So, you’ve chosen the programming language to learn and decided to start browsing all over the Internet looking for a course that will satisfy your requirements. That’s where you may encounter a problem because there are tons of great resources on the web to help newbies learn coding from nothing. The question is: which one to choose?
I’ve put together the top 16 websites I find the best for novices. To begin, I recommend taking a quick look at the chart with pricing and other useful information about each platform.
1. CodeGym
The CodeGym motto sounds like, “Everyone can become a programmer! It’s all down to the right approach to learning,” and they seem to find this the right approach. CodeGym is an online platform dedicated to learning the Java coding language. Its programming course consists of 80% practice, offering more than 1,200 tasks you should accomplish to upgrade your skills.
You can also join the forum to infuse yourself into a large and friendly community. The students share their achievements in learning Java, respond to each other’s queries, and talk over complex problems they experience during the learning process.
Among other things, the company uses technologies of gamification to make the educational process exciting. You train with a character that needs to be upgraded to open the next level and keep on course. Learning Java through the game-based approach is quite an entertaining process, so you don’t stand a chance of wanting to give it up.
2. Udacity
Udacity is an appropriate solution for everyone who desires to teach themselves to code yet doesn’t know how to learn programming and has a tight budget. Fortunately, lots of free separate classes — comprising video lectures, exercises, quizzes, and other tasks for aspiring users — will let you start with the fundamentals of computer programming. If any issues occur with task accomplishment, feel free to seek help from fellow developers within the forum.
Next to free classes, Udacity offers Nanodegree training focused on teaching you specific skills so you can land a job in industries like machine learning, data science, Android and iOS development, etc.
Elaborated with many industry leaders, Nanodegree training ensures support from professional coaches to make sure you acquire the necessary skills.
3. Treehouse
Like many other learning websites, Treehouse is dedicated to teaching you skills you may need to implement various designs, ranging from apps to WP blogs. Training materials presented in over a thousand videos are shortened and practice-oriented, so the learning process will not take you forever. To put some sharper points on the material, students get to complete quizzes and other code challenges.
For every single completed course, future coders receive a badge that demonstrates their level and is visible to everyone on the platform. This is a chance to be seen by companies looking for specialists to join their projects.
4. freeCodeCamp
I found freeCodeCamp distinctive. Next to a big community accompanied by a whole lot of guides, the resource boasts an unsurpassed blog that likely has no analogs among similar platforms. However, I would not recommend it to beginners who are not well versed in programming theory — you may have a hard time handling practical and project-based tasks here.
5. Codecademy
There may be no one who’s never heard of Codecademy at least once. It is a sought-after education resource with multiple courses and tasks created to take you to a higher level. When choosing this project, you get access to over 300 hours of useful code-related content available to people with different levels of training. Besides, a well-structured program will let you create an education schedule based on your workload and follow it.
6. Khan Academy
Khan Academy positions itself as a noncommercial platform aimed at making education available for everyone. It probably won’t give you many practical skills, but you will leave with an understanding of computer science fundamentals. After finding out how organizing data in a computer works, mastering object-oriented programming concepts, and starting to think like a coder, you can go for CodeGym or freeCodeCamp for more practice.
7. Code4Startup
If you’ve already mastered programming and strive to write your first line of code, consider Code4Startup. This project ensures a win-win partnership for both novice coders and startups. You write code for existing businesses, while the owners can save on headhunting. Besides, mastering your skills this way allows for establishing a promising portfolio and running a job search.
Accompanying the practical classes are many free theoretical classes, such as Wistia API, Heroku, Learn Ruby on Rails, etc.
8. One Month
Are you looking to challenge yourself and acquire the fundamentals of JS, Python, and Ruby quickly? Then One Month is good to go. It is an intensive program specialized at a fast learning speed — the course lasts 30 days and lets you move on to build a brilliant career.
Most classes charge you a fee, but there are still a few free ones, including blog posts and podcasts that let you keep up with the latest coding-related news without spending a penny.
9. The Odin Project
The Odin Project, a beginner-oriented course, never leaves you alone after you finish a program. Its project-based curriculum lets you start building projects for your portfolio during your training and get a better understanding of what you can use your acquired skills for. Besides, the platform has built a strong community around itself so that students can rely on other specialists who can help them through the process.
10. Codewars
Let’s face it, programming is sometimes dull and not always that simple. So many of you might have lost motivation and even gave up training at least once. We are all in the same boat; let’s be honest. But Codewars is a project aimed at proving that programming can be fun. It contains lots of engaging assignments to let you test your developer skills while competing with colleagues.
The Codewars project is also known for its solid-together community. If you have a question, feel free to seek help from the developers — they will give a comprehensive response that is more likely to affect your further advance.
11. Sitepoint
Sitepoint is a vast library of books on frameworks, languages, and projects accompanied by guides dedicated to web development. If you want to find answers to some of your questions, use the search bar on the homepage. After entering the query, you’ll get a massive amount of relevant educational material. With a handy filter, you can then sort the articles by categories or authors, depending on what you are looking for.
12. TutsPlus
TutsPlus, offering in-depth training materials, will help you level up from a novice to pro coder shortly. With numerous articles, videos, and tutorials covering web design and programming, you can start learning to code from the very beginning. Plenty of free guides will let you move from basic to advanced level at a speed that is comfortable for you.
If, after completing free classes, you want to keep learning with TutsPlus, apply for a premium plan. There are many paid courses, e-books, and other premium content worth investing in.
13. W3Schools
W3Schools will come in handy for both newbies and expert developers. It’s a highly used reference platform with a large number of training aids on most popular coding languages. The project strives for simplicity and straightforward learning, providing detailed instructions on how to use the code. To start working with this platform, you can pass a short test that will show your knowledge level and help you choose the most fitting program.
14. GeeksforGeeks
The GeeksforGeeks website is one more wholehearted recommendation for those looking for useful articles dedicated to programming languages. The platform will give you access to all kinds of training materials, from basic to premium courses, from programming problems to practice to entrance exams, etc. I hope you will relish the platform just like I do because it demonstrates an inclusive approach to every technical concept and different ways to resolve programming issues to let you pick the most appropriate solution.
15. Code Avengers
Code Avengers will be suitable for entry-level users rather than experienced developers. The curriculum keeps 1K+ engaging quizzes on JS, Python, HTML, and CSS that will ensure more practice and give students an idea of how to use the acquired skills. You will start by learning how to create minimalist websites and apps and step up to building full-fledged web designs that can be shown to potential employers.
16. SoloLearn
SoloLearn is a perfect solution for everyone who’s always on the move. The resource has mobile apps to let you learn to code wherever you are. Given a set task, you can go with web development and learn HTML, CSS, JS, jQuery, PHP, and SQL or choose back-end and software development with Python, Ruby, Java, Swift, C++, or C#.
SoloLearn is not only an online learning platform; it is also a strong network of specialists who can help you throughout your training.
Wrap Up
A comprehensive educational platform overview should make finding the best way to learn programming much easier. Depending on your goals, you can choose from a theoretical plan and, as you increase your basic knowledge, move on to more practical classes. So, if you are ready to obtain new skills in web development, go for it without delay.
First published on BetterProgramming.
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