I prefer self directed learning personally. If you have the free time for it s course will be great but generally you only learn enough to be dangerous. Here is what I tend to do 1. Read enough to install the language and any IDE there is. THis can take a while or may be impossible ( I failed to get julia installed on REDHAT at work, but it went like a dream on my MacbookPro and works well in Windows on my work box. 2. Then write a hello world program. I start with hello world then start working out how to import modules from other files so I know I can build libraries if I wish 3. Now pick a project: I often repeat something I did in a language I know, for example a prime number sieve is relatively simple and you can benchmark it against other languages. Alternatively something I read might gove me an idea but most of those ideas require a lot of time and effort and get frustrating when leanring a new language 4. If no project comes to mind try somewhere like Project Euler or just google on "Undergraduate computer science projects" 5. As to the two languages you mention: Download AptanaStudio 3 for JAvascripe. I think it also includes PYDEV, but I always install Pydev for Eclipse. The IDE is a little temperamental and sometimes it is easier to run javascript externally. Use Firefox and install developer tools 6. If you are doing this privately be ready for lots of WTF moment and a lot of googling and going the wrong direction.

We did some time logging on one sprint but developers estimated how much time was spent on tasks like email, meetings, support, etc. We found that development took up about 35% of the week. Since then the number of meetings has shrunk dramatically and everyone manages email better. I estimate that some 70% of the time is now spent in development and the team ( about the same size as yours) have become far more productive. I try to note at the end of the day what I have done, since it will be needed for my performance review, but I try to ensure it takes no more than a minute or two. And then summarise ( again in 5 minutes) at the end of the month.

Some companies actually forbid you to write articles.

Yep. I now use my articles as online notes and hopefully get a few coppers from people clicking ads (except on researchgate where I am hoping to build a bit of a reputation )

I wrote a maths textbook years ago which was published in the traditional manner (All the internet facilities did not exist then) but I never had time to promote it. I took it back from the publisher and published in on Lulu. I know that self publishing means spending time on promotion, and I concentrate on writing articles now

Well, if they do nothing in the way of promotion better write and publish it your self.

Apple used to give ones like An error of type 10 occurred because an error of type 10 occurred.

Basic, Fortran then Jupiter ACE and Forth (1K ram)

It is amazing what you can do in an hour if you know what you are trying to do. I have to be careful the hour does not expand and take over the rest of the day. Actually I seldom have more than an hour available at any one time.

I slice any projects I have into small bits (Agile basics) and do bits as time allows. I try to keep it down to less than an hour at a time, which gives me time to incubate