6 Free Websites to Learn Coding (Even If You’re a Beginner!)

 Coding has quickly gone from being one of the most niche skill industries to be in, to one of the most rewarding abilities you can learn in today’s tech-savvy world. Whether you aspire to be a data scientist, web developer or even a software engineer, mastering the ability to code will open up endless opportunities for you. Many people who have chosen this route in their career journey are however faced with a lot of questions on where to begin. The fact that there are a lot of coding bootcamps out there charging thousands of dollars or an expensive college program for which one cannot pay for can kill anybody's motivation for learning to code. Here's the good news, you don't need to dig deep in your pockets to learn how to code. There are plenty of platforms that offer free resources on how to code. The challenge, however, goes beyond finding these programs, the challenge is in finding one that is worth your time and suitable for what you are looking to learn based on the path you have chosen. Each of these have courses and tutorials that are interactive, beginner-friendly, and packed with real-world projects to help you build your logic-building skills. It does not matter whether you are a beginner who has never written a line of code or you have hit a plateau and are looking to acquire skill in a new technology, you will find something for you in this article that will assist you in your journey.

1.FreeCodeCamp

FreeCodeCamp is one of the most popular, beginner-friendly, and comprehensive platforms when it comes to learning how to code. FreeCodeCamp was founded in 2014 by Quincy Larson, a teacher who later became a developer. What inspired the creation of the platform was the idea to not only have something that is free but also practical. The philosophy behind it is that you learn best by doing, FreeCodeCamp offers coding challenges, real-world projects, and hands-on learning that pushes this philosophy instead of overwhelming their learners with a lot of theoretical lessons. A lot of people have used FreeCodeCamp to break into tech, switch careers, or simply learn how to build apps and websites for fun since it was launched. It runs free tutorials on everything from Python to web development frameworks. FreeCodeCamp should be the first stop for anybody who is serious about learning how to code without spending any money.

2.Codecademy

Codecademy is similar in a lot of ways to FreeCodeCamp. If you have ever gone looking for ways to learn how to code for free, I am sure CodeCademy has pop up. It has an interactive hands-on learning approach that enables learners to learn practically by doing. The platform has an interface with a built-in code editor that allows to follow-through with what you are learning without the complications of learning how to install and set-up a code editor, which can be complicated for a beginner who is new to coding. It even tells you the mistake you made right there on the spot if you made any. The interface is very clear and simple to understand. Codecademy offers both free and paid plan but you can start off with the free plan and decide if it is worth upgrading for. You can still learn a lot through the free plan. The difference between the free plan and the paid is that the free plan offers:

• beginner-friendly lessons in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, and other languages
• an interactive code editor where you can practice coding
• basic quizzes and exercises to test your knowledge

while the paid version offers:

• a certification on completion
• real-world projects to put your knowledge to the test
• personalized guidance and instruction
• a selection of courses based on your specific career path

3.Udemy 

Udemy is that one platform someone thinks about whenever online courses run through their minds. It has over 200,000 courses available for any subject you can think of on the surface of this earth so it's not shocking for someone to look up coding courses on it. The platform has a wide range of variety, from learning the basics of HTML, and CSS to more complex topics like cloud computing and machine learning. Even though Udemy is primarily a paid platform, there are a lot of free coding courses available if you know where to search. Many instructors also offer an introductory section to attract learners. There is a lot of value in these introductory courses too. Once you enroll in a course, you have lifetime access to that course and can self-pace your own learning. Udemy also has discounts running all the time so if you are not in a hurry, you can save your favourites in your wishlist and wait on those discounted prices. At the end of these projects you will have a lot of projects for your portfolio too.

4.Team Treehouse

Team Treehouse is a great platform, especially if you are someone who learns best with structured content and course-like learning. It offers a project-based form of learning where more emphasis is put on a final goal at the end of each learning path. The platform is widely known for its beginner-friendly curriculum and its ability to break complex coding concepts into digestible lessons. Treehouse is a subscription-based service, you can however get a 7-day free trial that gives you full access to its library after which you will need to subscribe to enjoy its perks. The basic plan is $25/month which is absolutely great value for your money considering all the resources and value you are getting.

5.W3Schools 

W3Schools is an online platform that is widely known for its simple and straight forward approach when it comes to almost every web technology you would like to know as a beginner. W3Schools has structured lessons online completely for free. It is one of the best online coding schools for anyone looking to code. It is also helpful to non-beginners because it continuously updates its resources re-learn specific syntaxes and commands. One of the greatest things about W3Schools is its "Try it yourself" feature that allows you to write down code in an editor and run it in real time to see the results. This makes learning highly interactive because you are not just reading but also practicing making concepts easy to grasp.

6.GeekforGeeks

If you have ever been stuck and looked for coding solutions online I am sure you have come across this website before. It first started as a blog by a computer science graduate but has since grown into a go-to hub for both beginners and advanced programmers. Unlike many coding websites that focus only on interactive lessons, GeeksforGeeks goes beyond syntax and jumps into the logic and theory of programming. This makes it one of the best websites if you are looking to learn data structures and algorithms. GeekforGeeks has useful resources on almost all the topics that you might search and is usually accompanied by code samples in almost all programming languages.

The journey to coding no longer has to be out of reach or expensive. The rise of plenty of free and online resources, the barrier to entry in programming no longer exists. The websites above prove that anyone with an internet connection and determination can learn to code for free. Here's the caveat, knowing these websites won't change your lifestyle, but using them consistently will. Coding is a skill, and with every skill you need to practice it to master. The tech world is waiting and thanks to these platforms you don't need a lot of money to get started.