of the tutorial hell which I had faced in other Web Development courses. I'll make sure to make a donation when I get a developer job.
I've never in my life felt a part of an online community other than in the TOP community. I would like to thank those behind the scenes; I really can't thank you enough. I promise that whenever I get the chance, I will definitely give my support to this community.
Im almost done with TOPs full stack js path, imma make sure to donate as soon as i get hired. Thanks for everything TOP.
I’m glad that we’re finally able make monetary contributions to support the maintenance and growth of The Odin Project.
Thanks for all your work.
This is great! I'm definitely down to support! Are there any tax considerations in play for supporting The Odin Project?
Loved my experience with The Odin Project. Anyone who has asked me how to getting started with web development, I point them to TOP. The steps are laid out for you to succeed, and the course material is both beginner friendly, while giving the depth needed to cement knowledge of programming fundamentals and language specific pillars. The updated React section is a great example of TOP's eagerness to provide the best open source teaching of web development.
If you're contemplating whether TOP is worth it, trust me it is. I knew nothing about programming, coming from an industry where email was the most tech I used day-to-day, and TOP was my main resource for learning.
TOP is the best guide out there on web development. I was stuck in a networks company doing C, C++ programming that I did not enjoy. Spent lot of time and money to try and learn web dev enough to switch fields, but most of them were just tutorial hells and did not give me enough experience and confidence to seriously get a job in web development.
I did only the front end part of Javascript with React, didn't even do any of the backend and landed a great UI developer job. Now, I'm back at it to finish the new, updated curriculum. I would definitely like to contribute to TOP in any way possible. As some have pointed out here, it would be great if we could have continuous goals and update them and also find part time volunteers to work part time and support those who are shouldering most of the effort.
TOP is a wonderful, wonderful resource. and I'm glad the guys who started it all exist. i love you!
I'm yet to land a job, still learning. So, i'll contribute what little i can right now, but i'll surely help out the community more once i start earning. Keep doing the good work guys, i wish i can work with you all someday :)
Going through the "Foundations" path now, really like it.. so much useful, interesting material, so many subtleties.. cool!
TOP is the best! Regards!
I appreciate all of the work the The Odin Project's team does. Thank you so much for continuing to offer this free education to the public. As a student, I will donate a recurring $5 a month; which is the least I could do.
The Odin Project was one of the first resources that helped me become a developer over 6 years ago! Happy to donate and appreciate your mission.
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