This article is about where and how to learn to code. If you’d like a more comprehensive guide to launching your career in software, you can check out my previous article The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Software Developer, from scratch.
Learning to code is easy—all you need is a computer and the internet. The hard part is knowing where to start. This article will help you get the ball rolling.
First step: orient yourself – with YouTube, ChatGPT & talking to others.
First thing’s first, you need a basic understanding of coding and of the IT industry. Watch some YouTube videos aimed at beginners, which explain a bit about software development. Just start with the basics and then follow your interest.
Some suggestions to get you started: videos about the history of programming; popular programming languages; different kinds of coding (e.g. frontend vs backend); how the IT world works; and what it’s like to work as a developer.
Make a ChatGPT or Grok account if you don’t have one, and ask it questions that you have, and that arise over time. Tell it to tailor its answers to an entry-level learner.
If you know any developers, or people with a connection to the IT world, send them a message or email. Tell them about your plans to start coding. Ask them some questions, or if they would be free for a call or a coffee. Talking with them will give you more of a feel for what the world of IT is like.
Second step: learn what it feels like to code.
You need to get a feel of what coding is actually like. Codecademy is a good option there. It's a learning platform which teaches people to write code in a highly guided manner.
You can start with its free tier—pick one of its courses, whichever you feel like or suspect would be most useful to you, and start getting some coding hours in.
Next up: write code in your own environment!
Download an IDE—a platform where developers write code. Visual Studio Code is a free and widely-used option.
Then go back to YouTube and find a guided coding tutorial, so you can follow along and make a small app. This will be quite a step forward, as you will be creating and running software yourself, which can feel quite satisfying.
Some good YouTube channels for free guided tutorials:
Finally: level up by joining a video learning platform...
YouTube only has so many quality coding tutorials. To progress on from the beginner stuff, I recommend checking out either PluralSight or Udemy. They each have scores of high quality guided coding tutorials, made by talented and experienced developers, and covering many areas of software development.
By now, you should have enough information to be able to pick a particular area of software development (and a main language or technology) to initially focus on. Your chosen area could be one that aligns with your interests, talents, or career goals. If you feel unsure, don’t worry and just pick a popular language to go with (JavaScript or Java will do). If you decide to pivot to something else later, it’s not a problem because most coding languages have a lot in common.
n.b. There are many fine places that teach coding online besides the resources I’ve mentioned, other video platforms and much more (Coursera, Frontend Masters, etc.).
Moving on: as soon as you are able, join a learning institution or company—if possible, in-person.
It’s great that you can basically learn to code by yourself online, but eventually you will have to share your new skill with the outside world in some way, if you want to pursue it as more than a hobby.
Register with a coding school, bootcamp, or university. Otherwise, find companies who will let you in the door to get unpaid (or paid!) work experience. On the job is where the real learning happens. Start building that resume, collecting references, and laying the foundations for your career in IT.
