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Becoming a self-taught software developer is now easier than ever thanks to the array of online coding tools that are available to just anyone. In this article, we have curated the best online coding tools to get started as a software developer in 2022.
Since witnessing COVID-19, the world has come to appreciate technical skills even more. This is your opportunity to join the winning team and deploy your suite of apps and programs to the world.
Here are tools to get you started on your coding journey:
1. Coursera
Coursera is an online learning platform, one of the most popular in fact. The courses on the platform can be accessed at no cost, with some only requesting a small certification fee. The courses available on Coursera include data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, Android development courses, and more. These courses are taught by world-class professors from the best universities in the world including MIT, Stanford, and Harvard.
2. Udemy
Udemy is another popular massive open online course (MOOC) platform. The platform is home to thousands of courses centered around coding and software development. It has core courses focused on Python, JavaScript, Swift, and more. You should look at the ratings and reviews of a course before taking it as this could potentially determine how much you learn from these courses.
3. Udacity
Udacity prepares software programming students for IT careers. The MOOC platform offers some free courses, while others are paid. The majority of the beginner-level courses on Udacity are free to access. Also, it has the Nanodegree program which is a small degree conferred on users for taking a set of structured courses around a specific subject. After the successful completion of these nano degrees, users get a certificate from the platform. There are hundreds of these degrees on Udacity including some specialized in app development, machine learning, and data science. The courses on the platform are curated by industry leaders including Google, Amazon, and IBM. Each course comprises videos, quizzes, assignments, and projects. Another great reason to use Udacity is its intuitive UI which helps navigate the platform.
4. Codeacademy
Codeacademy is one of the most widely-used MOOC platforms in the IT sector. The platform has a great selection of free courses you can take on your way to becoming a self-taught guru. Its courses include web development, software development, mobile app development, game development, and AI. For beginners, you may also try the Python modules on the platform.
5. Freecodecamp
Freecodecamp offers free coding courses. Yes, a hundred percent free. The platform comes with thousands of tutorials on the most popular areas of software development including Python and JavaScript. It is also home to many beginners, so you wouldn’t feel alone if you are one. The platform also has Facebook communities that you can visit when you need to solve certain coding problems.
6. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a great MOOC resource for learning to code online. It is also a great place for beginners as the courses are free, so you don’t get to spend anything until you are sure this field interests you. The platform operates as a non-profit organization with the mission of offering world-class education to people. You do not even need to have an account to start learning at Khan Academy. Some of the coding skills you can learn on Khan include Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
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7. Edx
Edx provides access to college-level resources. It curates these courses from the best learning institutes in the world. It is a platform for structured and rigorous learning. This is the platform for people who have already decided to tow the path of programming. Founded by Harvard and MIT in 2012, Edx requires a lot of effort from its users. While the course materials on the platform are free, the graded assignments and certifications are not. If you are serious about learning coding in 2022, Edx is your go-to tool.
8. BitDegree
BitDegree is a blockchain and crypto-focused learning platform. This tool focuses on offering paid courses on digital skills such as CSS, HTML, PHP, and JavaScript to its users. More importantly, its crypto courses are its major selling proposition. The platform also integrates a unique reward system by offering its users tokens for completing a training session. These tokens can be used to fund upcoming classes plus discounts.
9. Sololearn
Sololearn has more than 40 million users, making it one of the most popular MOOC platforms in the IT sector. Its more than 20 online courses on Java, CSS, and HTML are some of the most subscribed on the platform. As a user, you can either take classes using its web application or the mobile app. Sololearn uses a bite-sized learning architecture by centering its course sections on one subject at a time. It is both available as a free platform and a paid resource. The Pro version comes with features and perks such as an ad-free experience and unlimited practice.
10. GeeksforGeeks
GeeksforGeeks is a MOOC platform that is geared toward helping people learn IT skills including programming and other areas of computer science. The platform offers tutorials, contests, quizzes, articles, and job listings for its users. Its courses are categorized under: live, self-paced, and school. You can choose to learn from industry gurus via pre-recorded videos, live streaming, or a combination of both.
11. MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is a publicly available MOOC platform owned by MIT. The platform features course materials in several formats (videos, lecture notes, etc). this platform is different from many of the MOOCs on this list as it does not confer degrees on anyone for going through its course materials. It is more like an open library of MIT that anyone from anywhere can access for their development.
12. FutureLearn
FutureLearn is another popular MOOC platform that provides free and paid courses by world-class instructors from some of the best institutes you can imagine. The courses on the platform range from short videos to long programs. Unlike MIT OpenCourseWare, students can earn professional certifications on the platform.
13. Skillcrush
Designed to democratize tech skills, Skillcrush is an online platform that offers IT courses in three major subjects: design, coding, and UI. All its courses are mentor-led, self-paced, and project-based. While the courses on the platform are paid, Skillcrush has a free coding camp that users can sign up for by creating an account. If you want to learn function-specific skills, you should also look at their specialization courses. Unlike most programs that charge a flat fee for paid users, the prices on Skillcrush vary by the course you intend to take.
14. web.dev by Google
web.dev was created by Google to help developers build powerful web experiences using any browser. The platform offers four web development and web design courses such as responsive design, progressive web app development, HTML forms, and CSS. Also, it provides free articles and step-by-step guides on some coding vitals.
15. code.org
Code.org deserves a good mention here as it is a beginner-friendly platform. This non-profit organization provides free coding courses for people of any age. While it is a child-friendly platform, it does suit people of any age. It is an engaging way to learn coding, especially for first-timers. Since learning coding takes time, the process may be more fun by learning from a kids’ resource.
