Technologies

Learn to Code With These 5 Online Coding Courses for Beginners

Coding skills can unlock new job offers and let you be more creative with projects.

Knowing how to code is a valuable skill, and it can be an easily obtainable one. While I’m not into programming, tinkering with code to build simple websites and apps is an amazing skill. Picking up some coding skills through an online coding course could help you, even if you never considered yourself a web programmer.Plus, demand for software developers remains high across the US.

Before you get started with a online coding class, it’s important to know which language you’ll want to learn — Python, Javascript, C# or one of hundreds of others — hinges on what sort of computer science or data science you want to do with it, like build a website, an app or a game. For example, if you’re interested in learning coding so you can work in a professional setting, you might want to find a coding program that teaches Python, Java or C#, which are all in demand at many companies.

There are a ton of coding classes and beginner courses available on the web, which can help you learn coding skills for whatever piques your interest. We’ve pulled together five beginner-friendly online classes that teach you coding basics and explore the foundational programming concepts and computer programming fundamentals — online coding bootcamp, so to speak. Some touch on specific languages while others stay more general. But no matter which course provider you choose, all of these picks are the best online coding courses to help you get your start learning a programming language. Welcome to coding school, my friends. And I’ll update this list periodically as new coding tutorials become available to help you on your coding journey.

Skillshare/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET

Coding for Beginners with Applause Interactive

Skillshare

The Coding for Beginners course describes itself as a foundational level course for complete beginners that introduces students to common coding concepts like bugs, pseudo code and how code runs. The concepts can then be applied to whichever programming language you go on to learn. Over 30 lectures and coding lessons will help you build the skillset to build a simple app in both coding languages Scratch and Python, the final project of the course.

What it costs: Some online classes on Skillshare are free when you create an account, but most require a premium membership, which costs $168 annually or $14 a month. You can sign up for seven free days of unlimited classes. The premium membership is also ad-free and lets you download classes to your mobile device and watch offline.

See at Skillshare

Udemy/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET

Pre-programming: Everything to Know Before You Code with Evan Kimbrell

Udemy

Digital agency founder Evan Kimbrell’s preprogramming course also starts with foundational concepts, like how the computer itself, the internet and operating systems fit into programming. This might sound too basic, but if you’re just starting on your learning journey, it’s helpful context.

Eventually, the lesson focus is on the core concepts of coding, different programming languages, front-end and back-end frameworks, application programming interfaces, content management systems and other more advanced concepts.

What it costs: Udemy’s course prices are set by the individual instructors from a price tier, unless they choose to offer them for free. The course is currently on sale for $12.

See at Udemy

Skillshare/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET

Programming for Beginners with Cas Van Gool

Skillshare

Software engineer Cas Van Gool’s programming course focuses on the basics of programming found in any software language. The coding tutorials tackle topics like variables, strings, integers, if-statements, while-statements, for-statements and for each-statements. Van Gool provides step-by-step exercises and build projects with C#, from shopping lists to minigames. You’ll also need to download the free Visual Studio Code source code editor program from Microsoft for this course.

This coding class would be useful if you’re interested in coding for games or getting started on a professional level.

See at Skillshare

Coursera/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET

Programming Foundations with Javascript, HTML and CSS with Susan Rodger

Coursera

The Programming Foundations with Javascript, HTML and CSS course, offered through Duke University, explores skills like HTML, JavaScript, Java programming and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). You’ll learn how to write programs, solve complex problems, design algorithms, and test and debug your programs.

The programming foundations course is part of the five-course Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization. You can enroll in a single course to get started and earn a certificate, or audit the online coding class and review the materials for free. The Java Programming and Software Engineering Fundamentals Specialization is considered a beginner specialization, and if you subscribe to one course, you’ll be included in the whole specialization.

The course requires a laptop or desktop computer for Java programming and that you make a free account on CodePen.io. If you choose to continue with the other courses, you’ll need to install Bluej, free software for Java development.

This course would be most useful if you’re interested in coding for websites.

What it costs: Coursera operates more like a traditional online college course with enrollment windows. Sometimes the certificates you earn can apply as a credit at an institution, but it has to be stated. When you sign up for Coursera, you get a seven-day free trial, and then it starts at $49 a month. You can also choose to audit the class for free, which lets you read and view the course content only.

See at Coursera

Udemy/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET

Coding for Beginners with Bluelime Learning Solutions

Udemy

Again, what you ultimately want to do with your programming skills will determine what coding language you’ll want to learn. What I liked about the Coding for Beginners course on Udemy is that it touches on the basics of five different programming languages — Javascript, Python, Ruby, HTML and CSS. You’ll get to dabble in each language and build applications like calculators, digital clocks, music players and blog pages. This helps give you a taste of how each operates while also giving you some hands-on experience and projects.

What it costs: Udemy’s course prices are set by the individual instructors from a price tier, unless they choose to offer them for free. This course costs $10 during a special sale.

See at Udemy

For more, check out five Masterclass classes to become a filmmaker and other online classes to help you learn to play guitar or learn to draw.

More work-from-home advice

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 14, #948

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 14 #948.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough. The blue category, not the purple one today, expects you to find hidden words in four of the words given in the grid. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: That’s not going anywhere.

Green group hint: End user or customer.

Blue group hint: Ask a meteorologist.

Purple group hint: Not noisy.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Fixed.

Green group: Receiver of goods or services.

Blue group: Starting with weather conditions.

Purple group: Silent ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is fixed. The four answers are fast, firm, secure and tight.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is receiver of goods or services. The four answers are account, client, consumer and user.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is starting with weather conditions. The four answers are frosty (frost), mistletoe (mist), rainmaker (rain) and snowman (snow).

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is silent ____. The four answers are auction, movie, partner and treatment.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for Jan. 14, #1670

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle for Jan. 14, No. 1,670.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle is a tough one, with a letter that is rarely used and which I just never guess. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

Today’s Wordle answer has three vowels.

Wordle hint No. 3: First letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with A.

Wordle hint No. 4: Last letter

Today’s Wordle answer ends with D.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can mean to keep away from something or someone.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is AVOID.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, Jan. 13, No. 1669 was GUMBO.

Recent Wordle answers

Jan. 9, No. 1665: EIGHT

Jan. 10, No. 1666: MANIC

Jan. 11, No. 1667: QUARK

Jan. 12, No. 1668: TRIAL

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Apple Launches Creator Studio Package as $13 a Month Subscription

Mac users can still buy the apps individually, but subscribers get access to Final Cut Pro and other Studio tools.

Apple is bundling its pro filmmaking and audio tools including Final Cut Pro with its productivity apps Keynote, Pages and Numbers into a subscription software suite called Apple Creator Studio.

The package, which includes apps for Mac, iPad and iPhone, includes Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, MainStage and the whiteboard app Freeform. Creator Studio will be available starting Jan. 28 at a cost of $13 per month or $129 per year, or $3 per month or $30 per year for students and educators. Mac users will still have the option to purchase software like Final Cut Pro for a one-time free. The current price for Final Cut Pro in the Mac App Store is $300.

While apps such as Keynote and Pages are already free on Apple platforms, it appears that new versions of those apps will receive access to beta features that will roll out first to Creator Studio subscribers. The announcement by Apple alludes to «new AI features and premium content» in some of the apps it otherwise makes available to use for free.

What the Creator Studio bundle comes with

The star of the show in Creator Studio is Final Cut Pro, the video editing software that will now include Transcript Search on both Mac and iPad. There is also a new Beat Detection feature Apple says uses an AI model to analyze a music track and display a beat grid, making it easier to cut video to music rhythms. The software also will include a new Montage Maker on iPad for quick social video creation.

Motion, the 2D and 3D graphics tool, and Compressor also integrate with Final Cut Pro. Apple touted Motion’s Magnetic Mask feature for isolating objects or people without the need for a green screen.

Logic Pro has new features for musicians, including a Synth Player addition to AI Session Players. Chord ID, a new AI feature, can create chord progressions from audio or MIDI recordings. A new Sound Library will have hundreds of royalty-free clips, samples and loops.

A revamped MainStage app gives subscribers access to instrument, voice-professing and guitar rig tools. Pixelmator Pro arrives with new tools and filters, and there will be an iPad version in addition to the Mac tool.

Freeform in the Creator Studio package will add premium content, including curated photos, graphics and illustrations. It will also get new AI features that include image creation.