If you’re thinking of a career change, learning to code can give you the skills necessary to land a rewarding tech position at a big-name company like Apple and Amazon. Knowing how to code expands your career options and can open up your prospects for remote employment, so you can work from home (or anywhere). You don’t even need to leave your house to learn how to code: There are plenty of online coding courses available.
It’s important to know which programming language you want to learn before you get started — Python, JavaScript, C# or one of hundreds of others — and it hinges on what you want to do with it, like build a website, a game or an app. We recommend starting with Python, which is frequently ranked as an in-demand and relatively easy-to-learn programming language often used in business settings. Check out our roundup of the best Python course options available now to find one that’s right for you.
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If you’re looking to become a Python programmer from scratch, you want to start with a course that covers basic Python concepts. Then, once you’ve got those coding skills down, move on to course content that’s more specialized and advanced. We’ve done the background research, looking into courses that offer a tutorial in Python code. Here are five of the best online Python course options that you can take right now, based on our findings.
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Skillshare/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
No previous coding experience is required for this Python course, making it a good choice for the absolute beginner at Python programming. Jack Donaldson is a game designer and programmer who’ll teach you the basic concepts and fundamentals of the Python programming language. You’ll need a laptop or desktop computer and will start by installing Python and PyCharm, an integrated development environment used to help build software applications. Both are free to download.
Donaldson first takes you through the introductory course topics, Python training basics like variables, data types, condition statements and manipulating strings and texts. He also covers more complicated advanced Python code topics like loops and functions. In his class description video, Donaldson says his Python online course relies heavily on “doing” — expect lots of projects and walkthroughs to help you build a foundation in Python skills.
What it costs: Some online classes on Skillshare are free when you create an account, but most require a premium membership, which costs $99 annually or $19 a month. You can sign up for 14 free days of unlimited classes. The premium membership is also ad-free and lets you download classes to your mobile device and watch offline.
Coursera/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
The Programming for Everybody: Getting Started with Python course, offered on Coursera through the University of Michigan, explores the basics of the Python programming language, writing your first program and using variables and core programming tools.
The programming foundations course is part of the five-course Python for Everybody Specialization. You can enroll in a single Python class to get started, go through Python certification, or audit the class and review the materials for free.
The Python for Everybody Specialization is considered a beginner specialization and if you subscribe to one Python course, you’ll be included in the whole specialization. According to Coursera, the first two Python online training courses offer Python tutorial basics aimed at those with no programming experience.
The online Python course is free to download and requires a laptop or desktop computer to learn Python coding skills.
What it costs: Coursera operates more like a traditional online college course with enrollment windows. Sometimes the certificates you earn can apply as a credit at an institution, but it has to be stated. When you sign up for Coursera, you get a seven-day free trial and then it costs $49 a month. You can also choose to audit the class for free, which lets you read and view the Python program course content only.
Udemy/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
This Udemy course from a professional software developer aims to provide complete coding beginners with an understanding of Python fundamentals over 363 short lectures. You’ll learn Python programming skills that can be applied to specific branches like machine learning and data science as well as other programming jobs centered around Python.
The course primarily focuses on Python 3 (the latest release being version 3.8), but you’ll also learn how to work with Python 2. You can view and download active Python releases on Python’s main site. As you learn more about the programming language, you can read up on the changes that have been implemented in the change logs.
What it costs: Udemy’s course prices are set by the individual instructors from a price tier, unless they choose to offer them for free. This course costs $110, which is steeper than most of the others listed, but it has a lot to offer — and we’ve seen it on sale for as low as $25.
Skillshare/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
The Python in 90 minutes class on Skillshare is a bite-size crash course on the coding language if you’re pressed for time or in need of a refresher. The instructor efficiently packs the essentials of Python into 25 lessons along with extra materials, reviews and practice sheets. This Python training course is aimed at beginners and will teach you the fundamentals. Like the others, you’ll need a laptop or desktop to work on.
What it costs: Some online classes on Skillshare are free when you create an account, but most require a premium membership, which costs $99 annually or $19 a month. You can sign up for 14 free days of unlimited classes. The premium membership is also ad-free and lets you download classes to your mobile device and watch offline.
Great Courses/Screenshot by Shelby Brown/CNET
This Python course from Texas A&M University Professor John Keysor starts with the basics and the course content takes a deep dive into the Python language over 24 lessons. Each lesson is about 30 minutes and builds upon the last to show you practical applications for Python. In the course description, Keysor notes such applications coding for games and graphics, analyzing sports statistics, simulating retirement funds and basic robotics.
What it costs: The Great Courses doesn’t have a flat subscription fee like Skillshare. Keysor’s course costs $235 online (or $270 on DVD), though we’ve seen it on sale for as low as $50.
When you make a Great Courses account, you can stream the course for free with trial with The Great Courses Plus. The content can then be accessed over the iOS or Android app, or on your TV via the Roku app, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
To learn more digital skills, check out the free classes you can take through Microsoft and LinkedIn Learning. And for more, check out five MasterClass classes to become a filmmaker
and other online classes to help you learn to play guitar, learn to code and learn to draw.
