Learning to code is a very powerful and satisfying thing. It has become a gateway to broader learning. There is no denying that. We are at the peak of the Information Age, with billions of people and devices being wired by the Internet. What powers all of this is code. We are the “digital natives”.
Learning to code can help you think creatively and reason systematically. These are skills that apply in any profession, as well in your personal life. Coding is like mathematics and helps you think rationally. And if you think you must go to college to learn how to code, you’re wrong.
Now, you can harness the power of the Internet and the Web to learn how to code right from your couch and be proficient enough to pay your bills (many have and are). Some websites that we are going to show you are free, but some charge you a small fee (still way more cheaper than a college course). Let’s see the list of the How to become a code ninja with these 4 resources!
1. TeamTreeHouse
Type: Paid
Link: http://teamtreehouse.com/
TreeHouse is a great website for learning how to code online. It is particularly focused for web designers-developers and app builders. They are also starting out on a business category soon. TreeHouse has some free courses available as part of their free trial but it starts from 25 USD per month if you want to get up and running with a Silver plan. The Gold Plan is perhaps the best one, costing 49 USD per month.
It offers you access to 650+ videos, the Code Challenge Engine, TreeHouse Forums, interviews with pros, member feedback and workshops. TreeHouse is a great package if you are wanting to spend around 250 USD per year for learning how to code, all from the comfort of your couch.
2. uDemy
Type: Paid
Link: http://udemy.com/
uDemy is a marketplace for online courses. It has courses on almost any area you can think of. There are some free courses, but it is mostly packed with paid courses, with the average prices ranging from 40 USD to 99 USD. Experts put up their courses on uDemy for sale, and uDemy takes a % commission.
The quality of coding courses on uDemy is excellent. There is a lot of variety, so you can pick up any course off the shelf and start learning how to code in no time. The quality of the content is dependent on the instructor’s level of expertise and you might feel uDemy courses to be less interactive as TreeHouse (they have Code Challenges etc. which are more fun). You can find thousands of courses on uDemy for affordable prices though so you should definitely give it a try.
3. Codecademy
Type: Free
Link: http://www.codecademy.com/
Codecademy is a highly popular online interactive code learning platform to help you learn how to code. It’s mission statement is to make people fall in love with code and the company has been doing really well considering its offering its services for absolutely no cost. Yes, you are right, Codecademy is entirely free!
As of now, Codecademy has over half a million users and has received praise from top publications in tech media like The New York Times and Techcrunch. Codecademy has a database of free courses on popular languages like Python, Ruby, PHP etc. One of the best parts about learning to code on Codecademy is its interactive code learning engine that helps you find your mistakes on the go and guides you like a virtual teacher.
4. CodeSchool
Type: Paid
Link: http://www.codeschool.com/courses
CodeSchool is a lesser known online code learning website, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. CodeSchool has one of the cheapest monthly rates in the industry, with a 25 USD per month enrollment. With this, you can access all courses, TV screencasts and everything that CodeSchool has to offer. You can pay yearly too if you wish and even cancel your contract anytime. It is definitely a flexible option.
CodeSchool has a large list of comprehensive courses on many programming languages. You can find the list of what they have to offer all by clicking this link.
Bonus Sites
There are some bonus sites like Udacity.com and eDX that you might want to check out.
Happy coding!
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About Ali Gajani
Hi. I am Ali Gajani. I started Mr. Geek in early 2012 as a result of my growing enthusiasm and passion for technology. I love sharing my knowledge and helping out the community by creating useful, engaging and compelling content. If you want to write for Mr. Geek, just PM me on my Facebook profile.
