With so many digital things nowadays, coding has become one of the most talked about skills lately. There are many newly established coding schools with the aim of teaching children ages 13 and older who are interested in learning coding. In addition, there are many seminar programs and weekend classes that are open to people who are already working but also want to learn coding.
Actually, you can also learn about coding at home. There are many websites out there that provide learning material. Before we discuss further, let’s first discuss what is coding and what needs to be learned.
What is coding?
Coding can actually be regarded as a simple term from computer programming. This is an activity where you tell the computer what they have to do for you. A code can be considered as a sentence in everyday language. Each code will help the computer know and understand what you want to do on the computer. The computer will receive these instructions and they will follow what is written. So a collection of code instructions can make a program.
In writing code for coding, you do have to be careful. Because computers are machines, they only accept the code you enter. So you have to really pay attention to the details. Do not let you enter the wrong code when writing code. If there are errors, you should do a lot of debugging later on.
Coding in web development
You may also already know that coding is part of web development. Web development or web programming itself is the process of making a website or application by coding. These websites will be visited by people who have internet access.
Web development itself is divided into two:
- Web development is usually used to discuss the technical parts of making a website. This is also known as back end development. Back-end means the part of the website that is not visible to users and website visitors.
- Web design is a term used to discuss the visual part of a website. Because the visual and interactive parts are parts of the website seen by visitors and website users, web design is also known as front end development.
In addition, the two parts of the project can also be carried out by the same person, responsible for managing the website’s functionality and also designing its appearance. In this case, they will be called full-stack developers, combining front-end and back-end.
Maybe you are wondering why we need to know this. By knowing the back-end and front-end, you will be able to understand the types of programming languages more easily.
The most popular programming language
Each programming language has its uses. There is a programming language that is specifically created to make desktop software and web development. There are also languages that can be used for data analysis.
Now we will discuss the most used programming languages. Not that programming languages that are not on this list are not used anymore, but web developers who master these languages are being sought out there. So maybe if you want to start learning coding for your career, you can choose one of the programming languages below.
JavaScript
Have you ever entered a website and seen animations, pop-ups, and clickable buttons? Well, this is all made with the JavaScript programming language. JavaScript is a programming language used to create interactive and dynamic website pages. With interactive and animated elements, you can attract your attention and increase engagement on your website. To use JavaScript optimally, you can also use it in conjunction with the server-side language, JS Node. Not only that, if you want to be really good at being able to use JavaScript, you also need to be comfortable using HTML and CSS.
HTML
Hyper Text Markup Language or better known as HTML is one of the most famous programming languages. HTML itself is a computer language used to create a website. HTML has always been revised and evolved to keep up with the internet. The revision and evolution were carried out under W3C, an organization responsible for HTML.
HTML itself consists of several short codes. Later these codes will become text that is saved into an HTML file. Later this file will be opened in a browser. The browser will read the file and translate HTML codes into a visual display in accordance with the wishes of the developer. In working with HTML code, you need to use tags correctly so that they will look what you want. To write HTML, you can use a simple text editor or HTML text editors such as Atom, Sublime, and Notepad ++.
CSS
Cascading Style Sheets or better known as CSS is a programming language created with the aim of simplifying the process of creating web pages. CSS controls different design aspects of HTML. With CSS, you can set the color of the text, the type of font used, the distance between paragraphs, what column size you need, the background and what color you want to use, the layout of your web design, how your website will look on various devices and sizes screen, and much more. In the process, CSS is usually combined with markup languages such as HTML or XHTML.
Python
Python is a programming language that can be done for many things on all modern computer operating systems. You can use python to process text, numbers, images, and various data that you store on your computer. Python is used every day by Google’s search engine, YouTube’s video-sharing website, NASA, and the New York Stock Exchange.
Python is a language that needs to be translated. This means that python will not be converted to computer-readable code before the program starts. They will only be translated when the program is run. Such languages are often also referred to as scripting languages because they are used to take care of things that can be said trivial. But Python is not only used to take care of trivial matters. There are already many applications out there written in Python.
Java
Java is the most popular programming language because 90% of Fortune 500 companies use it. The famous slogan “write once, run everywhere” is one of the reasons why Java is widely used out there. Plus, they have a powerful Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which makes it compatible on a variety of platforms.
Java is most widely used by back-end developers, big data developers, architects, system engineers, and Android developers. Although Java may not be the coolest programming language at the moment, Java is still widely used and will continue to be used in the future.
C ++
First created in 1985, C ++ is a very efficient and flexible language. This language is still in demand because of its performance, reliability, and various contexts that you can use. C ++ is also widely used by large systems such as Microsoft, Oracle, PayPal, and Adobe to create and manage their programs.
C ++ is widely used by desktop application developers, especially for performance-intensive tasks. Although it’s rather complicated, understanding C ++ will give you a deeper understanding of how language works, for example by providing low-level memory manipulation facilities.
Ruby
Ruby is one of the most preferred programming languages. It’s designed to be friendly and easy for developers to use, because even the tagline itself is “programmer’s best friend.” Ruby is a high level language that aims to accomplish a lot with a few lines of code that are clean and easy to read. A well-written Ruby code almost looks like a sentence written in plain English. Ruby is arguably slower in terms of efficiency compared to other popular languages - but it certainly increases your productivity.
PHP
PHP is one of the most popular back-end programming languages on the website. PHP is used to enhance the appearance of a web page. With PHP, you can create website features such as creating a login page for username and password, checking the details of a form, creating forums, image galleries, surveys, and much more. If you see a website that has a PHP suffix at its address, this means the website developer uses PHP to beautify the website.
Well, now want to learn coding? Let’s continue reading to learn about free coding learning sites that you can try.
Free coding learning site for beginners
On the internet, there are many learning websites that can be used for self-study at home; including learning coding. The following are some websites that provide coding and web development learning materials for you all.
Codecademy
Codecademy is one of the special websites for learning coding that is practically complete. Codecademy provides a variety of quizzes and projects that help you to gain hands-on experience about the concepts being taught. In addition, the topics offered are also quite focused. You can start by learning HTML and CSS then continue learning JavaScript, SQL, and much more. Codecademy also provides discussion forums, programming language glossaries, and various blog posts and articles that can help you during the learning period.
Free Code Camp
At Free Code Camp, you will learn many skills that you will later practice by creating real projects for non-profit organizations. Free Code Camp is an open-source community that provides various projects, certificates and connections between coder. In addition, Free Code Camp is also not a bootcamp, so you can learn to follow your study time. This one website is free and you can get acquainted with other coder around you
Codewars
On Codewars, you will be guided through several levels. So the higher the level you reach, you will get more complex coding challenges. Take it easy, you will also get solutions from other coders in the Codewars community. If you have successfully learned everything, you can create your own challenges so that other coders solve them.
The Odin Project
The Odin Project is a free coding learning website from the Viking Code School team. This website focuses on teaching you the various skills you need to have a career as a successful web developer. After completing this project, you are guaranteed to understand about Ruby, JavaScript, and the programming languages mentioned above. You can also build a portfolio while studying. In addition, they can also help connect you with other coding students so you can work together.
HackerRank
There are more than millions of programmers who use hackerrank.com to hone their development capabilities. HackerRank has a code format challenge. So there is a little competition here and you will get points every time you successfully complete one challenge. HackerRank has a philosophy of “learn by doing” or learning by doing. So you will get a little guidance as in class.
edX
edx.org is one of the most famous online learning sites in the world. With classes from well-known universities such as MIT and Harvard, edX provides a variety of learning. Including coding. Here, you can learn at your own pace. The course itself is free, but if you want a verified certificate, you need to pay.
If you want to continue learning, you can move up to a higher level. edX also has a unique “MicroMasters” program which consists of a series of S2 level programs.
Coursera
Similar to edX, this online course library displays various classes taught by a professor through video. Quizzes and projects allow you to apply what you learn. You can study the material and watch lectures for free, but you have the option to pay if you want deeper learning and a verified certificate. If later you are interested in pursuing a particular topic in more depth, Coursera offers a specialization that will make you an expert in your chosen field of study.
MIT Open Courseware
This educational platform basically allows you to attend MIT for free. Their online library covers every topic taught at school; Computer science courses can be found under the School of Engineering, grouped together with electrical engineering. If you choose to learn from MIT Open Courseware, you will need a lot of discipline. All homework and tests must be managed and assessed by themselves. But if you successfully complete the program, it will certainly add value to yourself.
Upskill
You don’t need any previous experience to learn coding with Upskill. Upskill has a free bootcamp that can help you become very good at coding, even if you are a complete beginner. They provide a series of videos with a casual conversation style to guide you through various projects. The main focus is on developing full-stack web, so you will learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, Ruby on Rails, Git, Bootstrap, and many more.
Conclusion
How? Are you already interested in learning coding? Learning coding can indeed seem intimidating at first. But many people feel that coding is fun and there is a certain satisfaction if they succeed in making a website or application from scratch. In this article, we have also discussed various websites that you can use to learn coding yourself at home. Not only free, with this website, you can also learn anytime according to your ability. Hopefully this article helps you who want to start learning coding!