Madeline
Although I am currently enrolled in a post bacc program for computer science, the interest first came from taking a number of online courses. I would constantly find free technology courses which caused me to dabble a little here and dabble a little there. I eventually realized I needed more direction and drive. That being said, if you know what direction you want to go in, you can absolutely do it yourself without enrolling in an expensive program. These are a few of the places to find free technology courses.
Udemy
Because I have been playing with technology for over a decade, Udemy is the first place I look for a technology, or really any kind of training that I want to explore. The breadth of the topics is ginormous and I often get lost finding the best ones. I usually start with a free course and when I know I want to dig deeper, I’ll purchase one. But one thing to be aware of is that the prices on Udemy fluctuate a lot. It is not uncommon for a course to be $119 one day and $12 the next. Never spend more that about $16 on a course. And never discount the free courses to find free technology courses.
Syntax, Scott Tolensky’s Level Up Tutorials, and Wes Bos
Yes, this is three different resources; however, there is a reason I’m bundling them together. I first found Level Up Tutorials and Wes Bos through a podcast I listened to, Syntax. The podcast consists of two guys who were freelance web developers but now make courses to teach others how to become web developers.
I find that both their courses cover great topics, are clear and concise, and are easy to pick up. I’m not sure why, but I found myself drawn specifically to Scott Tolensky’s Level Up Tutorials; however, I can appreciate Wes Bos’ tutorials as well. Both have mostly paid courses, but there are a number of free gems in there as well that let Syntx, Level Up Tutorials, and Wes Bos’s tutorials a great place to find free technology courses.
Codecademy
Codecademy was the first place I started coding and realized “I can do this!” The simple idea is that you choose a language, it gives you coding exercises, and when you run your code it tells you if you had passed. What I like about Codecademy is that you actually code. It’s not just code to copy, you are actually writing your own code. And, in my experience, that is how you learn to code, by actually coding. For people who are just starting out to find free technology courses, this is definitely an easy place to start.
