I first learned to program in high school from books and courses during the summer at Bently college. My high school also offered some coding courses in languages like C++, Visual Basic, and Java.
In college, I started to learn PHP, Ruby on Rails, and Swift (ios dev) from online courses. As you’ll find out, most of learning how to code is actually getting down key programming concepts and how your designated device works. That’s the hard part. The rest is just language-specific semantics.
The other really difficult part about learning to code is dealing with errors and solving problems. I hate to say this, but you’re not going to have all the answers, no matter what course or website you learn from.
You’re going to have to google errors messages and find out how to do new things. Slowly, you’ll become more and more confident as you solve difficult problems. That’s how it works!
That being said, there are some great resources online that you can learn from, which I’ll be linking to below! Hope they help. You can thank me for this article by leaving a comment and letting me know WHY you want to code and what you want to build.
1. Code Academy
Code academy offers courses in Java, PHP, Ruby, Python, and more! As of 2014, the website has had an astounding 25 million people take their courses. It’s really easy to get started. The website offers free and premium courses.
2. Khan Academy
Khan Academy offers online courses in a variety of fields ranging from Art to Computer Science. I think it’s a good place to get started for beginners, but more advanced programmers will definitely out grow it. You’ll then need to find a website that’s more specific to the language or field of programming that you want to master.
3. Code Avengers
I’m a huge proponent of gamified learning. Just think about it… you don’t notice the time pass by while you’re playing a video game. How awesome would it be if you could learn new things at the same time?
That’s what Code Avengers do. They make it fun to learn coding and not a bore! You’ll also learn by working on projects with real world applications.
4. Lynda
Lynda is similar to Khan Academy in that you can learn a lot of different types of skills on the site from great instructors.
Unfortunately, it does cost a monthly fee to access these courses, but it’s pretty affordable (about $25/month) and you can always cancel your membership if you’re not getting value out of the site.
5. Code School
Code School is the company behind the awesome “rails for zombies” course, where I first tried Ruby on Rails. I think they have a very good program and stand out as a leader in the online learning space.
You can learn from screencasts, step-by-step walkthroughs, podcasts, and more. It costs about $30/a month to have access to these courses.
6. Udacity
Udacity is another online learning site where you can learn to program! They have free courses and a “nanodegree” program. There have been over 1 million users who have joined the site. It grew out of free computer science classes that were being offered through Standford.
7. Coursera
Coursera is similar to Lynda in that the offer many different types of courses, along with coding. Most of the courses are offered for free! It’s super easy to sign up and check out some of the different learning tracks. If it’s not for you, you can always try out another site in my list!
8. Udemy
Udemy is primarily a paid course marketplace, though they do also have some free courses. I think that you could learn a lot of the basics of programming from some of their free courses. Then, if you’d want to dive deeper, you’d probably have to purchase a premium lesson.
9. Treehouse
I’ve never used TreeHouse, but I’ve heard good things. Like Udemy, TreeHouse has a library of courses and programs that can help you improve your skills and learn new ones. It costs about $25/month to join.
10. Edx
Finally, Edx is another website where you can learn the basics of coding. You’ll also be learning from some of the world’s top colleges and universities. The website boasts over 4 million users!
I hope this list has been helpful. Leave me a comment and let me know why you’re learning how to code and what you want to make!