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Free online resources to learn programming and how to code

If you are a enthusiast for a good challenge, I suggest you take a good look of our list of the best online sources that will teach you how to code with exciting techniques, courses and puzzles. See for yourself.
If you are a enthusiast for a good challenge, I suggest you take a good look of our list of the best online sources that will teach you how to code with exciting techniques, courses and puzzles. See for yourself.

Free online resources to learn programming and how to code

Content Management Sources are all about unleashing you from having to deal with code when creating a website, it allows you to perform such advanced operations with a few clicks and it is a lifesaver, speaking from my experience. But if you are already running a website and take such good care of it by adding valuable content and keeping it fresh with the newest designs, would it be that bad to commit and start learning the basics of coding, to actually learn how to code?

It can be a pain and I understand, this too experienced first handed. But once you get the hang of it, it is such a remarkable thing, feeling proud of yourself to be challenged with a complex, rational and logical world and coming out a winner. Think about it?

While doing my research for this topic I had zero, nada, zilch training or knowledge about coding, so I started to experiment first hand and explore all these free sources we are going to display to you.

And while I was learning how to add an image or how to link that image or add a search bar, I was constantly thinking I can easily do this with a few clicks in WordPress or Elementor, I can just drag and drop all these functions and that was it.

But I kept going and whenever that Congratulations window would pop up, I would feel a sense of gratitude, and that to me was an incredibly awakening feeling that provided me self satisfaction.

You can learn so many incredible things among all, patience, and you can apply all the powerful knowledge into your own website. At the end of the day, nobody knows what you exactly want. 

 

Why learn how to code?

Even those who don’t plan to integrate their skills set on their website, learning how to code can be invaluable in many other aspects. In a rapidly digitizing world learning how to tweak a thing or two in a computer will prove to be fruitful for your personal or professional vision especially for the millennials trying to make it in the grown-ups world.

Technology is all around us, even if you don’t plan to be a developer or anything related, most of the businesses today are relying on technology to power their goals, and if you know your way around it, it could turn you into a valuable asset.

One of the most rewarding benefits of learning how to code is that it boosts your brain, it enhances your problem-solving and logical skills and makes you more self-sufficient. It helps you to maturely make well-thought and rational decisions since logic, problem-solving, and organization are the foundation of programming and coding.

Consider it as a superpower in an environment where good software, apps, and websites. And most importantly it reduces costs, why hire someone else when you can learn how to code and do it yourself.

The golden ticket is at your front door, with all these platforms offering easy access to knowledge. Long gone are the day when programming was monopolized by only a small group of people. The resources are endless. Seize them.

I believe that was a good pitch to give you a little push and confront yourself with a little challenge. In this article we will provide you with some over-the-top free sources online you can use to learn how to program.
It can be a good afternoon practice and besides all is done online, on your laptop while drinking a hot cup of coffee or tea, whichever you prefer.
Let’s get started

Setting up a free account is simple and out of the box, once you log yourself into the Code Academy’s world you will then be presented with a choice to either have a customized course choice based on your answers or explore for the long list of courses on your own.

After choosing the course click on Get Started and fasten your seatbelt for some great learning. The interface is divided into three screens, the left one containing lecture instructions and reviews, the middle one containing the working sheet where you will perform assignments and the left one providing a live preview of changes.

Code Academy offers 13 programming languages like Javascript, Python, HTML, CSS, PHP and many more for you to master, made possible by providing online coding tutorials, clear instructions, on-time feedback, and a tested curriculum. All these techniques will prepare you from building basic websites to advanced interactive apps to obtaining the skills you need to analyze data.

Setting up a free account is simple and out of the box, once you log yourself into the Code Academy’s world you will then be presented with a choice to either have a customized course choice based on your answers or explore for the long list of courses on your own.

After choosing the course click on Get Started and fasten your seatbelt for some great learning. The interface is divided into three screens, the left one containing lecture instructions and reviews, the middle one containing the working sheet where you will perform assignments and the left one providing a live preview of changes.

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You can run your answers until they are correct. You can start where you left off on your course and you can revert back to previous steps via the history tab on the bottom right. To add a little more fun to this process, head to coding quizzes they provide, so you can relax and learn in the meantime.

CodeWars is an educational company that trains people on computer programming and works on Kata, they serve as challenges that need to be completed. This is an online course where everything is integrated online including all the training exercises.

This platform sure knows how to add fun to coding, a fundamental aspect for all those sleepy heads that get bored easily. The Kata system really keeps your stamina high and motivates you to complete it which feels so rewarding.

Once you complete a kata you will have access to other people’s solutions and see how they managed to get the right answer, which helps you acquire new techniques.

In order to sign up for a free course in CodeWars you must first have to pass a test. I don’t mean school-type of tests, whichever programming language you choose, learn whether that be C++, HTML, Java or any others provided you will be presented with an issue to solve, don’t worry it’s not that hard.

Once you have the correct answer you can proceed further to adding your information and get started easily. You will have a profile created and all your achievements will be shown there.

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CodeWars gathers a large community of enthusiasts or warriors as they call them and most of the content is created by them with each completion of a kata, here you will also have the opportunity to seek for help or advice from other warriors with much more experience to guide you through every problem.

This platform is interactive as well as it allows you to create challenges for others, building trust and friendship among its users.

This next platform we will introduce you to is a great introduction to the world of code. What distincts this platform is that it is a non-profit organization first released in 2014 with the aim to help students and any aficionado who is keen on learning coding skills and techniques, to make them competent in this field.

Free Code Camp is probably one of the most user-friendly platforms that offers online courses, I must admit that at first sight it looks a bit outdated and antiquated almost as if I have traveled back in time in the 2002/3 PC era, it just gives you that archaic feeling, but is it highly practical and simple which makes it perfect for learning.

It does not require any prerequisite of technical or programming knowledge and you can get started in an instant.

All you need to do is create an account, a profile, select a subject and you are set to go. The first lessons are of course the basic steps so get ready to create the famous Hello World template, then tunneling down to more advanced stuff.

But you will be guided through the entire process and will have instructions and reviews even if you make mistakes. The interface is quite simple, On one side you have the explanation and the instructions and on the other side you have a blak sheet to put your code onto and another window to see the functions you implement.

For all of you who feel a little bit insecure about the amount of knowledge you have, this learning web platform makes everything look so easy giving you some sort of confidence.

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One of the best features if you’d about Free Code Camp is you’d ask me is their affiliation with non-profit organisations, after you finish the course of a subject, you will have the opportunity to test your abilities into the real world.

It’s a win-win situation, you create experience by increasing your professional profile and the non-profit organisation gets their web services for free.

Code.org website is literally rainbows and sunshines from the very first moment you encounter it, it’s vibrant, colorful and fun. It is developed to help young students be introduced with the programming world, and assist them on collecting educational lessons while making it fun.

The curriculum this platform offers captures all types of students, although it has a special focus on girls and underrepresented students to give them a shoot for their dreams in this sector.

Code.org captures a diversity of students with its K-12 course catalogue, meaning students of all ages are free to follow with courses and thanks to its language barrier breaker, this platform is translated into 63 languages and is used from different countries all over the world.

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The variety of courses included diverge, you can start learning the basics of HTML, Javascript or CSS all the way to designing games and apps. The interface couldn’t have been more student-friendly, you can design a web or an app with Elsa from Frozen watching over you.

The Site’s two main units are the Hours of Code and Code Studio. In the Hour of Code the screen where you will perform the codes will be divided into two windows with one containing the function bricks and the other being the working sheet where you will drag the blocks and set its variables and values accordingly.

Meanwhile the Code Studio withholds the curriculum like lessons, activities or videos.

Khan Academy is a non-profit MOOC. I had to research the meaning myself. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course, which makes perfect sense since this platform is free and available to use by everyone.

Khan Academy is an all inclusive educational platform that provides a considerable number of subjects and it’s perfect for students since it gives you the basics of each course you want to take. The interface is user friendly and easy to navigate, you don’t have the slightest problem finding everything you need.

When landing on the homepage, you will be stunned with a clean and polished design and simple migration route. Signing up for Khan Academy is a one minute set up procedure when you will be asked about your educational status and subjects you intend on taking.

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From there it is as simple as clicking on the course and start following all the lessons and tutorials available.

If you feel Khan Academy would be the perfect fit for you, know that you are in for a vast collection of instructional videos, various exercises and gain access to a personalized dashboard with visual information and a level-based approach to give you a sense of achievement.

All the resources conferred in this article were alternatives to schools and colleges but its MIT and we had no intention of leaving it out. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology congregates some of the most bright-minded people in the field of technology and it’s a prestigious institution with a high acceptance benchmark and a load of money, it would be a shame not to benefit from this opportunity to have access to the same courses and classes as actual students have and all of that for free.

This experience with this platform is completely different from the others, here you will have a classroom type of online courses.

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MIT OCW is a free source that offers you a large number of subjects scaling from Mathematics and Computer Sciences to Social Sciences, also in its repertoire you can find extensive documentations with numerous video lectures, lecture notes, exams, homework assignments, you can even view the syllabus of the subject and download all of that to your pc.

You don’t need to sign up for an account, just visit their page, choose a subject and start on studying just like being at the university. Everything is accessible and you can learn everything just like enrolled students, although with some limitations of course.

But with online courses you can not obtain a degree or certificate or any kind of credit, since it was thought of as a learning platform.

The Envato TutsPlus platform is a bit unconventional in comparison with other sources we mentioned earlier. All other platforms are schooley-like sources that will educate you and provide you not only lessons but also tests and evaluations, which can be very helpful.

Nevertheless, we could not avoid the Envato TutsPlus set of free courses that offer great lectures of different types of topics, including coding.

Envato tuts offers a premium plan with a handful of features, but you don’t necessarily have to create an account to have access to their free set of courses.

All you need to do is go to their website and look for free courses, they are all filtered by taxonomies, you have the options to choose free and in the categories form look for Code. 

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There are a number of courses each with its own set of videos and tutorials teaching you step by step the basics of coding. There are also a ton of courses on WordPress which will be of great help for all of you who have our website powered by WP.

With this platform you are not limited only to coding, you can learn other helpful skills like web development, web design, graphic design, illustration, photography and many more.

Final Thoughts

Everytime you learn something new, you expand your horizons and enrich your mind with valuable knowledge that will be of great use throughout the course of life. With all those resources at the tip of your nose there is really no excuse to evade from this amazing opportunity.

Except for those whose coding and programming aren’t their cup of tea. I understand.

Each of the platforms we presented come with an exhaustive set of tools that will turn around even the most newbie to a capable user of programming languages, all you need is a little faith and commitment.

All of the sources are free, you won’t lose anything, in fack you will gain a lot that will be beneficial to the present as we all future prospects. I recommend to start poking on those platforms, see what works for you and combine their learning techniques in order to develop your own.

Coding is art too, it may not look beautiful on the back-end, but with it you can create extraordinary things with it.

We would love to hear from you, go ahead and shoot your shot, give us your opinions on the selected lists of online educational platforms, or even recommend one you think will be of immense help to others.

By Team Neuron

Director of product design, Freehand

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