How I Learned to Code for Free and Why You Should As Well.
Tags: codenewbie, webdev, javascript
Published: 2020-09-21 19:50:17

There is no better time to learn a new skill than now. With the current pandemic situation, a lot of us find ourselves unemployed, with extra free time or simply just bored. Instead of going for the TV control and binging on 15 hours of Netflix why not prepare for an ever-changing future. 

It is clear that the world will not be the same after this pandemic. Many jobs are going fully or partially remote. Learning how to code can open up many doors. Depending on what language you choose to learn (Javascript, Python, C++, Java, etc.) you can break into different fields, from the medical to entertainment. 

In this post, I will share with you the top 5 free resources I used to learn to code.  These resources include websites and mobile applications. With time I realized that when learning how to code every minute counts.  As a stay at home mom, it is not always easy to sit down at a desk and use my computer for 2 to 3 hours. Therefore I rely on various learning methods and resources to ensure success. 

## Top 5 Free Resources

### 1. [Freecodecamp](https://www.freecodecamp.org/) (Website)
Freecodecamp is a great website that is free and the perfect place to start your coding journey. It has planned out learning paths that you can follow and earn a certificate for once completed. Each certification includes projects that you complete at the end. These are great to practice what you have learned. You can also use the projects as examples of your work when you apply to jobs. There is a great community behind Freecodecamp that you can interact with through their forum, social media, and even Youtube. 

### 2. [W3schools](https://www.w3schools.com/) (Website & Mobile) 
W3schools is my go-to reference. I always go back to it when I get stuck or have quick questions about HTML, CSS, or JavaScript. At the beginning of my journey I used it a lot to read up on the basics of CSS. You can also try out the code and see how it works. This website is great if you use it in combination with any of the other apps and websites I mention. 

### 3. [SoloLearn](https://www.sololearn.com/) (Mobile) 
SoloLearn is a mobile app with very detailed courses on various topics. It is a great app for learning and practicing on the go. There is also a bookmark option where you can save sections of a course and keep them as a reference in your account. Each lesson has a comment section where you can see what others have said and you can connect with other people taking the same course. 

### 4. [Mimo](https://getmimo.com) (Mobile) 
Mimo is a beginner-friendly app that offers learning paths and certification courses. Its interface is very easy to use and you won’t feel overwhelmed as you are learning. The lessons are very interactive and you do mini-projects as you go which is a great way to learn how to code. 

### 5. [Scrimba](https://scrimba.com/) (Website) 
Scrimba is a recent discovery that has quickly become a favorite. The lesson workspace is amazing. The courses are in a video format in which the teacher codes along with you. The best part is that you can edit and save the code to your own computer. Therefore, you can experiment with the code, make changes, and customizations to better understand the concepts.  

There are many websites and mobile apps that you can use to learn how to code. These are only the top 5 (free) resources I have used thus far. However, in this career, you are always learning something new as technologies are always changing and improving. I am sure I will use different resources as time goes on and so will you.

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If you are even a bit intrigued and are interested in learning to code [lets connect!](https://www.instagram.com/brendamichellle/) I would love to help in any way I can. 

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