image via: code.org
Many people are intimidated by the thought of learning how to code. The truth is that especially for college students and people entering the workforce it’s one industry that actually has a shortage of talent. This demand is something that will only increase in the coming years as more and more companies are based online or developing an online presence.
To address this problem there have been many startups and projects that are focused on helping more people learn basic coding skills. These startups aim to show how simple it is to get started and provide you with many basic skills needed. To land the top jobs you will of course need more training but you have to start some where. Maybe your big business idea will even tackle this growing industry. Here are 10 free places to learn how to code online.
Codecademy
Codecademy is a team of hackers working hard to build a better way for anyone to teach, and learn, how to code. We’re determined to succeed in realizing our mission to turn a world of tech consumers into one of empowered builders.
Treehouse
Our mission is to bring affordable Technology education to people everywhere, in order to help them achieve their dreams and change the world.
LearnStreet
LearnStreet is an early-stage startup focused on changing the way people of all backgrounds and skill levels learn how to code. We are a small, passionate team of product craftsmen, hackers and designers doing what we love—building a service that inspires users to tap into their amazing potential. We believe putting the power of coding in more hands can unleash a wave of creativity that makes the world a better place for all of us.
Code.org
Code.org is a non-profit foundation dedicated to growing computer programming education. Our vision is that every student in every school has the opportunity to learn how to code. We believe computer science and computer programming should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses, such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra.
Udacity
Our mission is to bring accessible, affordable, engaging, and highly effective higher education to the world. We believe that higher education is a basic human right, and we seek to empower our students to advance their education and careers. See courses like – Introduction to Computer Science.
Code School
Code School is an online learning platform that teaches a variety of programming and web design skills. Courses range from beginner to advanced levels and you get to earn rewards and badges as you learn.
Our courses use screencasts and interactive exercises to guide you to better code. Each course has at least five levels. Each level begins with a 10-15 minute screencast, followed by a series of code challenges you must solve to make it to the next level.
Google Code University
An interactive forum where developers can submit courses and tools to help others learn. The forum is also very active and you can engage with other developers and people interested and active in the developer space.
School of Webcraft
Learning is more fun with friends. Work alongside your peers, get help from mentors, or offer your expertise to those in need. Peer-driven study groups and challenges by learners just like you are available right now. Anyone can become a mentor to provide one-on-one help.
Mozilla Developers Network
The Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) is a wiki, where anyone can add and edit content. You don’t need to be a programmer or know a lot about technology. There is a range of tasks that need to be done, from the simple (proof-reading and correcting typos) to the complex (writing API documentation).
Coursera
Coursera partners with various universities and makes a few of their courses available online free for a large audience. As of November 2012 more than 1,900,241 students from 196 countries have enrolled in at least one course. They offer numerous courses under a few different computer science topics.
