How to develop your programming skills at home
If you’re brand new to the world of coding or want to improve your skills you can do this from home, without buying books and totally free using some of the online platforms available. Here we introduce you some of them.
Codecademy
Codecademy is an online interactive platform that offers free coding classes for different programming languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript and more. There are also courses like Make a Website that combines the knowledge you acquired from the programming languages courses. It contains a very analytical tutorial for every course containing projects and quizzes that let you apply the concepts you’re being taught. The platform also offers a paid “pro” option that gives you access to a more personalized learning plan, quizzes, projects and live help from advisors. Nevertheless, the “free” option won’t let you down.
freeCodeCamp
freeCodeCamp is a non-profit organization that consists of an interactive web platform, an online community forum, chat rooms, Medium publications and local organizations that intend to make learning web development accessible to anyone. You’ll learn HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Databases, DevTools, Node.js, Angular.js and Agile by networking and joining a community of professionals and students. You’ll also work together on your coding skills so that you can build apps for free. You can learn at your own pace and it’s all free.
HackerRank
HackerRank is a technology company that focuses in competitive programming challenges for both consumers and businesses , where developers compete by trying to program according to provided specifications. It’s programming challenges can be solved using a variety of programming languages, including Python, Java, C++ and others and cover multiple science domains. HackerRank doesn’t have lessons and tutorials but it’s a good place to practice your programming skills.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a large educational platform with various courses, including programming. Programming courses consist of tutorial videos and start from a beginner level and continue to a more advanced one. It also includes practice exercises for learners and materials for educators. The website is provided in English, but it is also available in other languages like German, French and Spanish.
edX
This is an open-source higher education community. It was founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2012 and provides a wide range of computer science courses. The courses are free, but you must pay in order to get a verified certificate — the price usually depends on the course. There is no deadline to finish a course so you can adjust it at your pace.
Coursera
Coursera is an online learning platform that offers courses from more than 100 institutions. Some programs require payment in order to get your certificate but there is a wide variety of free courses. Classes are taught by real professors(per-recorded video) and contain quizzes and projects that allow you apply what you learn. It also offers specializations that will make you an expert in your chosen area of study.
MIT OpenCourseware
MIT OpenCourseware is an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) to publish all of their educational materials from its undergraduate and graduate-level courses online, freely and openly available, anywhere. Their online library includes every topic taught at the school, computer science courses can be found under the School of Engineering. It offers homework and tests that need to be self-administrated and self-graded.
These are only a few of the online platforms for computer programming but there are many more others. However, these are a good start for learning a new programming language or develop your skills.
Choose the platform that suits you best and start coding!
