So You Want To Learn To Code This Summer? 4 Great Resources for the Curious Grad Student
By Leigh Smith (The University of Texas at Austin)
Half of the highest paying jobs in America now require you to have some level of computer programming skills—including many careers that are of interest to Psychology grads. The good news is that there are many resources available online that can help you learn to code. Programming expertise aren’t out of reach, and they can give your research (and job applications) an edge. Even a small amount of programming knowledge can help you make your online studies more dynamic and interactive, generate increasingly nuanced statistical results, and automate time-consuming tasks that would otherwise eat up your schedule. Below are 4 of my favorite online coding resources, for the novice to the expert:
Code.org
Website: www.code.org | Skill Level: Easy – Intermediate
The motto of Code.org is “Anybody Can Learn”, and this website provides an abundance of resources to make that proverbial sentiment a reality. They provide online learning tools such as “code studio” where you can play different games that teach you how to code, use specialized search engines to help you find computer programming classes in your area, and complete numerous tutorials that get you coding in specific languages such as Java, Python and HTLM. The best thing about Code.org is that it keeps the learning process simple, clean and engaging. This website is great for beginners!
Code Academy
Website: www.codecademy.com | Skill Level: Easy – Intermediate
Code Academy is perhaps the most well-known free, interactive, online coding resource available. It has a neatly organized interfaced and well-structure courses, offering training with Web Fundamentals, PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, Python, Ruby and APIs. If you don’t know what any of those languages are, that’s okay! They will teach you along the way. This website will encourage you to jump right in, and provides the support you need to come out in one piece on the other side.
Udacity
Website: www.udacity.com | Skill Level: Intermediate – Difficult
Udacity combines insightful video lectures and real-time tests to create an interactive feel for users. It is ideal for those who don’t like to read but would rather learn from listening to industry professionals who walk you through each step. This website offers programming modules as well as “logic” modules to strengthen your conceptual understanding of coding concepts. It provides more videos than any other site I’ve seen, and the instructors are either real-life professionals (like Google employees) or retired industry experts.
Girl Develop It
Website: www.girldevelopit.com | Skill Level: Easy – Difficult
This organization was developed by two badass ladies who want to inspire girls and women to get involved with computer science. Although there are no online courses immediately accessible, Girl Develop It currently has chapters in 53 cities throughout the United States. This organization recognizes that women face unique challenges borne of gender stereotypes when it comes to excelling as a programmer or even getting access to programming resources, and it is on a mission to close the gender gap in the coding industry. I highly recommend this resource if you’ve got a branch in your city.