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Your Guide to Online Coding Resources and Courses

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If you're ready to try your hand at coding, you're in luck, because there is no shortage of online classes and resources available. Read on to discover some of the easiest ways to learn to code online.

What is Coding?

Coding is a modern term interchangeable with "computer programming." Coders take direct control of a computer or similar device by creating specific instructions for it to follow — and to learn a healthy dose of logic and thinking skills at the same time.

Computers are not actually very smart and depend on their programmers to tell them exactly what to do. Coding teaches you how to take a larger problem and break it down into simpler steps that a computer can actually perform. Plus, it can be a lot of fun.

Programming for Everybody from Coursera

If you're an absolute beginner, you might look into the online class "Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python)" from Coursera.org, and offered by the University of Michigan. Besides introducing students to the overall goals and concepts behind programming (coding), this class is also an introduction to the Python programming language, a general-purpose, jack-of-all-trades language that is popular with beginners because of its (fairly) English-like syntax.

HTML5 and CSS Fundamentals from edX

So you want to build websites, eh? Well, a great start would be to familiarize yourself with HTML5 — the latest and greatest incarnation of the Hyper Text Markup Language — and its sidekick, the charming CSS (Cascade Styling Sheets), responsible for visual effects and site appearance. Learn both these languages with edX's HTML5 and CSS Fundamentals, taught by experts from Microsoft. There are no prerequisites and the class is self-paced, allowing you to fit learning into your busy schedule.

Android Basics from Udacity

Maybe you're more interested in working with mobile devices that computers. No problem! The Android Basics "Nanodegree" from Udacity takes users with just basic computer skills and shows them how to code for Google's popular Android mobile operating system. You'll study XML, Java, and other tools to start creating your own apps.

Introduction to C++ from edX

On the other hand, perhaps you're more interested in learning a fast, powerful programming language aimed at more advanced situations when high performance is demanded. C++ may be for you. Based on the original C language and somewhat more complex to learn than, say, Python, C++ is nevertheless accessible to beginners through edX's Introduction to C++, with no prerequisites other than some fairly basic computer skills. Microsoft experts teach this safe-paced online class, where you can learn to program for multiple different computer operating systems.