If you’re new to coding and web development, you’re probably asking:
- Where can I find the best online courses for learning to code?
- What’s the best online coding course for beginners?
If that’s the case, you’ve come to the right place!
When you start learning how to code, you don’t want to waste your time on the wrong resources. But there are thousands of coding courses to choose from, so finding the right one for your goals can easily feel overwhelming.
Especially if you’re looking for the best coding courses for beginners, it’s hard to know where to start. You want to find a course that starts with the very basics. Yet, you need a course that teaches you how to apply your new skills to building useful projects for your portfolio.
Throughout the years, I’ve tried and tested countless of online courses and other learning resources. Some of them were great, but most of them weren’t worth my time.
Based on my ups and downs, I’ve gathered all my favorite resources, tutorials, and books on this page. These top coding courses for beginners will help you learn the skills you need to start a career in tech, either full-time or freelancing.
Let’s jump right in!
Should I pay for an online coding course?
If you are looking for your very first programming lesson, use a free course first.
That’s the best way to see if coding and online learning is your thing.
Also, I suggest you try a couple of different courses. If you’re not sure what you want to specialize in, learning just the basics for a couple of programming languages is a great idea.
If you’re on a small budget, free courses can take you a long way. However, paid courses often offer more practical, real-world projects to practice your skills. If you want to start a career in tech, you can add those projects to your developer portfolio right away. Employers want to see that you know how to create something useful with your skills, so your portfolio will be your best way to showcase what you can do.
Thus, an online course is an investment that will pay off. Therefore, consider investing a few bucks in a quality course if you can.
If you make a small investment, you are also more likely to follow through and finish the course. You expect something in return for your money, which is exactly what you’re going to get with paid courses.
HTML and CSS courses
HTML and CSS are the basic building blocks of all websites. Both languages are the very first things you should learn when you wish to get started with coding and web development as a beginner.
JavaScript and jQuery courses
JavaScript is the programming language of the Web that lets you create interactive and responsive elements for your websites and applications. If you’re interested in web development, learning and mastering JavaScript is a must.
jQuery is a JavaScript library that makes using JS even faster and more fun and interesting.
Python courses
Python is one of the most popular, powerful, and versatile programming languages out there these days. Python is an excellent tool for web application development and a widely used tool for data analysis, for example.
Why learn Python? In short: Python is in high demand, it’s easy and quick to learn, and the syntax is beginner-friendly. All in all, Python is one of the easiest programming languages to learn, whilst also being one of the most powerful ones.
PHP courses
PHP is a scripting language running on the server side used to create web pages written in HTML. It’s a relatively easy language to use for new developers, making it one of the most popular programming languages out there.
Java courses (coming soon)
Java is one of the most popular and widely-used programming languages worldwide. You can use it for back-end web development, Android mobile app development, desktop applications, GUIs, and more. Java remains an in-demand skill in the job market, making it a lucrative tech skill to learn.
Ruby courses (coming soon)
Ruby is a very high-level, multi-purpose programming language that is fairly easy to learn. You can build a web application from scratch surprisingly fast using the Ruby on Rails framework. Therefore Ruby has become a popular language among smaller companies, startups, and coding newbies.
SQL courses (coming soon)
SQL or Structured Query Language is used for working with data stored in relational database management systems (RDBMS).
The job market for data analysts is booming, but even if you are not aiming at becoming a data analyst yourself, basic SQL skills will be an advantage in terms of being aware of the possibilities data mining offers.
WordPress courses (coming soon)
WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) worldwide. This powerful tool lets you design, build, and manage large-scale web projects easily and efficiently.
With an ever-increasing share of websites created with WordPress, the market for WordPress developers is constantly growing. Therefore, this wonderful tool makes a lucrative addition to any web developer’s skillset.
More recommended resources to learn programming and web development:
- 120+ Best Places to Learn to Code For Free
- 27 Best Web Development Courses for Beginners (Free and Paid)
- 10+ Best YouTube Channels to Learn Programming for Beginners
- 20+ Best Web Development Books For Beginners
Happy coding!
– Mikke