Learn to code with these resources

Coding lessons were made compulsory in schools in 2014 – good news for our future generations. However, this means those of us who weren’t lucky enough to have it as part of our education is in danger of getting left behind. Little surprise then that the levels of people interested in learning to code are on the rise, as the older generations seek to swot up on the computer language in their own time.

Fortunately, if you do want to learn to code, there’s a lot of choice out there. Online courses are great if you’re pushed for time and strapped for cash, whilst classroom learning is perfect if you thrive on a more face to face basis.

It can be tricky knowing where to begin, so to help, we’ve rounded up some of the best ways you can learn to code. Let’s get started!

Codecademy (Free)
One of the more well-known coding tutorial sites, Codecademy comes highly recommended by members of our own team. Their large amount of interactive guides and tutorials makes getting started easy, and the site already boasts ‘over 45 million learners from around the globe’.

Udemy (Free and Paid)
Udemy provides courses on just about anything, ‘from coding to photography’. Take your pick from the numerous coding courses then learn at your own pace.

Founders and Coders (Free)
This is an intensive course that includes regular meet-ups, but they are selective with applicants (you’ll have to attend interviews and meet pre-course requisites). Courses are based in London (and Nazareth). The programmes are free, but graduates often continue to be involved with the programme and the Founders and Coders community long after it has finished. These courses are geared towards getting a job in the industry, and they ask that you ‘pay it forward’ by either seeking employment with one of their partners or making a regular voluntary contribution upon finishing to help cover the £2500-per-place funding (the money is raised when graduates leave). Find out more here.

GreyCampus (Paid)
If you fancy live lectures on a range of different topics and programs, GreyCampus can help. Select ‘Programming’ from the ‘All Courses’ menu tab to see what’s on offer. They also offer a number of online courses if that’s more your thing.

W3schools (Free)
These tutorials were used by some of our team when taking Web Programming classes – however, it is more HTML-focused. We recommend using this website once you have some basic knowledge on coding first.

StackSkills (Paid)
Offers a variety of courses for all ability types – the length and cost depend on what you want to learn. Courses can also be purchased (some are free) via StackCommerce’s other sites SkillWise, StackSocial and Citizen Goods. If you’re already a student with them you can get a discount.

Decoded (Paid – enquire within)
Can help you learn to write computer code in just a day! Aimed at professionals, Decoded boast that they’ve helped ‘tens of thousands’ of workers around the world. They hold different masterclasses, as well as bespoke classes including Hacksy – a popular cyber security tool to check you are being safe online. They also promote helpful tools Resources and Thimble.

London App Brewery (Paid)
If you’re interested in app building, the appropriately named London App Brewery is perfect. Some courses can help you learn the skill in just a weekend, and they also provide courses and events that can be taken in-person.

Dash (Free for Dash and paid for General Assembly’s courses)
Dash is an online learning tool, created by General Assembly, and is interactive much like Codecademy. There are fewer courses available compared to others, but you will learn step-by-step HTML, Javascript, and CSS for free and at your own convenience. General Assembly themselves also offer full and part-time courses, for individuals and companies, with locations worldwide (courses are available at campuses or online), and payment plans available.

Code.org (Free)
Code.org have a range of different ways to learn code for different age groups, and also caters to post-uni leavers and teachers. They have a number of online courses they’ve created themselves as well as links to third party courses and tutorials from partners. Launched the successful Hour of Code campaign.

Makers Academy (Paid)
Want to learn to code in 12 weeks? That’s what Makers Academy offers. The course prepares you for a career in Web Development, so they are quite intensive and cost around £8000. But the benefits are great – live teaching, an onsite yoga teacher (and other activities), help to get a job after finishing the course, talks with leaders in the industry and more. They even have an online platform to hire their former students. Take a look at their case studies and read about the work their past students have done already.

Treehouse (Paid)
We loved the look of this website, it’s clear and easy to use. Courses are aimed at either individuals or teams, and you can try it for free for 7 days. After that it is priced from £20 per month (and upwards if you would like more benefits). You earn badges as you complete quizzes and interactive challenges, which can be viewed by potential employers, and new content is released weekly.

Tutorials Point (Free)
Tutorials Point have coding content aplenty – you’ll find hundreds of coding languages grouped by category. You can learn by reading onsite, downloading content or by watching video tutorials. This is a great resource if you have some previous knowledge of the topics.

Code School (Free and Paid)
You can easily find different ‘paths’ depending on what technology or program you want to focus on, with different ways of learning – including projects and screencasts. Take a look at the courses here, or if you want a more comprehensive explanation on web development, this guide is very handy. You can sign up for a free account and get access to 15 introductory courses, but the paid courses give you access to unlimited resources.

Women Who Code (Free and some Paid aspects)
There are quite a few coding courses aimed at women as the number of women in the sector is considerably low compared to men. Women Who Code aim to change this by educating workforces about the importance of having women coders whilst creating a  network of support and resources. Not a formal course, but you can sign up online to become part of their global community, which gives you access to a number of handy resources.

As you can see, thanks to the number of resources available there’s never been a better time to get clued up on coding. Start a course today and let drag-and-drop features become a thing of the past!

Find out more about National Adult Coding Week here. Happy coding!