It’s never too late to learn a new skill, especially now that there are tons of online courses for just about anything you can think of. Do you want to learn music? Berkeley Online has got you covered. How about a little self-defense? You can choose from hundreds of online dojos and DVD courses. Looking to get a second degree? You can do that online too!
The same goes for web design and development. You can now learn how to build a fully functional website from scratch—and maybe pursue a career in the field—right at the comfort of your own home.
Here are some great sites to get you started:
1. Treehouse
The neat thing about Treehouse is that it has something for students of all levels. You can either start from scratch and learn all the basics or choose specific skills that you want to refine or add to your arsenal. And if you just wish to get something up and running quickly, then you can choose the “Project” option where you learn everything you need while you are building your first website.
But that’s not all Treehouse has to offer. It also has courses on app design, game development, and even business.
2. Don’t Fear the Internet
If you’re a creative who just wants to learn enough web design and development to put up a decent portfolio website, then Don’t Fear the Internet is perfect for you. Its courses are designed to teach non-web designers the basics of HTML and CSS so they can set up their very own non-template-looking WordPress site. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s free!
3. Aquent Gymnasium
Here’s another free option that’s aimed at artists and designers—but this one has something for both beginners and professionals alike! Aquent Gymnasium currently offers courses in coding, responsive web design, jQuery and UX design.
4. Codecademy
Of course, there’s a free course for non-designers as well! Codeacademy takes complete beginners through the basics of HTML and CSS and then builds onto more advanced topics like Javascript, PHP, and Ruby. At the end of it all, you should have everything you’ll need to take on your very first project.
Check out the Codecademy home page for the complete list of courses—and maybe go over some of the success stories as well to get yourself pumped and ready to start learning!
5. Lynda.com
Let’s cap this list off with an excellent Treehouse alternative. Lynda.com also offers much more than web design and development courses. For just $25 a month, you can learn programming using different languages, 3D animation, photography, music and video production, education and even business! And just like at Treehouse, all the courses at Lynda.com have something for students of all levels as well.
Start learning!
With all these awesome resources at your disposal, there’s no reason for you to put off your dream of learning how to build websites anymore. You don’t even have to shell out any money to do it. Just sign up for any of the free courses and get started today!
If you know of any other great online courses like the ones on this list, please share them with us in the comments!
