Where I Learned to Code for Free

Today I’m going to share those resources with you, reassuring you that the door is always open to get into this field.

With coding, you attain the ability to build fully functioning apps and websites from a blank canvas. With this skillset you can start a business for very low costs because you don’t have to outsource your work or pay someone to build it for you. These are just a few of the many benefits of knowing how to code.

When learning a skill in technology such as coding, it’s important to know two things. The first is that you will learn the most and get the best experience by actually practicing and working on projects.

The second is that you must visualize your learning very similar to exercising in a gym. On your first day, you won’t go to the heaviest side of the rack and pick up the larger weights. You start off smaller and with lighter weight.

It’s the same thing with technology and coding. There’s a lot of information and little details that you won’t stuff into your brain overnight. So take everything in small chunks so that it’s easier to understand.

When I first started to dive into web development and website design, I found W3schools.com as a valuable resource.

On W3schools, you can learn just about any coding or programming language for free and without having to sign up. Everything is simply just there ready for you to read and interact with.

It’s like an online textbook that includes a live example for every section that you learn, that way nothing gets missed and you can practice with any topic or concept.

After a few days of lightly going over some tutorials, I found myself building web pages from scratch.

Another great resource is Tutorialspoint.com Free Tutorials Library where all the concepts are broken down for just about any technology there is out there. They also have paid courses where you can learn a little more, and those courses are much more affordable than a college course.

After working with some tutorials and using your own creativity to customize examples and your own projects, you should expect to run into challenges or strategies not always covered by the websites I just mentioned.

That’s okay, it’s common in this field. At this point you’ll be familiar with some terms and vocabulary related to what you’re doing. A simple Google search with the problem you’re facing will most likely lead you to an answer.

Often times you may notice your code isn’t working, and it could seem like the end of the world. Realize that someone else has ran into the same problem as you, and had to reach out to solve it. Stack Overflow is a forum where developers help each other out.

You will most likely find the same question you are asking, with the answer and code right underneath. Google is your friend. Use it whenever you run into a coding problem.

This should be for specific problems you are facing and not to try and find the entire answer to a problem on a quiz or test. The only person you’re cheating is yourself if you do that. You are the teacher, the student, and the classroom when it comes to self learning.