Learning to code starts with choosing the right programming language for what you want to build.
Online resources like Codeacademy and Khan Academy offer free courses for beginner coders.
Some coding sites like Treehouse and Code Avengers require a paid subscription for access to all courses.
Whether you want to build your own website or you’re hoping to boost your attractiveness to potential employers, learning to code can certainly be handy. But where to start? There’s clearly no shortage of options for getting your feet wet in the world of programming languages, but finding a good entry point can prove to be daunting. After all, how do you even decide which language makes the most sense for you?
This article will attempt to walk you through the first decisions you’ll need to make when you’re contemplating learning to code, and then it will recommend some of the best online resources to turn to when you’re ready to develop your skills.
Decide Which Programming Language You Want to Learn
Type “which coding language to learn” into Google, and you’ll be met with over 200 million results. Clearly, this is a popular question, and you’ll find plenty of authorities with different opinions on the subject.
It could be illuminating and worthwhile for you to spend some time reading what various sites have to say on this topic, but if you want to streamline things a bit, first ask yourself this question:
What do I want to build?
Carl Cheo.
Just like words in the English language are the means to the end of communicating thoughts and ideas, programming languages are useful because they help you accomplish certain things. So when you’re deciding what coding language to learn, it’s incredibly important to think about what you want to build.
Want to build a website? Knowing HTML, CSS and Javascript will be important for you. More interested in building a smartphone app? You’ll need to decide which platform you want to start with (Android or iOS), and then pick one of the corresponding languages such as Java and Objective-C.
Clearly, the above examples are not exhaustive; they just provide a taste of the questions you’ll want to ask yourself when you’re considering which language you should start with. The flow chart above could prove to be another helpful resource when you’re trying to narrow your coding pursuit down to a language. And never underestimate the usefulness of Google; it will take some patience, but if you know what you want to build, researching what coding language it takes to build it can be well worth the time and patience.
Carl Cheo, who’s behind that nifty flowchart seen above, also provides a handy breakdown of learning resources to consider based on the language you’re looking to learn.
Once you’ve created a Codeacademy account and begin taking a course, the service keeps track of your progress, so it’s easy to stop and start without needing to spend hours tracking down where you left off.
Another plus is that this service is targeted toward total beginners; it recommends complete newbies start with HTML and CSS, though it offers more advanced language courses as well.
You can browse by course type (web development, tools, APIs, data analytics, and more), and thanks to the site’s huge popularity — it boasts more than 20 million users — its forums are a great resource for asking and answering your own questions on anything from problems within a specific course to how to build what your heart desires.
Another pro: Codeacademy is free.
What We Don’t Like
Some courses (or particular questions or problems within a course) aren’t written perfectly clearly, which can lead to confusion on behalf of the user.
The robust Codeacademy forums can usually come to the rescue in these instances, though it can be discouraging to run upon a snag when most of the content is presented so seamlessly.
Best for: Free, dare I say fun coding lessons for some of the more basic languages. If you want to build a website, you can even take a course focused on the fundamentals of HTML and CSS, which you’ll put to use as you practice building a site.
Languages offered: HTML & CSS, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, SQL, Sass
Courses through Code Avengers are fun and engaging — in this respect, it’s comparable and even competitive with Codeacademy.
What We Don’t Like
The biggest one is that there’s a cost; while you can get a free trial, subscriptions — which give you full access to each course, rather than a limit of up to just five lessons in a course — cost $29 per month or $120 for six months.
Another disadvantage, at least compared to Codeacademy, is that there aren’t any forums specific to individual courses, so it’s harder to track down solutions if you’re struggling with a certain problem within your course.
Compared to some other sites, you also have relatively few language options to study.
Best for: Those who want fun and games along the way to learning how to build real things through coding languages, since you’ll complete mini-games after each lesson. Like Codeacademy, it’s targeted toward beginners, and perhaps even more than Codeacademy, it’s about learning basic concepts rather than all the nuts and bolts of a programming language. It’s also an ideal choice for those who speak languages other than English, since courses are also offered in Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese and Russian, among other languages.
Everything is free, making Khan Academy one of the great resources for learning to code online without having to hand over credit card information.
Lessons are reasonably sized (not hours-long) and engaging.
The way new skills are presented and taught is also well-organized; you can jump to animation basics within the JavaScript materials, for instance.
What We Don’t Like
Relatively few languages offered, and you won’t enjoy the same thriving forum community as available with Codeacademy.
That may or may not make a difference depending on your learning style and preferences — it’s just something to keep in mind.
Best for: Newbies who know what they want to build and want an engaging, straightforward way to learn skills. Additionally, Khan Academy will make the most sense for those who want to focus on graphics and gaming-type applications. There’s also a focus on programming, drawings, and animations.
A great selection of courses, and a very helpful beginners guide that can inform your decision of which language to begin with.
In line with its reputation for providing professional-quality courses, Code School offers professionally curated content lists, along with podcasts and video shows.
You can dip your toes into the world of coding for iOS devices — something that isn’t possible to do with most of the other resources mentioned in this list.
What We Don’t Like
You might feel a bit lost if you come to Code School with zero prior programming knowledge. Plus, to get unlimited access to all the site’s 71 courses and 254 screencasts, you’ll need to pay ($29 a month or $19 a month with a yearly plan) — and if you want to use this site to its full potential, you’ll need to shell out.
Best for: Those who want to learn languages beyond the standard JavaScript and HTML/CSS, especially mobile languages for iOS apps such as Objective-C. It’s not as beginner-oriented as the other resources on this list, so you might want to start with another site first and then make your way here after you have a few skills under your belt. Code School has more of a professional bent than many of the other resources mentioned in this article — if you’re looking to become a programmer by trade, this could be a good place to spend some serious time (though be prepared to spend some money as well if you want access to all the material).
Languages offered: HTML & CSS, JavaScript, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Python, Objective-C, Swift
Courses are available from world-renowned institutions such as Johns Hopkins University, Stanford and the University of Michigan, so you know you’re in good hands. Plus, most courses are free, though you can pay for some, including options that present you a certificate of completion at the end.
What We Don’t Like
You won’t find all the coding lessons in one easy-to-digest place, meaning it could help to come to this site knowing exactly what you’re looking for. The courses generally aren’t as engaging or interactive as those available through Codeacademy, Code Avengers or Khan Academy, either.
Best for: Self-motivated learners who have the dedication and the patience to do a bit of digging to find the course that makes the most sense for them, since unlike sites like Codeacademy, Coursera hosts educational material for a huge variety of subjects beyond programming.
Languages offered: HTML & CSS, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, Objective-C, Swift
You’ll find additional languages based on your search terms, since Coursera is a repository for educational material on a wide variety of subjects
Includes mobile programming languages for iOS, so if you want to build an iPhone app, this site could help you learn how to do it.
You get access to community forums, which can further your learning and passion for coding in addition to helping you when you’re stuck.
What We Don’t Like
Once you’ve used up the free trial, Treehouse requires you to select one of two paid plans. The cheaper one costs $25 per month and gives you access to more than 1,000 video courses and interactive tools, while for $49 a month the “Pro Plan” gets you access to a members-only forum, bonus content, the ability to download videos for offline learning and more. Some of those features could definitely be useful, but you’ll need to be pretty serious about learning to code for it to be worth paying that much on a monthly basis.
Best for: Those who are planning to stick with programming and utilize the skills they learn professionally or for some side projects, since most material requires a paid subscription. That’s not to say you need to come to Treehouse with a ton of prior knowledge; having an idea of what you want to build is often enough since many of the courses are built around objectives, such as building a website.
Languages offered: HTML & CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Ruby, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Swift, Objective-C, C#
Programming for Kids
All the above sites are geared toward beginners, but what about newbies of a tender age? You’ll want to check out one of these sites geared toward children.
Options include Blockly, Scratch, and SwiftPlayground, and they introduce young ones to programming concepts in engaging, easy-to-follow ways with an emphasis on visuals.
In the world, human beings are facing various problems. People who are full of greed, anger, and ignorance are seen to be fighting with each other in words and deeds. As the fighting continues, various problems such as civil wars, wars of aggression, and wars of aggression are occurring. As world peace is being destroyed, humans are facing unbearable problems. Innocent children and women are not getting the rights they deserve and deserve. I can't think of one thing every time. What is it? The United Nations. If we look at the responsibilities and duties of the United Nations, I think it is not suitable for solving the problems that are happening in the world today. In fact, the United Nations and the World Security Council, such an organization must rule the world, must be able to give orders, and must have various ways to obey orders. There must be no organization that can influence more than that organization. There should be experts from each country. They can even dominate the superpowers like the US, China, and Britain. Only then will global peace be achieved quickly. Now, if a country with power develops more militarily, economically, or socially than its own country, then powerful countries will jealously seek out enemies and wage war. Or they will attack with fighter jets. In this, innocent people are losing their lives. No one understands the value of a life. You should think about how to achieve global peace by controlling these. If the US continues to be the permanent president of the UN, world peace will never be achieved. If you think carefully, no one sees that they are working for the common good, but for their own benefit, for the benefit of their own country. The permanent president of the UN and the Security Council has rejected this, As a young Rohingya, I have come to realize that only by electing the president and secretary from among the countries in the world through a secret ballot system and governing the world fairly can we achieve global peace. The United Nations and the Security Council are organizations in which any country must govern, give orders, and make them obey their orders. For example, only when a defendant is tried in court can we hold the leaders of the countries in check and control them, can we achieve global peace smoothly. Otherwise, it will not be easy for powerful countries to use various excuses to end this war every year, every year, for the benefit of themselves and their countries. No country's leaders pay any attention to the words of the United Nations and the Security Council. If we look at it in practice, look at the Rohingya issue. Myanmar is a small country. Even that country has been under siege for 8 years. What action can be taken? Why is the UN and the Security Council Powerless? Without such Power, how can the organization bring about global peace? Everyone should think about it. Whether there is a veto or a strong one, all countries in the world can only achieve global peace if they are subject to the UN and the Security Council. Seek peace in the quiet embrace of nature. Peace is an indispensable need of the human race. It is not as if one person can kill another person, and it is as if one country can attack another country, but instead of trying to build peace, we must try to destroy the peace now, and the world is getting hotter and is on the verge of collapse. I especially appeal to all the world experts to urgently try to bring about peace in all parts of the world. Mr, Noor Muhamed Arkhan Rohingya Youth Myanmar
Film and Writing Festival for Comedy. Showcasing best of comedy short films at the FEEDBACK Film Festival. Plus, showcasing best of comedy novels, short stories, poems, screenplays (TV, short, feature) at the festival performed by professional actors.
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