(Online Course Review) PHP/MySQL for Beginners, Updated Version

Overview

Review Published: November, 2020.

From the technology education network Framework TV comes a course for those looking to use PHP/MySQL for their own projects.

From PHP essentials, to working with SQL databases and server-side technologies, this video course serves as an introduction to back-end web technologies for those already familiar with front-end web coding (i.e. HTML, CSS, and some Javascript).

Rating:

2 / 5

(Okay Content, Presentation Needs Significant Work)

What does this score mean?

Difficulty:

Advanced (Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and some Javascript required; course short-comings make things more difficult).

Length:

5.5 hours.

Where to Buy It:

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What's Good

Comprehensive content; while the content is in desperate need of updating (with some additional editing/QA for good measure), the scope of the course covers everything you’d need to get a basic grip on using PHP/MySQL right away.
References some additional resources; the instructor occasionally points us to useful learning resources that can deepen your understanding of back-end technologies (i.e. “Database Design for Mere Mortals” to learn best-practices in building robust databases).

What Can Be Improved

Outdated by several versions & several gaps in consistency; while the basics of PHP are still the same (i.e. functions, arrays, generating emails, etc.), many of the techniques for working with an SQL database where updated several major versions ago, and the instructor regularly uses techniques in the student exercises that haven’t been taught yet (i.e. using functions to get assignment code to work before he’s taught them).
No support; apart from some helpful comments left by past students (and promotional posts selling additional courses), the support for this course is non-existent.
Lots of grinding & additional work; I had to do a lot of additional research and trouble-shooting to make up for the content problems in this course, and this presents a significant barrier for students that don’t have the time to manage this.

The Bottom Line

Provided a general understanding of back-end technologies; while this course can still provide the basics of PHP/MySQL for the curious, the sections that deal with implementation are just too far behind to be relevant anymore (and honestly, this should disqualify this course from being sold until major updates are provided).
For budding developers or ambitious UX designers looking to stretch their skills; this is an introductory course, but it’s just enough to help UX designers understand the range and complexity of back-end technologies like PHP/MySQL, so that they can make more informed design decisions.
Better (and often free) options are out there; while I would love to recommend this course (because some of the content still stands up), it’s significant short-comings and the availability of superior options (check out Dani Kossing’s free “PHP Tutorials” which helped me to plug the gaps in this course), make this something that just can’t justify the cost (regularly $54.99, I got it on sale for $12 and still felt cheated).