If you could only subscribe to one resource for learning  Rails the only thing I could recommend for EVERY LEVEL  would have to be Treehouse.  Whether you are brand new to Rails or seasoned pro you will find something beneficial.

Treehouse was actually the starting point for me as well when they were still Think Vitamin (even before I discovered Jumpstart). It has continued to be my favorite learning resource.

Not Just Rails – It won’t take long after you dive into a Rails app to realize that you really need to know a little bit about javascript, css, etc. as well.  For the same monthly fee instead of just getting Rails courses you have access to all the courses offered including HTML, Programming basics, Design, iOS development, even WordPress and Version Control.  Check the archives because there’s so much more than you will see initially.  Don’t worry about choosing design or development when you start, you can access anything you want in the library.  This is a lot of material for $25/mo!

Real World Projects - The gold membership ($49/mo) includes Projects and I this is especially important if you have started to learn Rails and understand the basics but you don’t know how to implement your own project.  You’ll get to see all the elements of the design and development process with Jim Hoskins & Nick Pettit.  Those of you who watched them on Doctype will recognize the duo.

Conference Videos - This is the element that sets it apart for seasoned pros.  Most of the basics will be boring for professionals but the conference material from Future of Web Apps and Future of Web Design  is worth the subscription alone.

Portable – This is the feature I harp on in every review but it’s fantastic that Treehouse provides an iTunes feed to all the archived videos so you can take it with you and learn.  I’ve listened to many many videos in the car to the point that I felt like I had Jim Hoskins’ voice ringing in my ears even after I reached my destination.

Challenges & Badges – I like the challenges that are offered for HTML but at this time there are no challenges for Rails, just videos.  The Rails badge has not been released yet but the videos and source code are outstanding.  Essentially you will be walking through a Rails project and finish with understanding of what it takes to get your app functioning to your specifications.  If you like hands-on coding alot try codeschool‘s Rails for Zombies or  codeacademy for javascript learning.

What DON’T I like? Not much.  I do miss the navigation they had in Think Vitamin.  Treehouse is a bit too “guided” for me.  If you know what you are looking for and can search the archives you will find it but for beginners it really is a much more directed setup.  This is good if you don’t have any idea what to learn next but if you are a mid-level or seasoned pro you’ll want to use the search feature.

Guarantee – Probably the best part about Treehouse is the guarantee.  They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee but I can honestly say I doubt you’ll need that.  If you want to learn Rails, gain new skills as a developer or see what’s involved in design, I can’t think of a better use of $25.00 in a month.  Skip the pizza, that video game, or the movies and take a look at Treehouse.

When I first started learning Rails Peepcode was suggested as a starting point.  If you enjoy screencasts this will be right up your alley.  I was hesitant as a beginner because based on the titles alone I assumed they were topics that were above my level.  I waited until I had a tutorial or two under my belt and started watching away.  I shouldn’t have waited because the topics covered included early beginner material  as basic as learning command line and the basics of Rails 3.  On top of that they offer screencasts related to email management, productivity, and even the Rails 3 Upgrade Handbook  I’d had my eye on anyway.  I had no idea they offered PDF Ebooks of any sort.

What really sealed the deal was the communication I had with the folks at Peepcode early on.  Not only are they incredibly kind, they really cared about my learning.  When I needed help, without hesitation, they stepped up.

What’s Awesome About Peepcode?

• Portable, portable, portable! – this is a bigger issue for me than most people but you can take screencasts anywhere on just about anything.
• DRM Free – I like that they trust their audience & allow me to watch the screencasts I want on multiple platforms
• More than Rails – They offer lessons on Git, Advanced Git, Productivity, even UX design
• Reasonable – While they do charge $199 for a 1 year unlimited subscription, if you break that down it’s only a little over $16/month.  You’d spend more than that on pizza each month so it’s totally worth the quality learning you’ll get in exchange.
• Real Authors – Many of the screencasts are presented by the originators of the topic you are watching.
• Lots of Content – Peepcode has been at this a long time so there is lots to choose from.

What’s the downside and how I use Peepcode?

• Video length – This has less to do with Peepcode and more to do with my life commitments but all the screencasts I watched are about an hour long.  It’s hard for me to find a 60 minute segment to sit and watch the whole screencast uninterrupted. Instead I download them to my iPod and listen to the screencasts while I’m in the car.

  You may think it’s pointless to listen to screencasts but think about it: How did you learn English? How did my kids learn the days of the week? Hearing it makes it familiar. I listen to them first then step-through the screencast in 20 min increments when I’m back home and can follow along more closely. It sounds crazy but this is a big help.

Who is Peepcode for? Beginners and Intermediate – Don’t judge the screencast by the title. Some of them are more basic than they appear and were a great help to me.

Was it worth it? When I added the estimated cost of each resource I used it exceeded $199 by a long shot. The Rails Upgrade book alone was a huge help to me. They do offer the option to buy 5 or 10 screencasts or per screencast if you prefer.

When someone new to programming asks me what I recommend for learning Ruby on Rails, one of my  go to  answers is Jumpstart Lab.    I’ve referenced it several times in previous posts because it is ideal for Rails beginners or those new to programming.

When I first heard about Jumpstart Lab I had actually been trying to learn RoR for quite some time but found myself frustrated because most tutorials “told” me what to do but never transitioned to real understanding. (Read more on How NOT to Learn Rails).  After working through the  JSBlogger tutorial in 2011, I finally said, “Wow – this makes everything clear.” At the time three Rails tutorials were offered  (JSBlogger, JSMerchant, and JSContact) as free resources on the site.  Currently they are updating things a bit and recently re-released JSBlogger, but keep an eye on what they are up to because Jumpstart tutorials were a critical piece in my Rails journey.  It’s wording like this that explains each line of code and helps learners understand what’s happening not just what to type:

From Jumpstart Lab JSBlogger: This line tells Rails that we have a resource named articles and the router should expect requests to follow the RESTful model of web interaction (REpresentational State Transfer). The details don’t matter right now, but when you make a request like http://localhost:3000/articles/ the router will understand you’re looking for a listing of the articles or http://localhost:3000/articles/newmeans you’re trying to create a new article.

Why Jumpstart Lab?

• No assumptions & no geek speak – Doesn’t expect you to be a developer to get it
• Steps you through the “why” of app structure, models, views, & controllers – no scaffolds in the beginning
• Anticipates questions – I would read a question and say to myself, “I was just wondering that”
• Free resource – I highly recommend their course instruction however JSL is committed to open source learning and offers tutorials for anyone to learn RoR for free.
• Builds on previous skills JSMerchant referenced what I learned in JSBlogger, etc
• Learn debugging early – includes a few errors generated on purpose and shows you how to figure out resolving them on your own
• Learn to use the features of rails & git – first time I really understood the value of things like rake routes, how to use them and how to use Git version control

Was it worth it? Free Resource, so yes & time investment, definitely yes.

Who is it good for? Fantastic for beginners and I’d say intermediate as well.   I’d bet there are a lot of developers who don’t understand why code they write is actually working.  This will help you figure it out.

Side Note: Want more?  Hungry Academy is open source or follow Hungry Academy 3AM Style

I decided to check out Ryan Bates’ Railscasts after he suggested the Getting Started with Rails post.  Railscasts was actually recommended to me when I first started learning RoR a long time ago and at the time I realized within seconds that it was over my head as a beginner.  I’m glad Ryan posted the comment because I revisited Railscasts and it is perfect for the intermediate skill level I’m at currently.  From the about page of his site:

The screencasts are short and focus on one technique so you can quickly move on to applying it to your own project. The topics target the intermediate Rails developer, but beginners and experts will get something out of it as well.

Here’s the cool thing about it.  The Railscasts videos did exactly that!  I was having a small issue with an upgrade I’m working on – boom! there’s a screencast for that.  I happen to like Spreecommerce and churned through the documentation myself in the fall of 2011.  Low and behold there’s a screencast for that too that would have saved me hours.  I typed “pagination”, “omniauth”, and “Sass”  - the return from Railscasts? Yes, yes, and yes … and all free.  As other suggested episodes populated I lost track of time because I kept adding to the “Oh, I want to watch that one!” list.

Running short on time-what does Railscasts say? “No problem – take it with you!”  I can download from the website or via iTunes and I am now super excited.  I loaded up with tons of videos and essentially eliminated that feeling of zero productivity at the doctor’s office.

For learning Rails the Getting Started screencast provides a good overview of resources meant for beginners.  He moves pretty quickly through everything but a text version is provided so you can really step through at your own pace. It’s not meant to be a full blown Rails app tutorial but rather a guide & I liked the suggestion at the end of working through your own app and utilizing Railscasts or other resources when you get stuck.  I learned PHP this way and he’s right there is nothing more motivating than working through your own app.

There is a subscription service available for about $9/month to get Railscasts Pro that I haven’t even started on because there is so much free content.  I’ll revisit and review Railscasts Pro pretty soon.  The first two on my pro list to watch: HABTM Checkboxes and Thinking-Sphinx.

Sidenote: In researching Railscasts I realized Ryan is the author of  Nifty Generators  This is a tool that really helped me when I first learned how to build Rails applications through Jumpstart Lab and I have even more appreciation for the time Ryan has contributed to the community for free.  

Was it worth the money? For Railscasts Free - It was FREE! and I would have paid for the portability of the free episodes. There is enough content to keep you busy and learning for a long time with the free segment alone.
Who is Railscasts good for?  not for beginners (exception: the Getting Started episode), great for intermediate or if you are stuck with a particular gem or technique.