Learn to code

Most small business tools save us from having to deal with all the coding. It doesn’t hurt to learn the basics though. You don’t have to start going to night classes, here are some easy online ways to learn how to code.

Start learning CSS, Python, JavaScript, and more for free. Codecademy teaches you the foundations of coding, and helps you build on that knowledge gradually. According to the people behind it, “if you know how to read, you can learn to code”.

Who’s it for?

Freelancers and small business owners who are keen, but need to break the lessons down a bit.

Good bits

• Start with the basics and work your way up to building a whole website.
• Courses are broken down into manageable chunks, so you can do them bit by bit.
• Access some of the courses for free.

Not so good bits

• If you’re going to do it properly, you have to pay for Codecademy Pro.

Free-o-meter

4/5

Prices: £31.99 for a month at a time. £23.99 per month if you pay for 6 months. £15.99 per month if you pay for 12.

It’s cheaper to pay for 6 or 12 months at once, and it’ll help you commit too!

Learn to code as a beginner and keep developing your skills. Udemy lets you buy courses of all different lengths and difficulties, and their coding category is full of choice.

Who’s it for?

Freelancers and small business owners learning bit by bit.

Good bits

• Choose from the ultimate beginner’s crash course, to game design, or “the art of clean code”.
• Courses often have big discounts applied to them – you have to be fast though!
• Other students leave reviews so you can see how thorough and good value the courses are.

Not so good bits

• Buying individual courses could end up costing more than a monthly subscription.

Free-o-meter

1/5

Prices: Prices depend on the course.

Created by the brains at Harvard, MIT, and Microsoft, this is a bit like the Oxford of coding. With EdX, you can learn coding languages from scratch and from the best.

Who’s it for?

Freelancers and small business owners in search of the best coding education.

Good bits

• Ideal for independent learners who want to measure their own progress.
• Courses are written by the experts, including Microsoft, Harvard, and Dartmouth College.
• Search by course provider, length, difficulty, and more. You’ll never run out.

Not so good bits

• Some courses demand quite a few hours of study every week. That’s a lot for a small business owner!

Free-o-meter

3/5

Prices: Upgrade prices depend on the course.

You can access all the material and lessons without paying a thing. If you want to be graded on your work, or look back at the material later, you’ll need to pay about $99 per course.