If you have always wanted to learn programming, but never taken a course and found most online tutorials too confusing, Codecademy is a great way to start. The lessons are quick, simple, and don’t require anything other than a browser. You can sign in, or do them anonymously.
Programming is one of those things that seems like fun, but also seems overwhelming. There are tons of sites out there (Cplusplus.com, YouTube, etc) and all are excellent resources, but few offer a really good “starting point.” Codecademy simply prompts you with an in-browser console box and text editor, and explains each object and how it interacts with other objects. Having just taken Java in college, I found it quite easy to transfer my knowledge to JavaScript, but there are tons of hints and explanations for the beginner.
Not only does it introduce you to the basics of variables, math and arrays, it teaches you how objects interact (name.length, for example) and lets you play with if, else, and all sorts of fun logic tests and loops. Once you get a fairly firm grasp on these concepts, programming in general should make a lot more sense.
After you’re done with the tutorials, check out the Oracle Java Tutorials, and grab Eclipse to play around a bit more. If you’re looking for a good book, I’d recommend Thinking With Java [PDF], which gives you excellent tutorials and explanations of how the Java programming language works.
What’s your favorite online programming resource? Let us know in the comments.
Hat tip to the folks of #whitenoise who pointed this out!
Source: Codeacademy
The name of this company is actually Codecademy (without the “a”) not CodeAcademy or Code Academy. There is a CodeAcademy.org, and that is in Chicago.
Thanks. Brain is fritz-y today.
It’s been fixed.
It’s all good. Thanks for the correction.
Interesting article. I’ve taken a bit different approach here. My thinking was that once people decided they wanted to do it, to really learn to program, they needed a road map.
As you’ll notice, I encourage the reader to use the web at each step, and to develop a pattern of Googling answers in pursuit of the larger goal.
Feedback is welcome.
Ah, I like it. I also like the Google-foo tips. Understanding how to search for a specific topic helps a lot. Yet as a good road map, there needs to be some definite landmarks, as in “Use X language to build X” and explain why that project is good in the long run.
I’ve bookmarked it, and will probably snag my old laptop out of the closet and try some of these tutorials.
I agree that “targets” along the “road” would be a good addition. It’s a little hard for me, coming from the other side, but I’ll try to see what I can work up. Thanks!
I just started learning programming a year ago, and having 3 different professors with three teaching styles, it’s interesting to see what ways worked for me and my classmates and what didn’t. Even specific problems /projects would be good ideas, along with explaining how those projects can build upon and be built upon by other projects.
Do you have a Table of Contents for your site? I couldn’t find one, and that would be very good idea as well.
Right now the sidebar list is the closest to a TOC. Still building ;-)