How to learn to code for free + best options for learning how to code
A quick guide to coding: what’s right for you and what career paths you can take!
Free:
Let’s start off with the FREE option, as it’s accessible for everyone and probably why you clicked on this.
The Odin Project is a completely free “course” that assembles the best free resources and tutorials from all over the internet. “This project is designed to fill in the gap for people who are trying to hack it on their own but still want a high quality education.” As their motto states, it’s perfect for people who don’t have several thousand dollars, or even tens of thousands, for a bootcamp or class. It has thousands of contributors who are developers or software engineers, so they know exactly what you need to know in order to launch your career.
It has two paths after you complete the foundational course, for either Ruby on Rails or Javascript. It’s great for people who aren’t sure if they want to pursue front-end, back-end, or full stack development.
Everyone who goes through that program says it’s absolutely fantastic, and they have a discord server for help too, so you never feel like you’re going at it alone.
LOW COST:
My next recommendation is SuperHi*. Their unlimited price (which gives you unlimited access to all (25+) of their courses) is only 360 USD per year. They put creativity at the forefront, so it’s great for people who have a more creative mind who want to learn code. It’s project based, everything you learn is being put into a website that you make either along with the instructor, or afterwards for your homework. It has a focus on front-end development, but they also have courses for Python and Ruby on Rails.
This is how I’m learning to code and I can’t recommend it enough. They have people on their team to help you decide which coding classes to take based on your career objectives (like a college counselor, but they won’t screw you over so you end up having to pay more and stay longer). They also have a wonderful Slack group that posts job opportunities almost every day, and it’s a great way to see what other students are working on and to network!
Creative brains will absolutely love the classes SuperHi has to offer.
Higer cost/more specific:
There are courses that are more platform specific, and my favorite one is Standout Squarespace* from Squarestylist. Squarespace seems to have limited design potential upon first look, but with CSS you can make it look pretty much however you want. That’s exactly what Rache teaches.
This course is ideal if you’re new to code and immediately want to know how to launch and run a web design business. Not only does she teach you to code for the Squarespace platform, but she teaches the ins and outs of running a creative business - from discovery call scripts, to notion templates, and re-usable code snippets (a lot of the design options are plug and play CSS, but she teaches the why behind it all, so it’s great for newbies!).
Squarespace is really popular with clients because it’s easy to use and has lots of options for e-commerce (smaller scale). Basically anyone who wants a website will love Squarespace unless they have an e-commerce store with lots of SKUs (20+) or have any other advanced needs.
Since we’ve taken a dive into specific platforms, I also want to plug SuperHi’s Shopify course. It teaches you how to customize themes with CSS, Javascript, and Shopify’s coding language Liquid. This is an advanced class, so you need to have a great understanding of CSS and Javascript. It falls in their unlimited plan, which I highly recommend doing! SuperHi also has a Wordpress class!
Highest cost:
It’s not an article about learning code if we don’t talk about bootcamps. I don’t have too much to say about bootcamps because I haven’t been through any myself, nor do I know anyone directly who has been through them. I’m very deep into “coding tiktok” and people really seem to have mixed reviews about bootcamps. I think it’s most likely a better option for people who want to take the software engineer route. They’re SO expensive, so I recommend starting with lower ticket options to learn, as I know there are people who exclusively went through The Odin Project and landed jobs! It’s all about your portfolio, so as long as you can build some cool things, a lot of employers don’t care too much about how/where you learned it.
* means it is an affiliate link, feel free to not use it if you don’t want to!
How these correlate to jobs + job titles:
I also want to take time and correlate the coding paths above with various career paths, because that’s just as important to know. You can either end up doing freelance/contract work or working for a larger company. Both are great options and can make mad money if you play your cards right!
Going freelance/owning your own business allows you to take on clients you actually want to work with, but the downside is you have to learn to market yourself and it’s not as “stable” as a job for a larger company.
Working for a corporation is the most stable option, and I know some people need that to feel comfortable.
The Odin Project - Great for corporate more so than freelance, but it’s still a great starting point regardless. They teach full stack skills, so I’d say it’s best for a job with a larger company.
Roles such as: software engineer, full-stack developer/engineer, software developer.
SuperHi - Great for freelance + corporate. This path is ideal for people who want to express their creativity through their work and want to focus on web development/front-end development. The jobs that would be best for this route prioritize creativity and design skills as well as coding skills.
Roles such as: digital designer, web designer, web developer, graphic designer, interactive designer.
Standout Squarespace - Great for freelance. This is not something I’d recommend for someone wanting to work for a larger/corporate company, as this skillset just doesn’t get you the skills an employer would want, also since it’s exclusive to the Squarespace platform. It’s really designed for creative people who want to start a freelance web design/development business, and that’s about it. But it’s worth its weight in gold if you fit the above criteria
Bootcamps - Great for corporate, not ideal for freelance.
Because you might have to sell a kidney for admission, this is something you probably only want to do if you want a corporate developer/engineer job.
Roles such as: software engineer, full-stack developer/engineer, software developer.
How to land the jobs:
Freelance:
This is the easiest because you don’t have to prove your skills, your clients won’t be interviewing you. You need to create passion projects that match exactly the kind of work you want to take on. If your dream is to work with beauty brands, then create one! Design the brand, brand identity, website, etc. Treat this as if it was a real client, so conduct brand strategy, UX strategy, etc. Showcase this work and potential clients will fall in love with it and want that for themselves/their business. It might take time, but put your all into it and I can guarantee you’ll get clients. Also try to diversify your marketing. Use Instagram, Pinterest, Behance, Dribbble, etc. The more eyes = the more possibilities for work.
I’ll have more freelance tips coming later, but for now this is a good starting point!
Corporate (Creative):
I have less experience in this department since I’m a freelancer, but you’ll still need a killer portfolio that shows off your best skills and design style. You’ll have to explain your design choices and how they solve problems, work for the brand, etc.
Corporate (Full-stack/engineer/back-end):
I have little experience in this, but I know they touch on this in The Odin Project and SuperHi if you want more specific/better advice. I’m sure Google has plenty to offer as well. A lot of YouTubers talk about this too. The job description will provide you with everything they want, so review it carefully and connect your completed portfolio projects with their objectives. I’m sure your portfolio projects demonstrate the skills they’re looking for, you just have to articulate that!
