You communicate through coding in the modern world. This new language has become so central to life that tech experts are advising students to learn coding for a brighter future. This is where online coding courses may come in handy — they range from introductory courses for beginners to mid-level courses for young learners.
Why coding is important
Have you ever wondered why students are interested in such a diverse range of computer programming languages? The explanation lies in the ever-changing nature of tech: today's most popular programming languages may not be so popular tomorrow. The key is to build a portfolio of top programming languages to stay relevant and beat the competition.
Best coding courses available online for students:
Google IT Automation with Python Professional Certificate by Google — by Coursera
This Google-developed six-course certificate is meant to educate beginners with in-demand skills such as Python, Git and IT automation that can help you grow your career. This programme will help you advance your career by building on your IT roots. It's intended to teach you how to programme in Python and how to automate typical system administration activities with that programming language. You'll also learn how to use Git and GitHub, diagnose and debug complicated problems, and use configuration management and the cloud to automate.
CS50's Web Programming with Python and JavaScript — by Harvard University
Database design, scalability, security and user experience are among the subjects covered in this 12-week course. You'll learn here how to develop and use APIs, create interactive UIs, and use cloud services like GitHub and Heroku through hands-on projects. By the end of the course, you'll know the principles, languages and tools that will enable you to design and deploy internet applications.
Introduction to Cloud Development with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript — by IBM at edX
This two-week course will teach you the essential tools and programming languages for launching your career as a cloud developer. Here you will learn how to use HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and GitHub to get started with web programming. It will give you an overview of the cloud development ecosystem and terms such as front-end developer, back-end developer, server-side developer and full-stack developer. Apart from learning how to work with front-end developers' programming languages for developing user interfaces, the course offers the opportunity to develop hands-on abilities with HTML, CSS and JavaScript.
Python for Everybody Specialization by University of Michigan — by Coursera
This eight-month course builds on the success of the “Python for Everyone” course. It uses the Python programming language to cover essential programming concepts like data structures, networked application programme interfaces and databases. In this course you will be required to finish a capstone project by using the technologies learned during the specialisation. Taught by Charles Russell Severance, this is one of the most interesting courses in the domain. At the end of this five-module course, you’ll earn a certificate.
Java Programming Masterclass covering Java 11 & Java 17 — by Udemy
This 90-hour course will provide you with Java skills to land a career as a Java developer. By the end of the course, you will learn industry best practices in Java software development. Here you will learn the fundamental Java skills that are essential to apply for Java developer jobs. After learning the fundamentals of Java, you can move on to the Spring Framework, Java EE and Android development. At the end of the course, you can sit for the Oracle Java Certificate exam.
Learn HTML — by Codeacademy
You will master common HTML tags needed to organise HTML pages in this nine-hour course. Since all web pages are built on the foundations of HTML, you would not be able to organise text, add images or videos to your web pages without HTML. The course also teaches how to develop HTML tables to present tabular data in a more efficient way. It will also teach you the inner workings of HTML forms — you will learn how to prepare your own form and integrate HTML validations.
JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures — by FreeCodeCamp
You'll master two fundamental programming paradigms, Object Oriented Programming (OOP) and Functional Programming (FP), in this free course. JavaScript is used to make a page interactive, whereas HTML and CSS manage the page’s content and appearance. You'll master here the essentials of JavaScript, including variables, arrays, objects, loops, and functions. You can use your newfound knowledge to create algorithms that manipulate strings, factorialise numbers and even compute the orbit of the international space station.
Learn to Code — by Udacity
This four-month course will teach you the fundamentals of programming using HTML, CSS, Python and JavaScript. Get plenty of experience with hands-on activities and projects that will teach you the principles of coding. The entire course is divided into four modules to help you ease into the world of coding through web development, programming with Python and Javascript.