Kyle PearceIn the Lost Interview with Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder said, “I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.”
I like to think of coding as applied math and sciences because it teaches us an iterative approach to solving problems and testing out our ideas. While I don’t consider myself a coder, apart from HMTL/CSS I don’t code in my daily work, I did find that learning the basics of how to code on CodeAcademy has done wonders for improving my problem-solving skills.
Now that software is eating the world by automating all kinds of routine jobs, the basic knowledge of how lines of code create the digital worlds we explore every day is becoming a fundamental digital literacy. Coding isn’t particularly easy to learn and that’s exactly why it’s so valuable.
It has never been easier to learn how to code. There are now many self-paced education platforms that make the difficult work of learning how to code much easier.
Even former President Obama think learning to code is a great idea! Perhaps President Trump agrees with him on this one.
How You Can Start Learning To Code:
There many different options for learning to code online. Here are some of your best free and premium options.
Affiliate Disclosure: You can freely audit all of these online courses. If you choose to purchase a course or specialization for the certification then we get a share of the revenue through our affiliate partners.
1. CodeAcademy – This education startup has done a lot of incredible work to make learning to code more accessible for everyone. On their interactive website, you can learn to code in HTML/CSS, Javascript, PHP, Python and Ruby on Rails through the building and executing your own code projects.
2. Code.org
This initiative backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights like Facebook, Google and Apple offers a number of excellent free beginner’s tutorials for learning how to code.
3. Introduction to Computer Science
If you want to really learn computer science from scratch then Harvard University’s David J. Malan is the guy to learn from. This course is the most popular course at Harvard. In this entry-level course, Malan teaches you how to think algorithmically and he guides you through the process of learning a broad range of programming languages such as C, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
The future of applications is on mobile so why not learn to make your own apps? The University of Toronto’s new iOS development specialization gives you a strong foundation in app development for iPhones, iPad and Apple Watches. This 4-course online program includes a Capstone Project where you apply and showcase the skills, which will be invaluable in showcasing your abilities to startups and future employers.
5. Launch Your Android App Development Career
With Android now powering more than 80% of mobile devices, the demand for Android developers is only going to grow. This new 4-course specialization in Android app development from Vanderbilt University teaches you the fundamentals for starting a career as an Android Developer. Like the iOS specialization, you must apply and showcase the skills you have learned in the courses in a Capstone Project at the end of the program.
While many coding bootcamps can costs $7,000-$10,000, you can learn much easier independently with these online courses. If want to learn how to improve your focus and self-motivation for learning online then I invite you to watch my latest webinar on Flow Psychology.