It’s not easy to choose the best programming course: here are some tips for an informed choice to learn a new profession

This guide includes an explanation of what to expect from a programming course, how many there are out there, which is the most suitable based on your job and how to start programming even if you’re still a beginner.

“Programmer” is the generic term we use to describe the people who create websites, e-commerce and apps, as well as the people who manage corporate management software. It’s important to start from the basics if you want to enrol in a computer programming course, no matter what your future projects are.

Why should you become a web programming specialist?

Programming websites can prove stimulating for lots of reasons. Your personal motivation will help you realise which programming languages you should learn and what type of course is most suitable for your needs.

Answer these questions:

• Do you want to increase your computer skills to change jobs?
• Are you a recent graduate in search of a job?
• How much time can you devote to a programming course?
• Do you want to be a freelancer or work as an employee?
•  Do you want to invest in your own company or join a web agency, a computer company or a software house?

It’s important to have a good idea of what you’re looking for before you start exploring the world of courses for web programmers. For example, you might decide to take a PHP, Java and JavaScript, React, Html or CSS course if you want to become a web developer, or a Python course if you’d prefer data research and analysis.

Here at Epicode, we organise interviews with our specialists to guide you in your choice.

Advantages of Taking a Certified Programming Course

Taking a programming course has lots of advantages:

• You can achieve concrete goals quickly;
• You’ll work in fast-growing field
• An online programming course will let you work as a freelancer or enter the digital field as an employee, thus jumpstarting your professional career.
  
  

Types of Computer Programming Courses

Try aligning your motivations and requirements before learning how to program, so it will be easier to decide what computer programming courses and methods will work best for you.

UNIVERSITY COURSES

To learn how to program a website, you could start a university course that will teach you the basics of computer science and of how the web works, so that one day you’ll be able to design software on your own.

Though there are lots of university courses out there, they’re not always the best option, especially because it takes at least 3 years to complete most of them and there’s always the risk of wasting time or losing motivation. Another negative point is that this type of preparation is still quite theoretical and it may take months – or even years – before you see any practical results.

ONLINE PROGRAMMING COURSES

There’s a host of free or paid programming sites that offer a wide range of online training courses. These computer programming courses are suitable for increasing skills and career advancement, as well as for beginners who need to learn the basics of website programming and more.

The main thing is to figure out which is the best course for you! Here’s our list if you’re looking for a free or paid online programming course:

• Coursera
  
  Coursera is an online platform that offers members the chance to take some of the best American college courses. Internationally-valid certificates can be issued at the end of the course.

• Udemy
  
  Another platform where you can find a free or paid programming course. You’ll find a wide range of choices (almost too wide!), because Udemy allows anyone to publish their courses. It’s still worth it to browse the over 204,000 online courses published on the portal to see if any are a good fit.

• eDX
  
  Why not enrol in an online programming course offered by American non-profit e-learning platform eDX? Here you’ll find courses, master classes and MOOCs from MITx, HarvardX, BerkeleyX, UTx and lots of other colleges. The website will reroute you to basic programming courses which use languages such as C++, C or Fortran, among others.

• Khan Academy
  
  Khan Academy is another non-profit whose mission is to provide free, world-class education to anyone. Thus, you can learn computer basics for free, and slowly learn to program with HTML and CSS. Later on, we will speak about managing SQL databases and programming with JavaScript.

• Datacamp
  
  A Datacamp membership allows you access to a platform where you can enrol in programming courses also based on languages like Python and R, oriented towards Data Analysis and Machine Learning (ML), a subsystem of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

CODING BOOTCAMPS

Coding bootcamp is definitely the perfect combination of university programming and computer courses and an online web developing course. The first coding camps started in Silicon Valley around 2011, when the search for professionals in the coding field really took off.

Coding bootcamp usually lasts just a few weeks, and students have the chance to learn all the basics of web development in a condensed fashion and in the shortest possible time. At the end of coding bootcamp, you’ll already be able to develop your first web applications thanks to a unique study method blending theory and practice.

Today, coding  bootcamps are taught completely online, thus allowing students to study wherever and whenever they want with world-class teachers, to work on actual projects and to practice lots every day. This type of solution is rarely offered by traditional universities or online courses.

No degree or specific skills are required to join Epicode’s coding bootcamps: all it takes is to be willing to put yourself out there.

Now that you know how to choose the best programming course for you, discover all of Epicode’s computer programming courses or enter the world of coding with our free basic programming course to see if you like trying out your very first codes.

Your first step towards an epic future: apply now!