Abstract

Regardless of whether or not you handle this facet of your business for yourself, the knowledge of how to code is becoming increasingly useful – and there are more and more resources available to help you gain this knowledge. Below, we review some that you may consider leveraging to improve some of your skills.


The ability to code (or at least an understanding of it) can be useful across the entire business, not just for developers. For example, wouldn’t you prefer to be able to listen to a prospect’s skill set and know what that entails, rather than blindly going with your gut as you make a hiring decision? This is just one instance in which a rudimentary knowledge would be of assistance.

Fortunately, there is now plenty of access to the resources needed to effectively teach oneself to code, some of which are offered for free.

MIT OpenCourseWare
This resource was put together by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a means of distributing the knowledge shared in past courses offered there, all for free. This includes the information that was taught in MIT’s computer science courses in past semesters, with access to lectures, notes, and other materials. This may not be the first resource you should elect to use, however, as it is aimed for an intermediate-level audience, but the extensive library of subjects is too beneficial not to mention.

Udemy
While this platform offers many paid courses, there are plenty of those available for free as well. Presented in video format, these lessons convey the educational message in a way that many find easy to absorb. With plenty of resources, sortable by experience needed, price, and user rating, you will be able to select the lesson that is right for you. Furthermore, Udemy also has a Udemy for Business section, allowing companies to enjoy access to a collection of courses. Team Plans are billed annually, at a rate of $240 per user with a minimum of 5, while the Enterprise Plan subscription cost varies based on how many users are a part of it.

edX For Business
edX is an educational resource with courses that cover every subject from architecture to social sciences – including computer science, and a variety of other topics applicable to IT. There also is a specialized edX plan, edX For Business, that enables you to train your employees in topics that focus on different facets of computer science to boost their capabilities, along with other business-centric topics. The cost for enrollment codes scales to the specific needs that your business has.

This is just a tiny sample of the resources out there that can teach coding to you and your employees. There are countless more resources available online, both from companies like the ones above to those offered by your local vocational and technical schools. Some digging will help you determine which is best suited for your business’ needs.

What has your experience with online learning been in the past? Share your stories in the comments!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Learning Coding is Simple with the Right Resources

Rafiq Masri

With over 25 years of experience in Information Technology, Rafiq is one of the most accomplished, versatile and certified engineer in the field. He has spent the past 2 ½ decades administering and supporting a wide range of clients and has helped position Network Management, Inc. as a leader in the IT Managed Services space.

Rafiq has built a reputation for designing, building and supporting top notch IT infrastructures to match the business objectives and goals of his clients.

Embracing the core values of integrity, innovation, and reliability, Rafiq has a very loyal client base with some customer relationships dating back 20+ years.

Rafiq holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and has completed graduate programs in Software Engineering and Business at Harvard and George Mason University. Rafiq is a former founder and CEO of Automation, Inc. in Ann Arbor, Michigan as well as a valued speaker on entrepreneurship and technology at industry events such as ExpoTech and others.