Are you thinking about becoming a developer, but are worried about the cost of getting started? Getting a computer science degree or taking a bootcamp cost some serious time and money, and just aren’t a realistic option for a lot of people. Honestly, all you really need is a computer, an internet connection, at least an hour a day, and the commitment to work consistently.
I’ve limited this list to resources I’ve actually used or at least heard good things about. For a more detailed list, you can look at Skillcrush’s roundup of 80+ Free Ways to Learn How to Code.
When you apply for tech jobs, I find that what you built and why you built it matters much more than where you studied. So make use of the resources below and teach yourself something! Build stuff that you wish existed! I can’t wait to see what you make. ?
- freeCodeCamp
Starting with my favourite! freeCodeCamp has a great curriculum that gives you loads of practice, and you feel like you accomplished something major when you get your certificate. Their forums are super supportive and they also put out very helpful content. - The Odin Project
I like that the curriculum references loads of supplemental information so that you can go as deep into something, like regex, as you like. The projects are mostly self-led which is more challenging than following a tutorial and it’s interesting to see the different ways students found solutions. - Codecademy
I don’t feel like Codecademy’s free options are enough on their own, but they’re great for reinforcing concepts you’re learning from another source. Seeing similar problems presented in different ways is a great way for your brain to make connections. - W3Schools
This and the MDN web docs below are fantastic resources that I use daily. You don’t have to memorise every command, and I often come back here to quickly refresh my memory on CSS selectors. They have guides on HTML, CSS, JS, SQL, PHP, Python, and more. - MDN Web Docs
Formally known as the Mozilla Developer Network, MDN has fantastic documentation and use cases of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. I love it and use it all the time ? - CSS-Tricks
When I google something CSS related, I feel very relieved when something from CSS-tricks pops up. I know that they’ll answer my question with great writing and clear examples. Their almanac and guides are fantastic resources. - Interneting Is Hard
Simple and beautifully illustrated tutorials on HTML & CSS. Absolutely lovely for beginners - JavaScript.info
Extremely detailed and informative, but it can be a little dry. If you make it through the whole thing, you will 100% be a JS wizard. - JavaScript30
A great way to reinforce all of the JavaScript you learned in JavaScript info with 30 fun projects! ? - JavaScript For Cats
Are you a cat? Do you have access to your human’s computer? Prove your superiority with a JavaScript course made just for you! - Tower’s Learn Version Control With Git
You will definitely have to learn version control and this is a great free course. It explains everything very clearly and their cheatsheets are so handy. - VueJS.org
Very clear and comprehensive docs and tutorials on everything you can do with Vue. - The Hitchhiker’s Guide To Python
A super comprehensive guide to Python aimed at both novices and experts. - Real Python
Example based tutorials that cover Python basics, web development and scraping, and data visualisation. I especially like that they call themselves Pythonistas. - Google’s Python Class
Because if you’re going to take a free class on Python, why not take Google’s, right? - KillerPHP
Practical PHP lessons for ‘non-nerds’ - Rails Girls
A great organisation that’s spreading the Rails love with their free guides - Ruby on Rails Tutorial
More detailed than the Rails Girls guides, this is a free online version of the book by Michael Hartl. - WPBeginner
This site has loads of WordPress tutorials that will help you feel much more confident about customising your site. I quite like their articles reviewing different plugins because it saves me the trouble of trying them out blindly. - WordPress.com Learn
Get tutorials and pointers straight from the WP source - WPMU Dev
WPMU Dev is a WordPress hosting platform, and their blog has fantastically detailed tutorials on everything from optimising SEO, to installing XAMPP locally, to increase your newsletter signups (I might have bookmarked that one for later!). - Android Developer Training
Android offers several training modules that take you from building your first Android app to learning Kotlin and Google’s best practices. - Apple Swift Playgrounds
A series of fun incremental lessons that walk you through a step by step process of building an iOS app. - Codewars
Gamifies coding by allowing you to earn ranks and honours by solving specific coding challenges. It supports 20 programming languages like C#, Python, Ruby, and SQL, so Codewars is something to look at if one of those is your jam. - Skillcrush
Skillcrush is all about making more women feel confident about getting into code. They have a free 10 Day Coding Camp aimed at complete beginners, but I mainly included them here because of their newsletter. I spent a lot of time before I was able to get one of their courses, just absorbing as much of the information and resources in the free emails as I could.
So there you go! 25 resources for learning how to code for £ 0.00!
I hope you found this helpful. Let me know if you try any of these out and how you find them!
Do you have a favourite free resource that I forgot? Tell us in the comments and share your favs!
