Introduction
We present to you the resources that we have found to make your introduction to programming much easier. There are many FREE online courses that you can sign up for and complete at your own pace; we have gathered up the best ones we could find and have them here for your convience. There are also hundreds of YouTube videos and online articles on the basics of coding that could help you out.
Choose a Language
You might be wondering what languages you should learn. Well, it depends on what you're trying to make. If you want to make your first website, you might want to start with the basics like HTML and CSS. If you want to make a desktop application, you should learn JavaScript, C++, and other fun languages like PHP or Python. Or if you're trying to make a new iOS app for your iPhone, you're going to want to learn how to use Swift. So it's all up to you! Feel free to explore some, and choose from there.
HTML/CSS
All of these websites teach HTML and CSS at the same time since they go hand in hand as the most basic languages. We recommend starting with these sites because they provide good explainations of the functions of the commands you will be using.
This site has a slow but well explained curriculum on how almost every coding language works with lots of stops along the way for you to try what you learn. There can also be quizzes after the end of lessons that help retain information about code that you learned. The step by step instructions make it easy to follow and it teaches almost every language too!
W3Schools- This tutorial is quite fast to read and includes lots of visuals. We tend to use this a lot as a reference while we code. Though the sections are shorter, there are more sections and the tutorial teaches you how to code outside of the website by using other programs.
HTML Dog- This particular website has a total of nine tutorials: three for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript respectively and they range from complete beginner to more advanced. You can use it to quickly explore a large amount of information on the language of your choosing.
C++
This language is pretty old and hard to learn, but it works great for creating fast running programs. It’s mostly used for games and machine programming.
- This site goes very in depth into C++, showing the history as well as teaching the language. Explaining terms before starting, this site gets you fully prepared before having you learn and breaks down the examples shown in a way that makes it easy to learn. (It’s pretty neat.)
CProgramming
- This bad boy has lots of useful explanation paragraphs that shows every step in detail. By simplifying most of the code, any inexperienced reader can learn with ease.
JavaScript
JavaScript, like C++, is a bit more difficult to learn compared the other languages, but it’s functions are widely ranged. This language is mainly used to create the interactive parts of any website. So, if you wanna create the best website ever, these sites a try.
This website utilizes challenging problems to show how certain aspects and commands in JavaScript could be useful in programs. The JavaScript lessons are more difficult than those of CSS and HTML, however, they do explain the basics relatively well.
Eloquent JavaScript- This is actually a short book that goes pretty far in depth into JavaScript. It’s slightly confusing without prior knowledge of Java, but it explains the language in detail for more advanced learners.
Developer Mozilla- Before even launching the lessons, this website shows a bit of what JavaScript is used for just in case you don’t really have a reason to learn it yet. After, you do need to download some basic software to try it out, but the interesting tutorials make it worth it.
Swift
This is the primary coding language for creating iOS apps. With it, you can make all your cool creations portable and accessible to many via the App Store
- Once you know the basics of script, you can begin creating interesting projects right away with this. However, this site doesn’t guide you through the processes of the language, so you can’t only rely on this guide for learning.
Team Tree House- This explains the basics of Swift in a way that is understandable and engaging. The experiments are detailed and the differences of Swift compared to other languages are pointed out to help the reader learn more about Swift.
General Courses
These courses are some of the most complete and helpful outlets we could find for learning how to code. If you go through the programs offered by these free sites, you’ll be better at the basics and learn some more advanced coding techniques. Use these to your heart’s content!
Khan Academy
"Learn how to program drawings, animations, and games using JavaScript and ProcessingJS, or learn how to create webpages with HTML and CSS. You can share whatever you create, explore what others have created and learn from each other!" Click here to learn more.
Free Code Camp
"You can work through our self-paced coding challenges, build projects, and earn certificates. We also connect you with people in your city so you can code together." Click here to start coding for free today!
Udacity
Udacity offers thousands of online courses that anybody could take. There are paths for beginners, intermediates, and experts. All paths are easy to follow so you know exactly where to go! Click here to learn more about Udacity's online programs.
