Programming is the most sought after skill in today’s time. Be it for web development, gaming or the automation sector, programming skills are highly in demand and so are programmers. Learning how to code has gained as much importance as learning how to treat patients for surgeons.
Programming is one of the highest-paid professions today and always staying updated with the latest developments in technology has become the need of the hour. Be it for getting your dream job or learning it for fun, learning how to code will enhance your problem solving and computational capabilities. Another reason to learn programming is, it gives you the freedom to build on your ideas and helps you to comprehend how things interact with technology.
If you are a beginner or somebody who has made up his mind to start learning how to code, we have compiled data on some of the best online programming courses for beginners in 2021. These online courses are some of the highly-rated and affordable courses available on the internet. So, without any further due, let’s dive straight into it.
Our criteria for choosing online programming courses
- Experienced teachers
- Flexible learning timeline
- Exercises and projects
- Downloadable resources
- Programming languages widely used in the job market
- Certificate of completion
Here’s a list of 10 best online programming courses for beginners in 2021
The Complete 2020 Web Development Bootcamp, by Dr Angela Yu
Platform– Udemy
Average rating– 4.7
Program duration– Self-paced
Students enrolled– 256K
Price– 7$-14$ for Lifetime access
Created by Dr Angela Yu, a lead instructor at London’s leading in-person Programming Bootcamp, ‘The Complete Web Development Bootcamp’, is the highest-rated and a perfect course for beginners to get started with web development. The reason for its success is Angel’s unique way of teaching and explaining complex problems which will make you fall in love with programming.
The course is packed with more than 50 hours of on-demand video with animated illustrations which makes it easy to learn. You will get to learn the latest tools and technologies used by some of the top companies like Google, Amazon and Netflix and build real-world projects to sharpen your coding skills. The course is frequently updated with new concepts and projects to keep up with new developments in the market.
The best thing about learning on Udemy is you get a 30-day money-back guarantee if you don’t like the instructor or the course.
Tools and technologies covered in the course-
- Front-End Web Development
- HTML 5
- CSS 3
- Bootstrap 4
- Javascript ES6
- DOM Manipulation
- jQuery
- Bash Command Line
- Git, GitHub and Version Control
- Backend Web Development
- Node.js
- NPM
- Express.js
- EJS
- REST
- APIs
- Databases
- SQL
- MongoDB
- Mongoose
- Authentication
- Firebase
- React.js
- React Hooks
- Web Design
- Deployment with GitHub Pages, Heroku and MongoDB Atlas
Python for Everybody Specialization, by University of Michigan
Platform– Coursera
Instructor– Charles Russell Severance
Program duration– 8 months (3 hours/ week)
Average rating– 4.8
Students enrolled– 744K
Price– 7-day free trial later 50$/month for Coursera plus
Python has slowly emerged as one of the most popular programming languages among programmers in recent times due to its ease of coding, understandable language, a wide collection of frameworks and compatibility with various platforms. Python is the most accessible and easy to learn programming language for anyone new to the world of programming.
Python for Everybody on Coursera is a well-structured course through which you will learn all the basics of Python from installing it to coding your first project on your own. The course contains hands-on projects through which you’ll learn how to use the technologies learned throughout the specialization to design and create your web applications to retrieve data and process information.
Topics covered in the course-
- Basics
- Data structures
- Web scraping using Python
- HTML, XML and JSON data formats
- Databases
- How to retrieve, process and visualize data using Python
Learn To Program in Java, by Microsoft
Platform– edX
Instructor– Kasey Champion
Program duration– 4 weeks (6-10 hours/week)
Average rating– 4.7
Students enrolled– 236K
Price– Free/ For certification- 99$
Java is one of the most widely used programming languages today for creating mobile and desktop applications. With the rise in the use of smartphones today, Java is extensively used by programmers for making interactive apps, games, data-processing technologies and cloud-based applications. Java developers are some of the highly paid professionals in the software industry today.
‘Learn To Program in Java‘ created by Microsoft is a specially designed course for beginners to get into the world of mobile app development. Learn to code in Java and implement programming fundamentals to build real-world projects with industry-standard tools and practices.
Topics covered in course-
- Basic Java commands and APIs using industry tools
- Foundational data organization and manipulation
- Code control structures, such as loops and if/else statements
- How to structure code using methods, parameters, and returns
The Complete JavaScript Course 2020: Build Real Projects!, by Jonas Schmedtmann
Platform– Udemy
Instructor- Jonas Schmedtmann
Program duration– Self-paced (28 hours of on-demand video)
Average rating– 4.6
Students enrolled– 341K
Price– 10$-14$ for Lifetime access
Javascript is the most popular programming language today, used extensively for building highly interactive websites. According to the survey done by Stack Overflow, Javascript is still popular among web developers for seven years in a row. With HTML and CSS, Javascript is an essential tool for front-end web development.
Instructor Jonas Schmedtmann explains the concepts in javascript clearly and concisely, making it easy to follow. Learn to code as you go through the concepts with coding challenges after every chapter you learn. Build-real world interactive websites and learn how to apply the concepts you learn to build and deploy your website using Node.js.
Topics covered in course –
- Basics of Javascript
- Learn to use popular libraries/frameworks like React, Angular and Node.
- Learn to work with modern versions of Javascript: ES6/ ES2015
- Learn how to select and change webpage elements, create new elements and handle DOM events.
- Function constructors, prototypal inheritance, first-class functions, closures, the bind and apply methods, and more.
PHP for Beginners – Become a PHP Master, by Edwin Diaz
Platform– Udemy
Instructor- Edwin Diaz
Program duration– Self-paced (37.5 hours of on-demand video)
Average rating– 4.4
Students enrolled– 86.4K
Price– 10$-14$ Lifetime access
PHP is a server-side web development language used to serve user requests made by a user on a website. PHP has a large ecosystem of users who have created frameworks, libraries and automation tools to make coding in PHP easier. Today, some of the biggest content-oriented websites run on PHP like Facebook, WordPress, Wikipedia, Yahoo, Tumblr and much more.
PHP for beginners by web developer Edwin Diaz is a course designed for beginners and intermediates alike who want to learn the basics of server-side web development. The course also offers 23 downloadable resources and 3 articles and lifetime access to all new updates. Just like all other Udemy courses, you get 30-day money-back guarantee.
Note: Before taking the course make sure you have a fundamental working knowledge of HTML and CSS.
Topics covered in the course –
- Databases in PHP
- Object-Oriented PHP
- CMS project-similar to (WordPress)
- Form Submissions in PHP
- Security in PHP
- Variables in PHP
- Math in PHP
- Arrays in PHP
- Control Structures in PHP
- Comparison Operators in PHP
- Mayor Loops in PHP
- Functions in PHP
- Constants in PHP
- Super Globals in PHP
- Sessions in PHP
- Cookies in PHP
- Learn to work with FILES
- Custom search feature
- Authentication
- Learn to use jQuery + Bootstrap
- RealTime Notifications with JS
- Protect your credentials with.ENV
- Learn Composer (PHP dependency Manager)
- Learn to send emails – from PHP or using a third party Package
Learn How to Program with C++, by Kate Gregory
Platform– Pluralsight
Instructor- Kate Gregory
Program duration– Self-paced (7 hours of on-demand video)
Average rating– 4.5
Students enrolled– 10K
Price– 10-day free trial later 20$/month or 168$ for annual subscription
C++ is the backbone of low-level systems. It is a powerful general-purpose programming language used to develop operating systems, browsers, games, graphics rendering, cloud systems, databases and much more. Due to features like rich library support, speed and pointer support, C++ is widely used by programmers to write fast, portable programs. If you want to become a system-level programmer than C++ is the programming language you should go for.
Learn to Program on Pluralsight by Kate Gregory covers all the basic concepts you need to know about C++ before you start writing your first program. Learn the uses of syntax, classes, how to write code and use functions and libraries to build your applications and programs. The best thing about learning on Pluralsight is that you can access other courses until your subscription expires.
Once you have mastered the basics of C++, you can start with the intermediate and advanced level courses offered by instructor Kate Gregory.
Topics covered in the course –
- Syntax
- Classes
- Functions
- Libraries
- Local variables
- Flow of control
- Functions and headers
- Strings and collections
- Writing classes
- Compiler specific topics
iOS 13 & Swift 5 – The Complete iOS App Development Bootcamp, by Dr Angela Yu
Platform– Udemy
Instructor- Dr Angela Yu
Program duration– Self-paced (58.5 hours of on-demand video)
Average rating– 4.8
Students enrolled– 174.5K
Price– 10$-15$ Lifetime access
Swift is a fast and interactive programming language used to develop applications for iOS. With the increase in the number of people using Apple products, Swift has become a popular programming language among app developers to create iOS applications. Swift is easy to read and easy to maintain than other programming languages.
If you are aspiring to become an iOS app developer, then Swift is the language you must know to create fast and interactive applications for iPhones and iPads.
The complete iOS app development Bootcamp by Dr Angela Yu is the highest rated Swift programming language course on Udemy. It covers all the basics like variables, structures, classes, functions and methods in Swift and comprehensive modules to create responsive and beautiful apps. Learn to create real-world projects like augmented reality apps like Pokemon Go and Harry Potter’s magical newspapers.
Topics covered in the course –
- Concepts of Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): The type system, variables, functions and methods, inheritance, structures, classes and protocols.
- Control Structures: Using If/Else clauses, Switch statements and logic to control the flow of execution.
- Data Structures: How to work with collections, such as arrays and dictionaries.
- Software Design: How to organise and format code for readability and how to implement the Model View Controller (MVC) design pattern, Apple’s favourite delegation pattern and the publisher pattern.
- Networking: How to make asynchronous API calls, store and retrieve data from the cloud, and use the JSON format for server communication.
- Persistent Local Data Storage: How to use Core Data, Realm, Codable and User Defaults to store your app data locally.
- How to Implement In-App Purchases with Apple StoreKit
- Machine Learning: How to make artificially intelligent apps and build your machine learning models using iOS 13’s new CoreML2 and CreateML frameworks.
- Augmented Reality: How to create 3D objects in augmented reality and create incredible 3D animations and real-life interactions using Apple’s latest ARKit2 framework.
- SwiftUI: How to use Apple’s brand new UI framework to create user interfaces programmatically that look good across all Apple products.
Master Go (Golang) Programming: The Complete Go Bootcamp 2020, by Andrei Dumitrescu
Platform– Udemy
Instructor- Andrei Dumitrescu
Program duration– Self-paced (13 hours of on-demand video)
Average rating– 4.6
Students enrolled– 2.3K
Price– 10$-15$ Lifetime access
Golang or Go is a programming language created by the search engine giant Google in 2009 to combine the best features of other programming languages. Go has a clean syntax, static typing and ease of use which makes it easy to learn for beginner level programmers. Go is used to build projects which require high speed, high security and high modularity like big data processing or video rendering apps.
The Complete GO programming Bootcamp, by Andrei Dumitrescu, is a perfect course for getting started with Go programming language. If you are aspiring to be a Google developer or thinking about getting into a Silicon Valley startup, then Go is the language you should master. According to TIOBE index Go is steadily making its way as the most in-demand programming language in the job market.
Topics covered in the course-
- Installing Go, Git and VSCode on Windows, Mac and Linux
- Compiling and Running Go Programs
- Using Go tools like go fmt to format and write idiomatic Go code
- GOPATH and Go Application Structure
- Go Packages and Modules In Depth
- Publish Modules on GitHub
- Declarations, Variables, Constants and Comments in Go
- Constant Rules, Typed vs. Untyped Constans, IOTA
- Math, Comparison and Logical Operators
- Go Data Types in Depth, Zero Values, Dynamically vs. Statically Typed Languages
- Converting Types
- fmt Package: Println, Printf, Sprintf etc
- Named (Defined) Types in Go
- Alias Declarations
- Flow Control: if, simple if statement, for, continue, break, switch, labels, goto
- Scopes in Go
- Strings, Runes, Bytes and UTF-8 in Go
- strings Package
- Arrays in Go
- Slices in Go
- Maps in Go
- Structs in Go
- User-defined Functions, Variadic and Anonymous Functions, Defer Statement
- Working with Files in Go: os, io, ioutil, bufio packages
- Error Handling
- Pointers In-Depth: Dereferencing and Address of Operators, Passing to Functions and Methods etc
- Methods (Function Receivers) and Interfaces (Go OOP): Embedded Interfaces, Empty Interface, Type Assertions and Type Switches etc
- Concurrency in Go
- Goroutine Synchronization Using WaitGroups
- Data Races, Go Race Detector and Mutexes
- Goroutines and Channels
- Buffered and Unbuffered Channels
- Channel Select Statement
R Programming, by John Hopkins University
Platform– Coursera
Instructors- Roger D. Peng, Jeff Leek, Brain Caffo
Program duration– 4-5 weeks ( 10-12 hours/week)
Average rating– 4.6
Students enrolled– 535K
Price– 7-day free trial later 50$/month for Coursera plus
R programing language is one of the most common programming language used for data analysis and machine learning. R language has an extensive library and framework and runs smoothly on any operating system. If you want to work as a data scientist or get into general statistical computing then R is the programming language you should master.
R Programming, by John Hopkins University, is a well-designed course for those who want to learn R programming language for effective data analysis and machine learning. This course is part of multiple programs for specialization in the R programming language.
The course covers all practical issues in statistical computing including programming in R, reading data into R, accessing R packages, writing R functions, debugging and profiling R code and much more.
Topics covered in the course –
- Loop Functions and Debugging
- Simulation & Profiling
- Essential exploratory techniques for summarizing data
- Reproducible research
- Collecting, cleaning, and sharing data.
- Regression models
- Practical machine learning
- Developing data products
- Data science capstone
Introduction to Programming with MATLAB, by Vanderbilt University
Platform– Coursera
Instructors- Akos Ledeczi, Mike Fitzpatrick
Program duration– Self-paced (35 hours)
Average rating– 4.6
Students enrolled– 340K
Price– 7-day free trial later 50$/month for Coursera plus
MATLAB is a special-purpose programming language used by engineers as a statistical tool for data analysis. MATLAB enables engineers to solve complex numerical problems by executing powerful programs by writing just few lines of code. Due to its rich library and functionality, MATLAB is also used for developing scientific research applications.
Introduction to Programming with MATLAB, by Vanderbilt University, is a well-structured course which covers all the basics of MATLAB from installing MATLAB on your system to writing your first code. It is a specifically designed course for engineers with little or zero experience in coding.
Topics covered in the course –
- The MATLAB environment
- Matrices and operators
- Functions
- Programmer’s toolbox
- Selection
- Loops
- Data types
- File input/ output
Conclusion
There are a plethora of online learning platforms available for you to learn different programming languages. The most important thing to ask yourself is, Why do you want to learn a programming language? Learning to code is something for which you need to put some efforts. You have to frequently keep yourself updated with the latest developments in the job market and be flexible to learn new things.
- For absolute beginners, I recommend starting with Python programming language as it is the easiest and trending programming language in the job market today.
- Another widely-used programming language is Javascript, used by web developers around the world to build interactive websites.
- If you are interested in developing mobile applications,then Java and Swift programming languages are must on your resume.
- If you find server-side or cloud computing interesting than GO and PHP will land you a high-paying job in a reputed company.
- Finally, if you are interested in statistical computing and data analysis, then go for R and MATLAB.
These are programming languages widely used in the job market today and the best online programming courses for beginners in 2021. Choose a programming language you want to learn to build your skills and resume and start your coding journey with the courses mentioned above.
Do let us know in the comments which programming language are you going learn first? We’ll be happy to respond to your questions.
