Do you want to learn how to code?
Assuming the answer is yes – and assuming we don’t need to extol why coding is a fantastic skill to learn – the next obvious question is how? How does one learn how to code? Well, in our busy modern lives where going to physical classes is not always possible, many people have found the wonders of online coding classes. Everything from basic HTML & CSS, all the way to more difficult languages like C++ are being taught on the internet.
Given the plethora of resources available, though, choosing the best coding classes is a feat in and of itself. As such, to make this process a bit easier, we’ve compiled a list below of some of our recommendations for the best beginner’s level online coding classes. We’ve chosen a mix of languages and coding skills, so regardless of what you’re aiming for particularly, you should be able to find a class for you and learn coding skills to last you a lifetime!
Table of contents
Why Use Online Coding Classes
Before we jump into our list, let’s put on the brakes, as a lot of people are skeptical of online coding classes. I mean, is it really beneficial to learn coding online vs. going to a physical class? Well, let’s talk about some advantages online coding courses have.
- They’re generally lower in cost. Physical locations are expensive to maintain, from just maintaining the building itself to needing a lot of electricity. This is not to mention many institutions require a large staff for a physical location. All this maintenance, unfortunately, results in more costly coding courses in order for the institution to break even. For online coding courses though, there aren’t many similar fees. As such, these generally are much lower priced and affordable for most people (though this depends on the site and course author of course!)
- They can be done at your own pace. Due to the limitations of time and access, physical coding courses have to operate on a strict schedule in order to cater to as many students as possible. This means strict start and end times, strict deadlines, and so forth. Online coding courses don’t have any of these limitations. You can do them at whatever pace suits your learning style, life needs, and so forth. As such, this takes off a lot of the pressure that would otherwise be there. If you don’t understand something, you can take your time until you do!
- They can be done on-the-go. Unsurprisingly, physical location classes require you to physically be in one location. With online coding courses, though, all you need is the internet in many cases. This means you can learn at home, learn on the bus ride to work or school, practice at lunch, and beyond. These classes go with you – you don’t have to go with them. This offers an unparalleled ability to once again make them suit your schedule.
- They have a wider reach of topic. Since institutions have to suit a wide variety of students, they generally can’t cover every niche available with coding. As such, the topics they can teach are limited. Online coding courses don’t suffer these same consequences. There is always a teacher out there willing to explain just about any topic – whether that’s a super obscure computer science algorithm or a niche language only used by a few companies. In the end, you have the freedom to explore any topic that interests you and don’t just have to always go with the mainstream offerings.
- They offer more variability to suit your learning style. As online coding courses have the ability to be more numerous, this means there’s simply just more teachers. And more teachers means, naturally, there are more methods of teaching. Thus, it doesn’t matter if you’re someone who is a visual learner, someone who does better with word association, or someone who just memorizes hard cold facts. If one coding class doesn’t suit how you learn, there are plenty to explore until you find the one that clicks!
Now, onto the fun part: the best beginner’s online coding classes!
Intro to Programming Bundle
Rather than a single coding class, the Intro to Programming Bundle offers six beginner-level coding courses on different topics. You will explore HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Unity (and C# by association), Java, and C++. This covers all the basic realms of development: web development, Python development, game development, mobile development, and software development. Once again, these are also all beginner-level coding courses, so they all assume you’ve had absolutely no prior experience what-so-ever with any coding.
Why You Should Get it?
This bundle is a fantastic option if you’re actually not sure what area of coding you’re interested in. There are a lot of areas of development, and deciding on your first programming language is tough if you are hesitant to pick a single area. This bundle takes away that pressure and simply lets you explore what’s available and how each language plays a bigger role. In so doing, you can affordably find your niche from which you can pursue other online coding classes!
Length
As mentioned, this is a bundle, so the time for each coding class will vary. However, the entire bundle contains about 13 hours worth of video content.
Cost
The bundle is available through a subscription service that runs at $20/month or $168/annually.
Get the Intro to Programming Bundle
One-Hour Coder Academy
Similarly to the previous coding courses set, this is another collection of six different coding classes on different topics. While this set doesn’t cover anything related to game development, it does cover several of the same topics, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Java, and C++. However, where this collection differs is that each coding class aims to be around 1 hour long. This means you get to learn at a bit more of a rapid pace, and solely focus on the coding fundamentals of each language.
Why You Should Get it?
If you’re short on time, this set of coding courses is well-suited to providing the necessary information without a lot of fluff. Given this is a set and the focus is on the coding fundamentals, you’ll get to explore things like variables, functions, and so forth over and over again – just in different languages. However, the benefit in this is it allows you to better absorb these foundations which are absolutely critical for all coding. So, not only do you learn multiple languages, but also gain an understanding of how each language uses the same principles. Plus, if you kind of know a language but need a good refresher, the quicker pace and shorter nature of these lessons will make your time a bit more worthwhile.
Length
Each coding class in this collection runs about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours, giving a total of 8.3 hours of video.
Cost
The course is available through a subscription service that runs at $20/month or $168/annually.
Get the One-Hour Coder Academy
The Complete Python Programming Bundle
Once again, we have another set of multiple online coding classes. In this bundle’s case, the sole focus here is Python. However, this bundle goes a bit beyond just providing beginner-level information on the language (which it does do, so no prior experience is necessary). Instead, besides the language itself, this bundle also shows you beginner-level techniques for applying Python to games, data science, and machine learning. Thus, for a beginner-level set, this gives you an in-depth view not just into coding, but into some sub-specialties you might want to consider pursuing with Python.
Why You Should Get it?
If you’re interested in learning Python, this is about as comprehensive as you can get without going too far into any one Python-related topic. As such, not only do you get to learn Python from the ground up in a beginner-level way, but you’ll also explore the main areas in which Python is used for. Additionally, as this bundle is fairly extensive in the number of coding courses it offers, you’ll really get to develop a strong foundation – which can prepare you to even start jumping into more intermediate-level courses.
Length
While each coding class in the bundle differs in length, the entire collection has 15 hours worth of video content.
Cost
When on sale, you can get this entire bundle for as cheap as $25.
Get The Complete Python Programming Bundle
Intro to Game Development with Unity
As pretty clear from the title, this coding class dives into the basics of using the Unity game engine – one of the most popular game engine choices. The class focuses on two different aspects of game development with Unity. First, it dives into the basics of using the engine itself and manipulating objects. So you’ll learn key information about the UI as well as how to move objects, rotate them, and more. However, it also dives into the basics of using C# within Unity and allows you to explore variables, conditionals, and so forth – especially as it applies to Unity’s personal Scripting API. Thus, you’ll learn a well-rounded set of instructions that will help you start developing your own games.
Why You Should Get it?
When it comes to game engines, Unity is considered one of the two top contenders (the other being the Unreal Engine). Consequently, learning how to work with Unity can only benefit you if you’re aiming for a career or hobby in game development. This coding class, in particular, is simultaneously comprehensive in the basics of the engine, while not throwing you too far into the lion’s den. Besides video lessons, this coding class also comes with live coding demonstrations and quiz lessons, so you can test yourself at regular intervals to make sure the knowledge is sinking in. Overall, it is just a super beginner’s level course that just about anyone can do – even if they’ve never touched Unity in their entire life.
Length
This coding class has about 1.4 hours of video content.
Cost
The course is available through a subscription service that runs at $20/month or $168/annually. You can also obtain lifetime access to it for about $50.
Get Intro to Game Development with Unity
Learn the GODOT Game Engine in 50 MINUTES
In this coding class, you’ll dive into the lesser-known but very powerful Godot engine. You’ll of course learn the basics of the engine and how the engine works – but you’ll do so in the context of setting up your very first prototype game: a platformer. Not only does it show you how to create a player character and the beginnings of a level, but it does so in a way that allows you to master some of Godot’s unique tools and its unique scripting language, GDScript.
Why You Should Watch it?
If you’ve never heard of Godot, Godot is a fantastic engine to start with for beginners. GDScript was made to mimic some of the best qualities of Python in terms of readability, and the engine has an easy-to-understand node architecture for development. As this coding class covers all of that from scratch, you’ll get a great fundamental understanding of how to use Godot to build your games. Plus, because this is framed in a practical sense of building a game, you can skip over learning the coding fundamentals for the millionth time and learn how to actually apply those fundamentals as a real game developer would.
Length
The video course runs about 50 minutes in length.
Cost
This course is absolutely free to watch via YouTube.
Watch the Learn the GODOT Game Engine in 50 MINUTES coding class
Learn Unreal Engine in 1 HOUR!
While Unity is great, Unreal Engine (as mentioned earlier), is another great game engine option for game development. This coding class covers just that and showcases the foundations of the Unreal Engine – how it works, how to manipulate objects in the scene editor, how to prepare the engine for games, and so forth. After this, it then explores the Blueprints Visual Scripting system, which allows you to code your game with visual blocks instead of having to code everything from scratch. That being said, you still learn important coding fundamentals like variables that will be needed in your game projects.
Why You Should Watch it?
If you want to make games but coding entirely from scratch just isn’t your thing, this coding class is fantastic. It shows you an alternative way to access the mechanics you’d normally access through coding, but in a way that is much easier than your traditional coding class. You’ll also still learn those essential foundations for coding, though – so if you want to switch to a language like C++, it is a much smoother transition. As this coding class also covers how to use the engine in the first place as well, you get a pretty comprehensive skill-set that will prepare you to start building your first games regardless of what kind of games they are.
Length
This video course lasts about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Cost
This course is absolutely free to watch via YouTube.
Watch the Learn Unreal Engine in 1 HOUR! coding class
HTML & CSS 101 – Web Development Fundamentals
This coding class takes a deep dive into HTML & CSS – core pillars that are absolutely needed for all web development. The video lessons are very comprehensive and cover just about all the foundations you’ll need for your web projects. You’ll start with the basics of HTML tags and how they’re used to structure web pages (so obviously, no experience here is required). It also covers a lot of necessary CSS fundamentals, including how to include CSS in your web project, how to actually target HTML elements to aesthetically change them, and beyond. In the end, it is a well-rounded resource that will allow you to expand your skills further.
Why You Should Get it?
The fact of the matter is, you need to understand HTML & CSS if you want to make websites – this is non-negotiable no matter what specialty you pursue in web development. As this coding class covers just about all the fundamentals you’ll need, though, it’s a great option where you can learn it all in one go. Additionally, as the lessons are broken down into small segments (each video is 10 minutes or less), you don’t get bombarded with information. You’ll learn each tag or rule step-by-step, making it easy to digest one web development element at a time.
Length
This course has about 2.1 hours of video content to explore.
Cost
This is course is available for free to anyone, though you do need to make an account on the website to access it.
Get HTML & CSS 101 – Web Development Fundamentals
JavaScript 101 – First Programming Steps
As implied by the title, this coding class covers the language basics of JavaScript, which is used both for web development and HTML5 game development. The course does cover all the needed coding fundamentals like variables, functions, methods, and so forth, but it presents all the information as a story to make it both practical and personalized. Further, the course also introduces the concepts of using JavaScript to alter a web page, giving you a beginner’s level taste of where you can go with JavaScript.
Why You Should Get it?
Besides HTML & CSS, JavaScript is another critical language for web development – particularly as you start exploring extra functionality and backend APIs. So, for web developers out there, this is yet another crucial tool you’ll need. As for why this coding class in particular, though, this comes down to its presentation. As mentioned, the course does give you a taste in how JavaScript is used in web development, allowing you to take those first steps into turning the abstract into practical application. Beyond this, though, the course strives to tell a story at each fundamental juncture, allowing you to frame all the coding fundamentals in a way that might actually apply to real-life. Thus, the material just overall sticks better than your average class!
Length
This coding class contains about 2.2 hours of video content.
Cost
This is course is available for free to anyone, though you do need to make an account on the website to access it.
Get JavaScript 101 – First Programming Steps
Phaser 101 in 1 HOUR
Focusing on the HTML5 2D game framework of Phaser, this coding class teaches you some fundamental skills for making browser-based games. You’ll explore how, combined with a web server, you can use Phaser to render a number of objects to a browser screen – including multimedia objects like sprites. Using these multimedia elements, you’ll also learn how to work with Phaser and JavaScript to manipulate images in various ways, such as rotating them, growing them, and so forth.
Why You Watch Watch it?
Many Phaser tutorials out there jump straight into how to build a game without actually establishing much about the framework itself. This coding class takes the entirely opposite approach and focuses on the framework basics first and foremost – while also letting you explore just what it is capable of in terms of image manipulation. As such, if Phaser is of interest to you, or game development in general, this coding class is a great one in terms of just exploring how tools and coding come together to create functionality. Plus, you’ll still develop beginner-level foundations with practical application of JavaScript that you can use in other areas.
Length
This coding class is just a slight bit less than one hour.
Cost
This course is absolutely free to watch via YouTube.
Watch the Phaser 101 in 1 HOUR coding class
Python 101 – Introduction to Programming
This coding class explores the coding fundamentals with the Python programming language – which is considered to be one of the most human-readable languages for beginners. You’ll learn to understand coding in terms of data storage & manipulation, control flow, and functions. You’ll also learn some useful tips on object-oriented computer programming, which is used throughout most development industries in terms of how programs are structured. That being said, it is all definitely at a beginner-level, so it is kept basic enough for anyone to understand.
Why You Should Get it?
Besides the sheer fact Python is a great beginner’s language, knowing the language prepares you to pursue a lot of fields like data science and machine learning. This coding class was painstakingly crafted to be as true to the statement “no experience necessary” as possible. Every fundamental taught is done at the most reasonable pace and in super, duper small chunks. As such, you aren’t getting bombarded with all loop types in one lesson or all operators. Everything is broken down and built around the beginner-level person, so it is a very hand-holding class that will walk you through everything with confidence and patience.
Length
This coding class has approximately 1.4 hours of video content.
Cost
This is course is available for free to anyone, though you do need to make an account on the website to access it.
Get Python 101 – Introduction to Programming
C++ Programming for Beginners
This coding class focuses on the C++ programming language, which is frankly one of the most difficult languages to learn. However, the class focuses on the fundamentals found in most languages first and foremost, so you’ll still get a beginner’s level education. That being said, the class does also cover some unique features of C++, such as vectors, so you will get the chance to see why this language is also very popular despite its difficulty. In addition, this coding class frames everything in the context of games, so you can once again see how practical application works from the abstract concepts covered.
Why You Should Get it?
While C++ has a difficult learning curve, it is also one of the most used languages in both software and game development – so learning it can’t steer you wrong. Where this coding class stands out from others is the framing, as mentioned above. Taking fundamentals from abstract to reality, especially with more unique features like vectors, is no easy task. As this course is framed around easy-to-understand game concepts, like inventories, it just makes the information stick a lot better. You don’t just learn the fundamentals, you see how they’re used in practice. And believe us, for a language like C++, getting past that realm of abstract is essential to using the language effectively!
Length
This coding class offers about 2.6 hours of video content.
Cost
The course is available through a subscription service that runs at $20/month or $168/annually. You can also obtain lifetime access to it for about $50.
Get C++ Programming for Beginners
Augmented Reality 101 – AR Foundation Basics
In this coding class, you’ll learn the foundations of coding for augmented reality with Unity. This class specifically focuses on Unity’s AR Foundation package API, which allows developers to make AR apps for both Android and iOS without the need to have separate SDKs. All this aside, rest assured this is a beginner-level class. You will learn not only the basics of AR itself, but how to build AR apps to your mobile device, add basic object spawning functionality, and more.
Why You Should Get it?
While this coding class does expect you to have some knowledge of Unity, unlike others on this list, it still gives you a great taste into AR technology without being overwhelming for a beginner. The focus here is mostly on getting an application up and running, which honestly, is half the battle. With the AR Foundation package, you don’t have to worry too, too much about device compatibility either. You can focus solely on learning how AR works in the first place, and worry about all the other details a bit later. As this app is very simple as well, you’ll get just enough foundations to start expanding your knowledge. So, overall, it’s just a very good entry-level introduction into augmented reality itself.
Length
This course is a little less than an hour of video content.
Cost
This is course is available for free to anyone, though you do need to make an account on the website to access it.
Get Augmented Reality 101 – AR Foundation Basics
Learn VR Game Development in 2 Hours with Unity
As the title implies here, this coding class focuses on virtual reality and how you can develop games for the technology in Unity. The class covers a very robust set of topics related to it, from just getting a VR project setup in Unity all the way to how to prepare everything for different kinds of headsets. Additionally, the entire class is centered around making a demo project that transports the player around in a stationary experience, so you’ll learn by doing in this particular coding class.
Why You Should Watch it?
If you really just want to jump into things, this coding class does just that. While you do learn some of the necessary essentials for creating VR games in general, the class’s main focus is, at the heart, the project. So you don’t need to sift through hours of coding fundamentals – you’ll jump right into the meat of doing the thing you want to do: make VR games. That being said, the course is still beginner-friendly if you know your way around Unity, so it isn’t as advanced as you might fear! You’ll definitely be taught VR as if you’ve never touched it before, and you’ll gain some novel skills that are becoming big in all areas of the development industry!
Length
This coding class is a little less than 2 and 1/2 hours of video.
Cost
This course is absolutely free to watch via YouTube.
Watch the Learn VR Game Development in 2 Hours with Unity coding class
Summary
We hope this list of best online coding classes helps you in your learning endeavors. There are a lot of ways to learn how to code, and we’ve only just scratched the surface here in terms of what is available learning-wise – especially if you want to dive deeper into computer science. That being said, coding courses are still a fantastic option and allow you to explore computer programming at a fraction of the cost of traditional schooling. So, we hope you try it out and see if one of the coding courses above helps the information click. Either way, we’re excited to see you taking these first steps, and we look forward to the projects you’ll make!
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