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Learn How to Code For Free with These Online Courses

10th May 2016 Posted by: Ruben Asencio

YOU might think that coding is not for you...but why? Times have changed, and many people find the ability to code a valuable skill to possess. In the competitive job market we are living in, coding is being considered another useful resource that might help you land a job with the business you want to work for.

With the boom in online courses we have found that there are hundreds of websites that you can use to learn to code for free, especially with so-called MOOCs (Massive Online Open Courses). MOOCs offer video lectures and assignments along with deadlines, forums to discuss with other students, and other resources. Coding is thus present in these MOOCs and available for you to learn, whether you are a beginner or not. Here we highlight some of the best online courses that teach you to code.

Courses via Coursera

Coursera is one of the most important MOOC websites. Their courses offer free learning to anyone who signs up for them, although in some cases to obtain a Coursera certificate you will have to pay. This is optional, though, and the knowledge you will get is free! Coursera has hundreds of courses on many subjects from recognised universities around the world, and not only in English. And, of course, there are some courses about coding and programming.

The University of Michigan offers a Learn to Design and Create Websites specialization via Coursera, which includes courses introducing you to HTML5 and CSS3, and explains how to create interactivity with JavaScript. You can explore an advanced course on styling and responsive website design with their MOOC.

Similarly, you will find the Create a Web Experience specialization by the University of London on Coursera, which will introduce you to the basics as well as some other advanced techniques. This specialization will include courses explaining the importance of a responsive web design, as well as its basic languages like HTML5, JavaScript and CSS3. It also introduces you to Meteor.js and the development of web applications.

If you want to Become a Rails Developer, with this MOOC you will learn to develop your own web applications with Ruby on Rails, SLQ and NoSLQ databases, HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and MongoDB.

Another simple MOOC is the one from the University of Edinburgh (Code Yourself! An Introduction to Programming), which you will want to look at if you want to get to know the basics.

If you want to specialize in Java, you should try the Build Software Applications specialization from Duke University, which, apart from giving you a deeper understanding of Java programming, will also teach you the basics of HTML and CSS. If you make it to the Capstone project, you will have the chance to analyse Netflix and Amazon’s recommendation systems.

Courses via edX

edX is another MOOC provider, founded by Harvard University and MIT in 2002, which contains courses from a large range of prestigious universities. Coding and programming are subjects on the rise as more people want to learn these skills, and this platform includes a lot of these courses.

For example, you can learn HTML5 from W3C, which will allow you to learn how to create basic games and apps using HTML5, code with simplified tags, create and develop your own websites, draw and animate web graphics, and many other skills.

There are also courses to learn code using Ruby on Rails, such as the one from the Berkeley University of California. If, however, you prefer to know the basics of Java and Android development, try this course from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, or this one from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, which will give you an introduction to Java and to writing good code.

A more general MOOC by the University of British Columbia with teach you how to code using a systematic program design, and, finally, if you wish to develop your skills with Python, you should probably try this course from the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).

Other providers

Remember, Coursera and edX are only the most important websites which list MOOCs from different universities, but they are definitely not the only places online where you can get free education from. For example, Codecademy is getting increasingly popular recently, as you can learn practically any coding language that you wish: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails, Java, SQL and many others. Other free online resources are HTML5 Rocks (a project from Google where contributors add the latest updates), Khan Academy, Udacity and Udemy. Most of the courses at Udacity and Udemy come with a fee, but some of the ones for beginners are free of cost!

Do not wait to get coding onto your CV - these online courses provide good knowledge from esteemed universities and, as they are usually based on short video lectures, they do not take too long to complete! With so many options, learning to code online for free is simple, and could begin a new career.

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