The 10 Best Free Resources for Learning to Code

In 2013, few skills are more valuable for you to learn than web design and coding. For those fluent in HMTL, CSS, JavaScript, or Python, endless employment opportunities are available for the numerous companies, professionals, and artists who are looking to present themselves to the rest of the world with a creatively-assmbled portfolio or a slick, user-friendly website. Unfortunately, coding isn't the easiest skill to pick up, and the language of tags and source codes is still basically a foreign tongue to most of us. However, thanks to programs like Coursera, Codecademy, and HTML5 Rocks, this learning gap is slowly, but surely, being bridged. Available for free, right from your laptop, resources like these allow you to pick up the basics or advanced principles of coding right away, and put them to work for your own uses. What are you waiting for? Check out The 10 Best Free Resources for Learning to Code, and get started on the next big thing in web design now.

Essentially, the Mozilla Developer Network is just a giant archive of all things coding-related, allowing you to sift through various documents and notes to help fill out any knowledge gaps in your own training. And if you're feeling particularly experienced or generous, you can also help out the cause by adding your own documents or tips to the material. The sheer mass of information available may be intimidating to those just starting out, but anyone who takes some time to sit down with MDN will find themselves richly rewarded in the end.

HTML5 Rocks uses slides, presentations, and videos, as well as contributions from professionals working for Google, Adobe, and more to outfit its program with as comprehensive a coding guide as possible. HTML, JavaScript and CSS have never been easier than with HTML5 Rocks, and their supportive, active forum community is also available as a resource should you ever run into any trouble with the actual website. Whether you're trying to create mobile apps, or update your business for 2014, this easy-to-use, go-to guide will have everything you need for creative web design made E-Z.

Learn Python the Hard Way is a no-mess, bare bones approach to coding, giving the you very basics that you need to learn Python. There's a reason that they call it "the Hard Way," and this can be both a good and a bad thing. Learn Python the Hard Way keeps all of its users completely accountable for their own learning experience, but can just as easily alienate those who are looking for a helping hand. What category will you fall under? Give it a try for yourself and see.

Created by Salman Khan in 2006, the Khan Academy is an O.G. in the free-education movement, offering courses in anything from coding to chemisty, all on one website. You can learn all the fundamentals of computer science right here, and even explore the programs that past participants have left behind. Learn how to build graphics, animations, and interactive visualizations, then apply them to your own creative projects. Khan Academy won't be as in-depth as other available coding resources, but you will find that it's a lot more fun.

Founded by a couple of Stanford professors back in April of 2012, Coursera has received the backing of various accredited universities like Princeton University and the University of Michigan to create hubs of free, accessible learning all over the world. Included in this package are the program's computer science courses, which are perfect for any curious coders looking to hone their skills. Whether it's their basic 101 class or a more advanced course like Crafting Quality Code, Coursera is able to provide any and all takers with a thorough, academic approach to the computer arts. If you need a little bit of structure in your learning experience, then Coursera is here to help.

The CodePlayer uses a "monkey see, monkey do" approach in its teaching method, essentially doing away with the step-by-step slog of writing out line after line of code, and taking you right to the fun part of showing you how to make cool stuff on a webpage. If you're the type of person who likes to do things by the book, then this resource won't be for you, but for those who like to dive right into a project, CodePlayer gives you a quick and easy way to learn coding by allowing you to apply what you're learning right from the start. For those frustrated by the pace of other coding programs, look no further than CodePlayer.

Much like MIT OpenCourseWare or Coursera, Udacity seeks to offer accessible, interactive online courses that can help their students right from the comfort of their own laptop or home computer. Primarily based in Python, Udacity lets you go at your own pace, offering plenty of practice opportunities, as well as video instruction segments, and interactive questioning to keep you engaged with the course material. Some will opt for a resouce like Codecademy over Udacity because of the former's preference for JavaScript, but you really can't go wrong with either.

Count on an institution as cutting edge as MIT to be leading the way in education reform. With MIT OpenCourseWare, the Cambridge, MA university started the process of making all of its educational resources and classes available to the public in 2002. As of now, over 2000 courses are available online, including a number of coding courses for anyone looking to brush up on some computer programming in their spare time. Can you really say no to some coding lessons from MIT?

Codecademy offers everything from Python and PHP to HTML and CSS, helping to prepare any amateur coder for the next step in web design. The format is fairly straightforward, making this the choice for any wanna-be programmers looking to get right down to business. Start out with the Code Year program, and make it your New Year's Resolution this January. Taking you through the process week-by-week, one program at a time, Code Year makes the entire learning process both time-manageable, and entirely accessible.

Code/Racer does its best to support coders of all ability levels, teaching newbies the basics of HTML and CSS, and then allowing intermediate and advanced users to compete head-to-head with one another in tests of speed and coding agility. You'll be racing against your opponent, trying to complete various coding challenges in the shortest amount of time. Games make everything better. Sure, you could sit in front of a computer day after day, filling up books and books of coding jargon, or you could just make it a friendly competition instead! Sounds like an easy decision, doesn't it?