Learning How To Code: Top Premium Resources and Web Courses
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Coding can be difficult to learn by yourself. Whether you’re just starting the basics of frontend development or want to pick up Node, Laravel, or Rails, it takes time.
The process of learning how to code can be a struggle. But you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.
I’ve collected some of the highest-rated online resources for teaching yourself how to code. This post includes everything from HTML/CSS, PHP/MySQL, JavaScript + Node, and even app programming like Swift for iOS.
Note most of these are premium courses that cost money for extended use. But these courses usually offer a better quality experience for anyone trying to learn on their own without a professor or mentor.
Resources to Learn How to Code
Udemy Courses
Udemy is perhaps the most diverse learning resource with topics on just about everything from design to coding and user experience. Each Udemy course is vetted by the site, but conducted by an individual with a certain expertise in the field.
This allows course creators to teach content on just about anything. Udemy covers absolutely everything from Python to Swift and anything else you can imagine.
Currently, the site features 40,000+ courses geared towards technical learners with high-quality videos and source files. Each course is reviewed by students on a 1-5 star scale. When searching for content be sure to look through reviews and see what others think of the course before buying.
Treehouse
Ryan Carson’s Treehouse is a well-rounded side for beginners trying to learn design or development. Each course takes on individual concepts like HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, databases, and more.
Check out the course library to see what’s available.
Keep in mind that some users feel Treehouse’s content is primarily best for beginners. There is some intermediate content, but skilled frontend devs won’t learn much from their lessons.
However, Treehouse is the perfect place to start if you have absolutely no background in web development. You can learn CSS basics and pick up SASS/Compass along the way.
Code Academy
Interactive learning helps a lot and Code Academy is one of the best sites to find that experience. It offers info on everything you’d need and offers free+paid courses.
People who learn from Code Academy often walk away feeling like they really learned something. The site features incredible stories from users like Liz Beigle-Bryant who started a new career in web development at 55 years old.
At the price of free, you may be wondering if this is enough. I’d argue the free courses are enough to start. But it’s worth doing some paid courses either at Code Academy or on a different site.
With online courses, you often get what you pay for, including support and supplemental materials. You can learn a lot for free but at some point, you’ll hit a wall. Paid resources like Code Academy are the best way to push through to your next hurdle.
TutsPlus Courses
Envato’s TutsPlus network started as a series of blogs teaching design, code, and business. Over the years it has grown into a conglomerate of free written tutorials and many paid courses for premium users.
What I like most about Envato is its membership structure. With a flat monthly fee you have access to all premium videos for all subjects. It’s an incredible library with beginner, intermediate, and advanced courses on everything. Plus students can get a discount by proving their attendance at a college or educational institution.
If you’re a little concerned about TutsPlus there’s no heavy need to commit. Their premium courses are available in-full for a 10 day free trial.
This would be the best way to try it out and see how you feel. If content isn’t up to your liking just cancel and never pay a penny.
Pluralsight
Rarely has there been an online learning library comparable to Pluralsight. It covers everything from IT to databases and software development for web, mobile, and desktop.
Ever wanted to learn Python or C#? What about a MEAN stack setup? Pluralsight covers all of this in great detail with quality premium videos and source files.
This company first launched in 2004 and has been pumping out quality tutorials for over a decade. There’s something to be said about this type of commitment – especially because new content is still being released on a regular basis.
Alternatively, Code School may be another great option for beginners looking for the absolute basics. Code School is powered by Pluralsight and holds courses on web fundamentals like JavaScript, databases, and Git version control.
Single-Track Learning Resources
Along with the larger sites covering many different languages, there are some websites with a single focus. This is often called a single track where lectures and tutorials focus on one area of development.
Many single-track learning websites have appeared online in recent years. These are just a few that relate specifically to web and mobile developers, or people who aspire towards that kind of work.
Bitfountain
In the world of iOS programming, there is no better site than Bitfountain. Premium courses have been published on Bitfountain dating back to iOS 7. Whenever Apple releases a new version of iOS it’s typically followed by updates to Objective-C(now moving to Swift).
Bitfountain currently teaches iOS 9 programming with Swift 2, the latest version of Swift. They offer a foundations course for developers new to iOS programming. But even more knowledgeable developers can dig into advanced topics like Core Data and UIStackViews.
There’s even a course that teaches how to build a WhatsApp clone completely from scratch. This is perfect for devs who learn best from real project work and want to dive right into Swift programming.
Laracasts
Laravel is an open source PHP framework lauded with praise for its quality code hierarchy and MVC separation. You can build anything on Laravel and it’ll be easier, more secure, and produce more standards-compliant code than regular non-frameworked PHP.
The trouble is where to learn Laravel when you don’t know anything about it. Aside from the online docs, there’s Laracasts, a catalog of Laravel video tutorials.
Naturally you’ll find plenty of beginner videos but there’s also a handful of more advanced topics. Aside from free blog tutorials, Laracasts should be your go-to resource for learning Laravel.
Ultimate Django
Django is a framework similar to Laravel except it’s written in Python. Many web developers prefer Python because it’s a programming language that can be used in other contexts outside the web.
Ultimate Django is an online learning resource for picking up Django development from scratch. You’ll learn how to structure new web applications and how to write code that just works.
This does include an online course with 17+ chapters of content, but it also features a Q&A forum to find support for your questions. The team also offers advanced content for adding React.js, Backbone.js, or even Node.js into your workflow.
Final Thoughts
The one surefire way to learn coding is with consistent effort. Whether you study online courses, books, or free YouTube videos, you really need to put in the effort and build things yourself.
Syntax fundamentals and code environments can be taught. But programming is really learned by building stuff, hitting walls, then solving problems to overcome those walls. If you’re constantly building projects and searching for new info then you’re guaranteed to get better over time.
And for similar learning resources check out these posts: