You always dream of being a programmer typing fast with the blue colored codes showing in the dark background application. That’s what the coding movies made us believe.
Coding is not like that, and coding is not fun for beginners. You will hit many obstacles, use the console to debug, get stuck with CSS specificity, and many more obstacles.
What do you do when you hit these obstacles?
Being a beginner in the programming world should be considered an extreme sport or included in the 1000 ways to die movie. Many of the programming classes and tutorial videos don’t tell the newbie programmer what to do when he gets stuck.
How do you solve a CSS specificity problem when your tutor never showed you there could be a problem.
One thing about programming is someone has faced your problem before and gotten the solution. The solution is out there on the internet, and you just need to grab it.
This guide will fill the loopholes the tutor left behind. It will expose you to the list of useful websites that will make your programming journey easy.
When you get Stuck
You will inevitably get stuck somewhere and need advice on the next step to take. The following websites are here to provide a solution to your problems.
Stackoverflow
Stackoverflow is a question and answer platform for professional and enthusiast programmers. It is the largest online community for developers. There are other developers ready to answer your question. That’s if it hasn’t been answered before.
Creating an account is easy, and you can start interacting with other programmers, proffering solutions, and asking questions on Stackoverflow. The website works in a way that the best answers are voted, and you quickly see it at the top. The reputation system also helps the platform a lot. Whenever you are stuck, head over to Stackoverflow to browse similar problems or ask your question. There is an answer to every problem.
Google search
It’s the largest search engine in the world and the next to turn to if your question hasn’t been answered on Stackoverflow.
When I need something urgently and can’t find it on Stackoverflow, the next thing is to punch it in Google search and check out some of the search results. You will see a medium post, dev.to post, or any website that will answer your search query.
Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs) for learning
The programming world is always evolving, and you need to move with it or risk being left out. There are many free resources out there that you can utilize.
Edx
Edx offers free online programming courses that you can take advantage of. You will see a lot of courses on JavaScript, Python, HTML, CSS, Blockchain, Cloud computing, and many more. You don’t need to spend huge to learn with the available MOOCs sites out there.
Coursera
Coursera is another platform out there that offers free online courses on specific programming languages. You can browse through the website for the free programming courses.
Datacamp
This is the best MOOC for anything Data. This is the site to be if you are aspiring to be a Data scientist or anything of such. You have many Python and R courses with tracks too.
National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL)
NPTEL provides free E-learning and certificates for programmers. The courses and certifications are offered by the India Institutes of Technology (IIT). You can browse through the courses to select your preferred own.
Mooc.fi
The Department of Computer Science at the University of Helsinki, Finland, offers open, high-quality, and free online courses for everyone. The courses are free to take by everyone.
CSS Tricks
Csstricks publish daily article about HTML,CSS, and JavaScript. They also have an Almanac that explains the CSS properties available.
Their explanation and visual representation of CSS flex is one that I do refer to every time I want to do anything of CSS flex.
Mozilla Developer Network (MDN)
It is now called MDN Web docs. It is a website that provides information about Open Web technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and APIs for both Web sites and progressive web apps.
I use MDN a lot for any JavaScript issue. Their explanation with the embedded examples is top-notch. MDN is the site to be if you need in-depth information on how a particular JavaScript keyword, CSS property, or HTML tag works.
The explanation terms used are a bit advanced and may be difficult for a beginner programmer to grasp.
W3schools
This is the website for both newbies and professionals. The tutorials there are written in straightforward words with examples to each of them. The tutorial structure is also great and will want you to come visiting the site again and again.
Freecodecamp
This is another w3schools like website. Freecodecamp offers tutorials free of charge for users and issues certificate on successful completion of each lesson.
Khan academy
Khan Academy also provides free programming courses for everyone. These are experts created contents and resources that anyone can access.
Codeacademy
Codeacademy online interactive platform that offers free programming classes in 12 different programming languages, including Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, SQL, C++, Swift, and Sass, as well as markup languages HTML and CSS. Free courses for you to access any time of the day.
Udemy
Udemy is an online teaching marketplace where you can get experts created programming courses for a fee. The good thing is some of these courses have 100% off coupons that you can take advantage of.
Pluralsight
Pluralsight is another Udemy like platform, but it’s private, meaning they have their experts that create these courses to ensure top quality.
You can take advantage of the ongoing Google scholarship to use Pluralsight free of charge.
Online compilers and code sharing
I do this a lot, especially when I am not with my personal computer. There are times you want to copy your code and send someone. You don’t send via email or on Whatsapp or the likes. There is no rule against it, but it’s somehow when you can easily use many code-sharing services out there.
Codepen
CodePen is an online community for testing and showcasing user-created HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code snippets called pens. The good aspect of this is you can easily embed your pen on a website just like in the JavaScript simple dice game we created.
Codepen is very easy to use with fewer hassles. Copy your codes to your pen and share the pen link to someone. It’s simple like that.
Jsfiddle
Jsfiddle is like Codepen with a difference. The code snippets are called fiddles.
Pastebin
It’s a website where you can store text online for a specified period. You can use it to share your codes.
Hackmd
This is another Pastebin like website with a difference. It allows you to write and share your knowledge in markdown, and you can also attach pictures here.
Carbon
Do you have a fantastic code you want to share on Instagram or social media? Carbon is here to rescue you. Carbon lets you create and share beautiful images of your code. You can even choose your desired theme.
Competitive Programming
This is aimed at achieving code mastery through challenges.
Sololearn
You can take the challenges available on sololearn and earn some XP that can be used for various purposes in the application. It improves your programming speed as you need to get the answer within the stipulated time frame.
Codewars
Codewars let software developers train on programming challenges known as kata. These discrete programming exercises train a range of skills in a variety of programming languages and are completed within an online integrated development environment.
Wakatime
Wakatime has leaderboards of coding metrics collected via editor plugins. The wakatime plugin is available on code editors such as Vs Code, and it records the time spent on writing specific programming languages.
YouTube channels
They are excellent crash courses to take, especially if you need to get certain things done immediately.
Traversy Media
This is the channel for anything web development and programming as a whole. The videos are always explanatory in a way everyone can understand.
Khan academy
MIT OpenCourseWare
MIT OpenCourseWare is the YouTube channel for learning in-depth algorithms, data structures, and computer engineering.
Florin Pop
Florinpop channel offers many coding tutorials, tips, and tricks for everybody out there.
Twitter handles
The developer’s community is growing, and they are everywhere you can think of. There are a lot of twitter handles that provide daily programming tips on Twitter. Reading their tweets is an excellent way to unwind after a long day of coding.
JavaScript teacher
The user has written books on JavaScript, CSS, nodejs, and distributed to his over 78,000 twitter followers for free. This is an account to follow for many programming tips.
Danny Thompson
This is another user with active followers. He’s actively advising on anything Programming.
Prosper Otemuyiwa
His timeline is always full of programming tips. Some of this includes series on how to use Cloudinary effectively to many JavaScript tutorials.
Sarah Drasner
She is an inspiration for many ladies out there. If she can, you can.
I believe this guide will open up your eyes to the useful websites that will make your programming journey smooth.
