Learning programming can be a rewarding and lucrative skill, but it can also be expensive and time-consuming. How can you master the basics of coding without breaking the bank or quitting your day job? Here are some of the most effective ways to learn programming on a budget.
The first step is to decide what language you want to learn. There are hundreds of programming languages, each with its own syntax, features, and applications. Some are more popular, versatile, and in-demand than others, so you should consider your goals, interests, and resources before picking one. For example, if you want to build websites, you might choose HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you want to create mobile apps, you might choose Java, Swift, or Kotlin. If you want to do data analysis, you might choose Python, R, or SQL.
The most effective ways to learn programming on a budget are:- - Online Platforms - Open Source Documentation - YouTube Tutorials - Community Forums - Free eBooks and Resources
Nowadays, many free resources over the internet can be used to learn programming and improve skills, some of which may include 1. Free courses on platforms like coursera udemy etc. 2. Free ebooks available 3. Youtube videos and courses from channels like freecodecamp 4. Platforms to practice programming like geeksforgeeks, leetcode etc.
Learning programming on a budget is not only possible but also increasingly accessible with numerous resources available online. Here are some effective ways to learn programming without breaking the bank: Online Learning Platforms: Explore free courses on platforms like Coursera, edX, and FreeCodeCamp. YouTube Tutorials: Leverage free coding tutorials on YouTube from channels like Traversy Media and Codecademy. Documentation and Manuals: Refer to official documentation for programming languages and frameworks for comprehensive, free learning resources. Open Source Projects: Contribute to open source projects on GitHub for practical experience and collaboration.
To start, you need to decide what type of development is right for you. The programming field is broad, and it's important not to get overwhelmed in the beginning by trying to learn something too difficult. I personally learned C at university as my first language but then quickly realized that JavaScript was much easier and more fun to code in. Combined with the HTML and CSS ability to see what I was creating, the whole experience became much more enjoyable, and I could focus on creating something meaningful rather than fighting syntax-related issues.
Practical Steps to Learn programming affordably: 1. Language Selection: Choose a language that fits your goal. 2. Online Courses: Find top-rated free or affordable courses on platforms like Coursera or Udemy. Also you can learn from free tutorials on Youtube. 3. Coding Challenges: Use HackerRank, LeetCode & Codeforces for problem-solving practice. 4. Open Source Projects: Learn by contributing to open-source projects & interacting with seasoned developers. 5. Official Resources: Utilize the comprehensive official documentation of programming languages. 6. Networking: Participate in coding communities for support & learning. 7. Project Building: Use your learning in creating your own projects. Be Consistent & practice. Happy coding!
The next step is to find free or low-cost resources that can teach you the basics of your chosen language. There are plenty of online platforms, courses, books, podcasts, blogs, and videos that can help you learn programming from scratch. Some of the most popular ones are Codecademy, Coursera, edX, Udemy, Khan Academy, and YouTube. You can also use free or open-source software, tools, and libraries that can help you practice and improve your skills. For example, you can use Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, or Atom as your code editor. You can use GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket as your version control system. You can use Bootstrap, jQuery, or React as your web development framework.
At the moment, if you find some language that land you a job but don't have resources for free or low code? It's your chance to make it along the way you learn it. So don't worry, at least you have the document. Brave yourself, some old tech still work even the time I working on WPF C# it's still there
Another significant resource is a library card. City libraries often have access to things like Oreilly online. There’s also sites like HumbleBundle that have bundles of books on various topics. You can get top educational material for cheap and donate to charity at the same time!
The most important skill is Googling! There are tons of valuable resources for free and/or at low cost on the internet, just try to find them! Examples: 1. YouTube: - Free code camp - Coursera - Traversy Media - TechWorld with Nana - Net Ninja etc. 2. Documentations of your programming language or frameworks, w3schools, Khan Academy 3. Platforms like Stackoverflow, GitHub 4. Udemy: offers great courses, often with high amounts of discounts 5. Keep experimenting - don't be inside of your borders, use your theoretical knowledge in action, try different things, build your own apps, see real-world problems, and find solutions 6. Open GitHub and review the codes of others, open source projects, code review is crucial to improve
YouTube, GitHub and official documentation are more than enough to learn any of the programming language No need to roam here and there you can find A100% of what you need at just 3 places
Thank god Microsoft launched Visual Studio Community as a free IDE. This goes hand in hand with Step 1 of this article. Once you choose a language to start learning then you can look for IDEs free of charge that will compile the language. Say someone wants to learn C# as their first language. When the user finds out that Visual Studio Community is free, they have an IDE to start learning and programming with. Visual Studio is clean and comprehensive to use.
The third step is to join a community of other learners and programmers who can support you, guide you, and challenge you. You can find online forums, groups, chats, and platforms where you can ask questions, share your projects, get feedback, and learn from others. Some of the most popular ones are Stack Overflow, Reddit, Discord, Slack, and Medium. You can also join local or online events, workshops, hackathons, and meetups where you can network, collaborate, and learn from experts. Some of the most popular ones are Meetup, Eventbrite, Hacktoberfest, and Code for America.
To learn programming on a budget, engage with a supportive community of learners and programmers. Join online forums like Stack Overflow, Reddit, or platforms such as Discord, Slack, and Medium. Participate in local or online events, workshops, and meetups using platforms like Meetup, Eventbrite, Hacktoberfest, and Code for America. Connecting with others provides valuable guidance, support, and opportunities for collaboration, making learning cost-effective and enriching.
Joining a community is essential because you get updates about current trends and technology and can see what others are learning and is that important for you or not Always join a community with a larger number of members so you can be free from the barrier of joining many communities of smaller number of members
Communities can be a mixed bag. Especially if the language is popular in schools and universities, there's a lot of students asking the same questions each time. For pro users, this can get annoying and they might not be on their best behavior. So above all, be friendly, be patient. You might not be able to explain your problem in the best way, and people might criticize that the wrong way. Try to see it from their side and maybe ask what you can provide for them to see your problem. And, hey, even if you're not an expert yet, answer questions from other newcomers. You might even be able to build a "learning group"!
Community Forums and Q&A Sites: Engage with programming communities on forums like Stack Overflow, Reddit (e.g., r/learnprogramming), and Discord servers. These platforms offer a wealth of knowledge, troubleshooting assistance, and networking opportunities with fellow learners and experienced developers.
The fourth step is to work on projects that can help you apply what you have learned, solve real-world problems, and showcase your skills. You can start with simple and fun projects that can help you practice the basics of your language, such as building a calculator, a quiz, a game, or a website. You can then move on to more complex and challenging projects that can help you learn new concepts, tools, and frameworks, such as building a chatbot, a weather app, a blog, or a portfolio. You can also contribute to open-source projects that can help you improve your code quality, documentation, and collaboration skills.
Working on a project is important but always try to work on projects with diverse fields Because working in only one type of environment can make you master but Working on variety makes you industry ready
Choosing the best programming language for projects involves considering versatility, community support, and alignment with project goals. Languages like Python offer simplicity for beginners, enabling projects like calculators or games. Advanced languages like JavaScript aid in web development (websites, blogs) and chatbot creation. Emphasizing open source is vital; it fosters collaboration, skill enhancement, and exposure to quality code. Engaging in projects with diverse languages exposes learners to varying paradigms, enhancing their adaptability and problem-solving abilities. Start simple, evolve progressively, and embrace open source for skill refinement and real-world impact.
Practice and Build Projects: Practice coding regularly and work on personal projects to apply what you've learned. Building projects not only reinforces your programming skills but also helps you develop a portfolio to showcase to potential employers or clients.
Personally, I think a video game is an excellent project for anyone interested in coding. 1. Game engines such as Unity or Unreal make seeing the effects of your code easy. Being able to type a few lines, run, and see the effects change on-screen helps a lot for a new developer. 2. There's an abundance of resources specifically around game-specific questions like designing a physics engine or a save system. 3. Even a simple game like a Tetris clone requires significant skill and effort to complete. A finished game, or even a good prototype is a meaningful addition to a portfolio. 4. A finished game can also be released and sold. And while most games won't amount to anything much, there's always that chance that yours will be the exception.
Personally, I have learned different languages with online free resources. Is really about consistence and there are so many tools in the internet to help you learn that the budget is not a problem. From youtube videos to AWS free tier, you will find everything you need to become a good engineer
The fifth step is to learn by doing. This means that you should not just watch or read tutorials, but also write and run your own code. You should also not just copy and paste code, but also understand and modify it. You should also not just follow instructions, but also experiment and explore. You should also not just learn one thing, but also review and revise it. By learning by doing, you can reinforce your knowledge, discover your mistakes, and find your solutions.
Choose a project that will solve a real problem in your life or the life of someone you know. Use the project you create or give it to the person whose problem it solves. Collect feedback from your own experience or from theirs. Then iterate on the project to make it better in response to that feedback. Document your journey by building in public on a social media platform like ?? or LinkedIn. If you care to, document your tasks in Jira (free) or your designs in Figma (free), for more documentation to show your process for building the project. Collect all of this documentation and the project repo and throw it in a portfolio that you can show off to employers. Ideally, your project should have its own documentation in the README file.
Nothing teaches you about the importance of well-designed code like trying to make your own project. It's easy enough to nod your head at things like needing unit tests and comments, but creating your own project will drive these things home for you. Coming back to your own code after six months and realizing you only vaguely remember what anything does and that you need to track down half a dozen bugs before anything will run... it's a life lesson. And one that's far better to learn on a personal project nobody will ever see than on an important job!
Practice make you better. Consistency matters and it prove it worth after a long run. There's no better way to learn code by writing it on your own. Watching and understanding through tutorial is fine but when you write by yourself, you understand more, why is it written in that particular way, why this - why that. Start with small, seek help if stuck. Done fear the errors, instead take it as a way to improve. Experiment with different way of writing the same algorithm. Join a community, contribute to open source and enjoy coding.
You might not need to do all this alone, though. Get other newcomers to the language, from the communities you joined (or at least look upon). You can tackle bigger projects, and those tend to be more interesting. And while you all probably still have gaps in your knowledge, those might not be the same gaps, your new programming friend might have learned what you're working on, while you might have done something he still struggles with.
The sixth and final step is to keep learning. Programming is a dynamic and evolving field, so you should always be curious, motivated, and updated. You should always seek new challenges, opportunities, and resources that can help you advance your skills, knowledge, and career. You should also always seek feedback, advice, and mentorship from others who can help you grow, learn, and succeed.
Continual learning is key in programming; it's forever changing. Stay curious, motivated, and updated by seeking new challenges and resources. Embrace opportunities to advance skills and knowledge. Feedback, advice, and mentorship are invaluable for growth and success. Always seek guidance from experienced individuals willing to support your journey. The field thrives on staying informed and open to learning, ensuring a fulfilling and evolving career. Curiosity fuels growth, seeking guidance aids success—keep learning, evolving, and achieving in the dynamic world of programming.
Online Coding Challenges and Competitions: Participate in online coding challenges and competitions such as HackerRank, LeetCode, and Codeforces. These platforms offer a fun and interactive way to hone your problem-solving skills and improve your coding abilities. Utilize Free IDEs and Tools: Take advantage of free integrated development environments (IDEs) and tools available for programming. Many popular IDEs like Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition, and Eclipse are free to use and offer robust features for coding.
Keep learning everyday makes you more precise in anything it may be programming or anything else. So I always believe "1℅ better everyday " .
Invest your time in understanding the concepts from books or videos as you prefer. Apply the knowledge gained to real projects consistently to solidify your newly acquired skills. At first use basics to solve your problems then continuously review and explore how you can optimize your solutions. Focus on understanding the concepts of one programming language rather than mastering the tools used. This approach will make it easier for you to transition to other programming languages in the future. Utilize online resources, join coding communities, and participate in open-source projects. Remember, the key is consistent practice and application of what you learn.
Make sure you properly assess your motivation for learning programming before you venture off on your educational journey. I encourage everyone to learn programming, but if you lack the proper motivation then it's likely you won't have much success trying to learn. Before you spend any money on materials, courses, or education, try using free beginner resources online for a few weeks and see if you're still motivated. If you're find that you're still engaged with what you're learning and would like to learn more, only then would I consider spending money on educational resources. Personally, I don't believe in spending money on educational resources for programming, unless it's towards an accredited degree program (like a college degree).
Consider reading the documentation. It’s not only about making code works. It’s also about understanding how and why it works. Understanding the core concept will make you excel in tool you’ve never used because you understand the concept of similar tools. Documentations are underrated.
YouTube Tutorials and Channels: Watch programming tutorials and educational videos on YouTube. There are numerous channels dedicated to teaching programming concepts, coding techniques, and software development practices, often at no cost. Local Meetups and Workshops: Attend local programming meetups, workshops, or coding bootcamps if available in your area. These events may offer free or low-cost learning opportunities, as well as opportunities to connect with industry professionals and mentors.