Have you ever wished you took computer science in college, or looked at your friends working as developers and wanted to be doing what they are? Or, do you just want to be able to create some new functionalities for your website on your own, without paying a developer?
Often, when people think about learning to program, they build it up to be such a monumental challenge that they never actually start. But the truth is, you don’t have to go into programming with an all-or-nothing attitude. Even if you can only dedicate a few nights to it each week, you can be developing applications in as little as three months. Seriously!
Of course, getting started is the hardest part—you want it to happen overnight, and it won’t. But if you started hacking on tutorials today, you could have full projects live on the web by the end of the weekend. By the end of the month, you could have built a relatively sophisticated application from scratch. There’s no magic bullet, but the most important thing is that you just start solving problems and building. Here’s how to tackle learning to code in your free time.
A great way to start is with some of the free resources online. Codecademy hosts online tutorials on topics like HTML and Javascript to help you learn in an interactive way. Sign up for their Code Year emails, and you’ll receive a new coding lesson every Monday (and be building apps and websites before you know it!). If you want to play around with code before tackling a lesson plan, check out Try Ruby, an interactive and fun in-browser tutorial from Code School.
And when you hit a tough spot, know that even experienced programmers hit problems all the time. Bring your questions to online forums like Stack Overflow.
Lots of great books will give you follow-along exercises and teach you the basics of programming theory. But be warned: Just reading through these books will not make you a programmer. Challenge yourself to sit down at the computer and practice, not just rely on the text! I personally loved playing around with the exercises in Learn Python the Hard Way and Beginning Ruby.
If you’re really serious about learning to code in the next few months, Chicago-based Code Academy is a three-month program that provides instruction, mentorship, and an immersive environment to develop your expertise in user experience and web development. Jaret Manuel, who went through Code Academy this winter, says of his experience, “I had no illusions of becoming a hardcore developer, but after building PuckDrop.net and a property management app with some help, I am proof that anyone can learn to code and deploy in 12 weeks!”
For a less intensive class, check out organizations like Ladies Learning Code and Girl Develop It. Both offer workshops in HTML, CSS, Javascript, Ruby, WordPress, and Python, presented in an environment open to the most novice of beginners. They also focus on helping women learn to program (though they welcome men as well).
While no one can learn for you, you also don’t have to be alone in your quest to code. It’s important to have a friend who can help you get started (and whom you can call on for help along the way). You don’t want to spend the first couple days banging your head against a screen!
Don’t know any developers to call on? Most of those I’ve met have been more than happy to help out newcomers. Try going to developer meetups in your city, and make it clear that you’re just getting started and are looking for mentorship. Or, chat with a dev shop or start-up in your area—they might be able to introduce you to someone.
The next time you find yourself saying something along the lines of “If only I had studied computer science” or “I could have a great job if I were a developer,” remember this: Three months from now, you too could be a programmer. So get out there and start building!
Need a little more encouragement? Check out the $5,000 grants Etsy is offering to 10 women who want to attend this summer’s session of Hacker School. Also check out the new San Francisco-based female-only hacker school, Hackstar Academy, which is taking sign-ups for its summer session right now.
Katherine is the Co-Founder of ShopLocket. She has worked as an independent digital media consultant, Shopify Theme Developer, and in a variety of marketing positions at Toronto-based startups. Katherine has been planning events and working with startups since she was 16. Follow Katherine on Twitter @KatherineHague.
This is great! I've seen a lot of 3 month coding schools pop up recently. MakerSquare (www.themakersquare.com) is one that started up in Austin, Texas. The program teaches full-stack web development along with industry tools to prepare you for employment.
If you're looking for a similar 3 month intensive program focusing on web application entrepreneurship in Australia, take a look at http://polycademy.com
We've begun to accept applicants!
This is amazing! Exactly the kinds of resources and suggestions I've been looking for recently! Thank you to all for sharing your information!
I was indeed being sarcastic. Specifically referencing this quote:
The next time you find yourself saying something along the lines of “If only I had studied computer science” or “I could have a great job if I were a developer,” remember this: Three months from now, you too could be a programmer.
Hackrocket.com will soon launch an immersive three-month program to teach absolute beginners how to build iPhone and iPad apps
The title should be "learn to write motley code in one computer language in 3 months".
Sorry, but your promise is a bit naive, it takes years and endless paradigm shifts to learn to code ..
I believe he was being sarcastic. Obviously anyone who thinks front-end web development is difficult could never make the cut for developing more intricate applications. Sad part is that most web developers out there today are horrible, thanks to articles such as this one that lead people to believe anyone can do the work yet the quality is the same as if it was outsourced to India.
Um, No. If you actually paid attention in your CS courses, you have a much more broad and expansive background into computing than someone who picked up programming has. CS is more than just programming... Most well paying jobs require that you understand what's going on under the hood and actually be able to optimize your program.
Just went live in April. The feedback so far has be fantastic. Would love you here your comments! Script YOUR future with CodeAvengers.com!
It's a shame I wasted all that time and money on a CS degree. You've just equated it to a 3 month self-study program. Thanks.
Thanks for the shout-out, Nisha! We are working hard to put together our tutorials and look forward to rolling out our full site in early-August. In the meantime, folks can sign up for our newsletter at http://www.skillcrush.com and learn a little each day as we lead up to our launch.
Best,
Jennifer McFadden
Co-Founder, Skillcrush
People have been telling me good things about http://funprogramming.org I hope it helps people get started.
I am learning Python at home.
It can take 3 months if you have these months available.
You can follow my Python from scratch at my website
Good luck all
Code Avengers http://codeavengers.com is a free interactive online tutorial that will teach you Javascript. My brother created it and I think its the funnest and most effective way to learn.
Also check out http://onvard.com, it's in beta mode but it gives beginners a really good guideline of the best resources and websites to use to learn how to code.
You should also check out http://devbootcamp.com/ - a 10 week Ruby on Rails intensive course. The first cohort has just graduated and 15 of the 17 looking for jobs have had offers!
I've been trying out teamtreehouse.com to start learning html. It's also $25/month. I like the structure of the code along style video presentations, and paying a bit makes me feel more committed to sticking with it.
lynda.com is another great resource! Several developers at my company have referred it. It's paid but at only $25/month it's not too bad
I've also been wanted to buy this book for ages (http://www.amazon.com/HTML-CSS-Design-Build-Websites/dp/1118008189/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335894880&sr=8-1)! I'm not a coder, so I can't speak to it's technical merit, but it looks beautiful!
Have you heard anything about it?
Also check out Skillcrush! (http://www.skillcrush.com/) Its geared towards getting women into tech. They have a Tech Terms page which has really helpful explanations for all the tech terms floating around these days and will soon have tutorials!
