In a world where we are dominated by smartphones, computers, and the internet, you have to make a choice: Are you going to be the consumer of tech or are you the one who understands it?
Understanding programming concepts or even knowing a bit about the code today will be important to almost any job in the future. Are you prepared for it? And besides, programming is one of the high paying jobs today, so wasting a bit of time doing a few codes a day will be very rewarding in the future.
And besides, learning to code nowadays are not based by the book. There are plenty of ways you can understand coding concepts online and most of it are fun and interactive. You’ll not learn concepts by the book, you’ll learn it by doing it.
Gone are the days where programming languages can only be mastered by programmers because everyone holds the same potential and have the change to learn and even master any programming language.
If you want to be like Mark zuckerberg and create the next Facebook or just an average guy/gal who has a potential for a viral app then start here.
Here are some of the best sites to learn how to code online.
Udemy
Udemy is not free. Costs vary from $10 up to $600, but there are also free courses available. Udemy doesn’t just offer programming courses, but also business, technology, linguistics, etc. Name it, and Udemy has it. Udemy is not an interactive tutorial, but a traditional type. It is like a regular class where you listen to instructors, do some assignments, and pass some tests. The only difference with Udemy is that you do it online.
Unsure if your chosen class is worth it? You can see reviews of former students before signing up to any of the courses, so you can make informed decisions.
Bloc
Do you want to learn Ruby? The Bloc is for you. Bloc is a new educational startup that makes it easy for anyone to learn how to code in Ruby. Bloc lets you build and deploy web applications in their browser without any setup necessary. Instead of the boring short courses or lectures, Bloc uses a highly structured program that runs for 25 hours per week for over a few months. However, this doesn’t come cheap. Starting tuition is $4,250 but for this price, this is a great option for those who wants to learn something new and make money out of it.
TreeHouse
TreeHouse is a paid membership online training service. You can learn plenty of programming languages like HTML, CSS, CSS3, JavaScipt, IOS Development, etc. For as low as $25 per month, you can get to learn projects with access to more than 1,000 videos and practice it with TreeHouse Code Challenge Engine.
RubyMonk
If you are into web development then RubyMonk can teach you how to code in Ruby. RubyMonk features interactive lessons and exercises that help you learn to code immediately from your web browser. The lesson starts off with an introduction to arrays, so you better learn the basics of programming first before you jump in.
RubyMonk is a great way to learn because you’ll get to write a code as you go along. The site lets you solve problems while you are learning, so you’ll build your skills by actually doing things rather than reading or watching someone write a code.
SQLZoo
SQL or Structured Query Language is a programming language designed to store and retrieve data from a database. For me, it is one of the most boring programming language there is. But, SQLZoo wants you to learn SQL in a fun and happy way using its interactive interface and smileys.
SQL is a straightforward programming language, so there is not much to do like replacing variables, numbers, etc, and raise the difficulty of that level. One thing I don’t like is that there will be a shortage of hints, and answers. Which means, you are on your own.
CodeAcademy
CodeAcademy is by far my most favorite website to learn how to code. You will learn the programming concepts, how to write a code, and basic programming logic by doing it. Once you visit the page, you can already start doing programming right away. You have the option to pick a course that CodeAcademy offers from PHP, Python, JavaScript, Ruy, JQuery, and APIs.
Each lesson has a panel that explain the necessary code and some instructions. Another panel gets you dirty by urging you to write a code right away. Don’t worry about making mistakes as this site is equipped to warn you of your mistakes and provide hints.
GreyCampus CodeLabs
CodeLabs is a free online platform for delivering and supported by GreyCampus for learning and practicing programming. It provides a guided tutorial on how a programming language works and allows the user to learn a new programming language quickly.
It also has browser driven live programming labs for each programming language to facilitate learning by practicing. CodeLabs provided free of charge, Scratch is a custom-built coding language designed to illustrate the core concepts of programming.
This platform is not just about learning but also about applying what you learned, which can be done from ‘Try it’ and assignment sections in each division.
CodeAvengers
Want to build a game right away? No problem! CodeAvengers gets your feet wet by helping you build a game right away. The tutorial lets you understand the basics, the fundamentals, and advanced techniques in a fun and exciting way. At the end of your tutorial, you’ll have a playable game that you can share and brag about to your friends.
GameMaven
Another way to learn how to code by developing a game is GameMaven. Like most tutorials, GameMaven shows the code on one side, and the objects on the other. You can also see the results of your work and if there are errors, GameMaven will give you a hint. The tutorials in GameMaven are versatile. You can select only the lessons you want, or start learning from the ground up. At the end of the day, you can copy and paste the code to an HTML file, then load the game into any browser to play.
Scratch 2.0
Scratch was previously an offline software that encourages kids to create, upload, and share their programming projects. Scratch today is an online teaching tool for kids who wants to learn programming or to those who wants to understand the concepts visually. Through a visual programming method, you will learn how to break bigger problems into smaller block and solve each logically.
CodeHS
CodeHS is one of the simplest and funniest game programming lessons that involves JavaScript, data structures, game design, solving challenges, and animation. CodeHS teaches you how to think, and solve a problem like a programmer would.
The lessons are fun. The introductory lesson teaches you how to use the code to move the dog. You’ll have to complete each task to move to another level.
After this introductory course, you must sign up with $25 per month to continue. At that price, you’ll learn the basics and advanced game programming in a fun yet effective way.
LearnStreet
LearnStreet is an interactive exercise website similar to CodeAcademy. LearnStreet offers introductory level courses in Python, Ruby, and JavaScript. Each course has about seven to twelve lessons with about ten exercises per lesson.
Visit LearnStreet.com
Hackety Hack
Hackety Hack will teach you the absolute basics of programming from the ground up. You don’t need any previous programming experience nor an in depth understanding of computers to start learning at Hackety Hack.
Hackety Hack is an interactive Ruby tutorial. It doesn’t require the learner to flip between tutorials and the text editor to learn to code as both the tutorial and the text editor is in the browser itself. Hackety Hack also has an open source desktop application available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
JQuery Air
JQuery Air lets you learn JQuery right in your browser. JQuery is a fun programming language to learn because you can do almost anything with it. From web animations, sliders, or anything interactive – those are created using JQuery. So hop in and enjoy the ride at JQuery Air.
CodingBat
If you need to jump into code straight away without learning it step by step, then CodingBat can help. CodingBat teaches you Java, and Python by solving problems. It might be a bit complicated at first, especially if you don’t have any programming background. However, most believe that learning it the hard way is better than being spoon-fed.
W3Schools.com
W3Schoos looked to basic to learn HTML, CSS, XML, SQL, PHP, JQuery, and other web technologies, but once you stepped into a few dozen lesson, you’ll get hooked as they go on slowly but keeps you up to pace.
Mozilla Developer Network
Mozilla Developer Network offers a rich collection of documents about web development. It is not interactive like CodeAcademy, nor a step-by-step tutorial like those I listed above, but it sure makes it simple and very intuitive. Anyone can start learning how to build websites from scratch from their wide array of resources from HTML to PHP and JavaScript. What’s great about it is MDN is a Wiki, meaning anyone can edit the pages to suit the reader’s needs.
HTML5 Rocks
HTML5 Rocks is your one-stop guide to learning HTML5. It is written by contributors who work for Google, Adobe, and other reputable companies. It is not an interactive tutorial and you’ll learn by reading through the slides, peeking at presentations, and watching video tutorials.
The CodePlayer
The CodePlayer lets you learn how to code by watching other people do it. They have live interactive presentations that explains how people built things from scratch. When you become a coding pro, you can add your own presentation so others can learn from you. What I like about it is that you can learn to code at your own pace. What is even better is the learning and visual experience There are a couple of things I learned at The CodePlayer that I haven’t found elsewhere.
Learn Python The Hard Way
Are online tutorials too easy that they look as if they are spoon feeding every lesson? Learn Python The Hard Way lets you learn how to code by typing out each of the lessons so you can understand the language better. The site also offers free PDFs, but if you want a video version of the course, you need to pay $29.
Code.org
Code.org is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping you learn Computer Science for free. Code.org believes that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer programming.
Code.org has some of the world;s best computer programmers that participated in their campaign. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook are some of the few who have contributed to Code.org.
BentoBox
BentoBox teaches you everything you need to know about web development. It offers a comprehensive walkthrough on how you can code multiple languages and teaches you the fundamentals of the web. It is a great site to start if you don’t know where to start or if you don’t know anything about coding.
General Assembly
General Assembly offers personalized, expert-led training both online and in a classroom setting at its 20 campuses located around the world. All offer the chance to learn alongside thriving communities of students, alumni, thought leaders, and entrepreneurs.
Students have the option to choose a part time go your own pace courses such as our User Experience Design, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Front-End Web Development, Data Science and many more.
Also, students have the option to accelerate their learning by attending one of our a 12 week “boot camp” style training courses where they can choose our Web Development Immersive, iOS Development Immersive, Android Development Immersive, Data Science Immersive and more
Google Code University
Google Code University is a solid resource for aspiring programmers out there. It is also a great way to start if you are into Android development. Lessons start from the beginning up to the more advanced topics like web security and distributed systems.
Coder Dojo
Coder Dojos is a place where people can get together to learn how to code. CodeD Dojo has a worldwide group of volunteers teaching students as young as 7 years old anything about programming. It encourages collaboration between the young people attending in the Dojo and the people who runs the Coding Dojo. It is more like an online portal to find like-minded students and collaborate locally.
SnoopCode
SnoopCode offers free interactive code learning experience with step-by-step high-quality tutorials. They also offer interactive live code editors with instant previews and practice editors to practice and hone your coding skills in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery.
- SnoopCode also has up-to-date references and provides Try It Now Editors for every example.
- SnoopCode has inbuilt live code editors to write code and see output instantly. They are also adding more languages like Ruby,Python, Java,C# in the roadmap.
With this list, hopefully you’ll get started in the right direction towards being a coder. Now is the time to start coding since because this is the time where technological innovation gets the attention it needs. A lot of people have already changed their lives learning how to code. Some who started learning to code in one of these sites have become popular, and some have their lives changed thanks to these sites.
All you need is time, dedication, and will to accept and commit mistakes. Learning is a thought process. Patience and discipline is the key to success regardless to where you are heading.