Codecademy: Easiest Way To Learn Codes

There are numerous books, Web sites, and other resources those interested in learning how to program code can turn to, but Codecademy claims to be “the easiest way to learn how.” That just might be true, as among the site’s various positive traits is the extremely user-friendly approach to teaching and the ability to track how friends are progressing to get the competitive juices flowing and keep you motivated. In fact, it was Columbia University student Ryan Bubinski helping fellow student Zach Sims learn the basics of HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) that helped sow the seeds for Codecademy, which overall aims to provide a “better, more interactive way to learn how to program.”

After creating a free account by providing an email address and password or signing in using your Facebook login information, you’re presented a profile page where you can chart your progress in completing the site’s inaugural eight lessons (Confirm Or Deny, Variables, Letters n’ Strings, What If?, etc.) and view the points, achievements, and badges you collect along the way. Further, you can designate who views your page (Only Me, Everyone, Signed In Users) and link to social networks to share information with friends.

Where lessons are concerned, simplicity is the name of the game, and the approach is appreciated. In general, Codecademy uses short, informative blurbs to explain basic principles and logical instructions to walk you through what you’re learning. “Fun Facts,” meanwhile, add some nice bonus information about what’s being taught (“The language you’re learning is called JavaScript, the dominant programming language of the Web.”)
Although Codecademy is currently limited to eight courses, the site promises more are coming soon.

Subscribing to the site’s newsletter will let you know when that occurs. In the meantime, Codecademy won’t turn you into a coding master, but it is an excellent interactive and fun entry into the often confusing and overwhelming world of programming code.