If you’re someone who thrives on seeing tangible progress and loves a little friendly competition, you’re in for a treat. We’re excited to introduce our skill progress feature, a dynamic way to track your learning milestones and stay motivated.
Now you can earn skill XP (short for “experience points”) by completing content items in courses and paths. With this feature integrated into your Codecademy learning routine, you’ll experience the thrill of leveling up just like in your favorite video games.
We know it can be tough to measure success when you’re learning something new. Skill XP is another tool that you can use to keep an eye on your learning progress, watch your growth unfold, celebrate milestones, and reach for new targets. Not to mention, we’re launching our first World Coding Games, a challenge where you can compete for exclusive prizes.
Enter the World Coding Games, and commit to learning and collecting skill XP from now until 11:59pm ET on August 12. Whoever gathers the most XP will earn the prestigious title of World Coding Games Champion and win awesome prizes including a professional resume review with a Senior Hiring Manager, three years of free Pro access, and more. The top 50 participants will also receive official placement certificates, a 65% discount on Pro, and other exciting rewards.
Here’s what you need to know about skill XP, how to earn XP, and what you’ll be able to do with your winnings.
Learn something new for free
What are skill XP?
If you’re a gamer, you’re probably familiar with the concept of XP in video games. XP are used to measure and reward a player’s advancement and expertise. You typically earn XP by completing various tasks in a game (like defeating enemies or finishing quests). As you accumulate XP, your character might level up and unlock new abilities within the game. Essentially, XP acts as a progress tracker and incentive.
We created skill XP for similar reasons — this feature is another way to measure your progress as you gain new skills. It’s also just plain fun to rack up XP and keep yourself motivated. See your transformation from novice to proficient in a skill with a clear, visual representation. As you watch your progress unfold in a tangible way, you might find yourself more motivated to keep learning and stay dedicated to mastering new skills.
How can you earn skill XP on Codecademy?
You can start earning skill XP just by working through courses and paths. Each content item within a course or path offers different skill XP depending on what it is, the time and effort it takes to complete, and how it measures up to the levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, an educational framework that guides our curriculum development. For example, completing a lesson or project in a course or path earns you 25 XP, while knocking out a portfolio project is worth 50 XP.
To keep everything organized and clear, your skill XP will be categorized by specific “skill” areas, making it easy for you to track your growth and development in all the languages and domains you’re learning. This is also a cool way to identify your knowledge gaps and think about what to learn next. Depending on your individual goals, you might want to round out your technical skill set or double-down on an area of expertise.
What can I do with my skill XP?
Skill XP is available for all learners, and here’s the deal: there’s no maximum skill XP you can acquire for any specific skill. That’s because devs are never really “finished” learning a language. There’s always something new to pick up so you can keep improving throughout your career.
You can find an overview of your skill XP on your dashboard when you log in to Codecademy. You probably have skill XP from the get-go from all of the content items you’ve already completed, giving you a head start.
Besides just marveling at your personal progress, you can join us for the World Coding Games and see how many skill XP you can rake in between now and 11:59pm ET on August 12. The first-place winner will get a professional resume review, 3 years of free Codecademy Pro, and more. The top 50 XP earners will get a World Coding Games placement badge, 65% off a year of Pro, and more. What are you waiting for? Start learning and earning skill XP now!