TechSource: Best Free Programming Courses on the Internet

Best Free Programming Courses on the Internet

Posted: 19 Dec 2013 04:21 AM PST

Programming is a beautiful art. Well, though traditionally, one might call it a science, it's more of an art if you look at it in an objective perspective. Programming, like painting or music, once learned, lets you create new things. In fact, once you learn to code, you can even change people's lives by bringing them programs or apps that they need. In your own artistic way, by the sheer power of code, you can affect how people interact with their computers, smartphones, and other devices thus making programming a powerful tool in modern society.

Code is poetry, as you may have heard somewhere. Writing good code requires a solid understanding of the basic principles and much more. Like Malcolm Gladwell said in his book Outliers, it takes 10,000 hours of hard work to achieve something great. The same goes with code. You'll need a solid foundation on which you've based your coding practice. And, for that, you'll need to learn from the best of teachers.

Having said that, learning programming can be quite an ordeal, especially for newcomers. There are a plethora of resources on the Internet, but most of them cost a lot of money. So, how can an aspiring coder find resources, which are not only free but also provide the best instructions?

The answer to that question lies in this article. Below, we've listed some of the best resources we could find for you to get jump-started on coding. Despite the fact that these resources are free as in free beer, they've been rated as some of the best ways to learn programming.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy, a free learning resource, lauded by none other than Bill Gates, has been providing a great collection of programming material for newcomers and advanced students. The programming course provided by Khan Academy is more design-oriented thus aiding a lot of visual learners. Instead of relying on mathematical problems and algorithm, this course takes a unique approach to programming by helping you learn to draw different shapes and figures. Everything from basic coding to arrays is covered in this course and can thus be used as a comprehensive introduction to the world of coding.

Code Academy

Code Academy is one of the best places to get started with coding if you know absolutely nothing about programming. The site offers interactive tutorials that let you get started with coding without allowing you to make any excuses. From here, you can learn JavaScript, CSS, HTML, PHP, Python, Ruby, and even how to access APIs. Rather than providing just tutorials for you to peruse, Code Academy takes a unique approach by focusing on the community aspect that lets you join your friends in their coding endeavors. Overall, it is a great place to start with coding if you are from a non-science background.

Learn Code the Hard Way

Learn Code the Hard Way is a collection of e-books and free resources that let you learn code, well, the hard way. Now, as daunting as the name sounds, this course is actually for beginners. The hard way simply implies that the course focuses on learning by doing rather than just reading, which is in fact what coding is all about. Many people have found immense value from these courses, and since they are free (to access HTML version of the e-books), they can access them anytime they want.

Introduction to Programming (Udacity)

Udacity offers a wonderful course that introduces you to the world of programming. Without paying thousands of dollars for a University, you have a reputed professor like David Evans teaching you some of the core fundamentals of computer science. What separates this course from other resources in this list is that it teaches you the important basics of computer science. Though you won't get to learn as much coding as you would in other courses you'll learn some very important things that will help you create better programs. I'd suggest using this course in conjunction with other books.

Library of Freely Available E-Books on the Internet

GitHub has a wonderful huge list of free e-books that let you learn almost any programming language. This collection houses books on every aspect of coding be it GUI, database, or structures. Keep the link bookmarked if you are planning to be a coder in the long term.

Conclusion: The aforementioned courses are, in my opinion, some of the best free resources to get you started with coding.