Today's world is all about technology, which means people who can develop software and applications are in very high demand. Many companies that need help with development have found there simply aren't enough qualified programmers to go around. So, whether it's languages like HTML, CSS, or Java for basic development or Python or SQL for analyzing data, familiarizing yourself with and applying even one of these languages to your work could mean big advancements for your company.
\r\nBusinesses that need programming talent but can't find or don't have the resources to hire top tech candidates often choose to build the skills of their internal team to supplement their needs. However, it's not always clear how to go about implementing this professional development, especially on a small-business budget. Fortunately, there are countless free and low-cost tools, courses, and programs that can help teams boost their programming skills.
\r\nTo help you narrow down the list, we asked 15 members of Young Entrepreneur Council to share their top tool recommendations for businesses that want to build programming into their professional development flow. Read through their recommendations to find the right course of action for you, your team and your business.
\r\n\"There are now more options than ever. Someone could join a degree program, but that's not always necessary now. If you have specific software that your employees need to learn, you might bring in a trainer who specializes in that, perhaps even from the company that created it. For widely used software, there are great courses offered by Treehouse and CodeGym.\" – Kalin Kassabov, ProTexting
\r\n\"Udemy is an excellent resource for those who want to learn more programming skills and expand on their knowledge. It has more than 150,000 courses to choose from in many different industries, including development and software.\" – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
\r\n\"Codecademy offers courses and resources for both beginners and more expert programmers, and they are simple to utilize. They also come with quizzes and projects like you would see in a more traditional course setting.\" – Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
\r\n\"The first thing that comes to my mind is Stack Overflow. It's a massive online community where developers can learn from their peers, share their programming knowledge, support each other and build their careers. It's going to be useful for anyone, from a complete rookie to an experienced senior developer.\" – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS
\r\n\"Platforms and boot camps are limited in terms of developing real practical skills. New hires should focus on building an in-depth pet project or two, releasing them on GitHub or even launching them as 'production-grade apps.' Practical projects, transparently developed online, are the only way to assess raw development skills for interns and junior applicants.\" – Mario Peshev, DevriX
\r\n\"Although this is an unlikely suggestion, it's a helpful one. I think that anyone can benefit from doing a few coding courses on Skillshare. Even though Skillshare is associated with artistic courses, you will find great coding classes on it. What makes it different and helpful is that the approach on this platform is more holistic. You'll learn to think like a coder rather than just master tools.\" – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
\r\n\"Job Ready Programmer is a learning platform that offers a dynamic range of courses specific to programming. What my team has found useful about this program are the assignments provided to students, which create a practical and real-world approach to learning skills. You walk away not only understanding the concepts, but also knowing how to actionably use them on a daily basis.\" – Matthew Podolsky, Florida Law Advisers P.A.
\r\n\"Coursera is a reliable platform to use for finding coding courses, among many other skills relevant to your business. You can find free courses or pay for them if you wish. They allow for remote learning, which is now more important, and can speak to my employees' interests in specific skills and fields.\" – Duran Inci, Optimum7
\r\n\"Codewars is a fun and effective way to learn how to code or freshen up your skills. The website uses a series of challenges to teach students how to write, understand and read code. The challenges increase in difficulty, and you can look at how other people solved the problem after offering your solution. I like this feature because it helps me understand how other people solve problems.\" – John Turner, SeedProd LLC
\r\n\"I've used edX in the past when I wanted to make sure I was up to date on the latest trends. The website is open-source, so there's a ton of great lessons from people all over the world. Many of the classes are free, but there are premium courses available for people interested in diving in and fully understanding a new coding language.\" – John Brackett, Smash Balloon LLC
\r\n\"To remain competitive nowadays, most companies should expect and put a plan in place to help their employees gain basic coding skills or knowledge. Google just recently launched its new course in coding language called the Google IT Automation With Python Professional Certificate. It's just one of the many programming for automation opportunities employers and employees should take a look at.\" – Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker
\r\n\"I think this is one of the best sites out there for learning programming skills for a couple of reasons, but one is that it approaches programming from foundational concepts but still manages to make the whole process beginner-friendly. Starters usually get caught up in chasing one technology after another, and it can be a confusing process. Pluralsight gives the process structure.\" – Samuel Thimothy, OneIMS
\r\n\"To develop any skill, it is important to be part of a community where the content focuses on the development and understanding of the skills. To learn to code more effectively, join online communities on forums and social media so that you can ask questions. You can also learn by finding solutions to other people's problems, which is why a community is helpful.\" – Blair Williams, MemberPress
\r\n\"If your business is located in a densely populated area like Austin or San Francisco, look into local coding boot camps. Sponsoring team members to take these courses can quickly get them up to speed on important programming skills. Additionally, you can avoid diminishing your business's productivity by spending work time on training.\" – Bryce Welker, Beat the CPA
\r\n\"Before identifying tools or courses, I believe identifying people who want to learn programming is more important. I had my bachelor's and master's in computer science, and I can tell you that you don't learn programming with courses. Instead, you teach yourself and you search to find the tools you need. Companies should listen to who is interested and guide them or even pay for the tools that the individual sees fit.\" – Tolga Tanriseven, GirlsAskGuys
\n","docType":"article","guid":"articles_5df45cea4252496d98bc13bb082f4020","lastModified":"2020-12-15T18:00:00.000Z","published":"2020-12-15T18:00:00.000Z","structuredData":null,"subtitle":"Programming is in high demand in today's digital-first world. Try these tools, courses and platforms to kick-start your team's learning.","template":"v1","title":"Want to Boost Your Team's Programming Skills? Try These 15 Expert-Recommended Tools","type":"article","author":{"avatar":"https://staging.business.com/images/author/583/5effe3187b16d07195101/100-100","bio":"Scott Gerber is the founder of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.\r\n\r\nGerber is also a serial entrepreneur, regular TV commentator and author of the book Never Get a “Real” Job.","name":"Scott Gerber","image":null,"slug":null,"social":{"facebook":"https://www.facebook.com/theyec","linkedin":"","twitter":"scottgerber","website":"http://yec.co"},"status":"enabled","title":null,"type":"Old BDC Member","user":{"imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/uploads/user/profile/30a73f4404c3622b60c28ceb80561d3e8a5e5.jpg","profile":{"company":"","jobTitle":"","website":""}}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Technology","slug":"technology"},"sub":{"name":"Computers","slug":"computers"}},"meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"Try these programming tools, courses and platforms to kick-start your team's learning.","title":"Ways to Boost Your Team's Programming Skills - business.com"},"parsedContent":{"toc":[{"id":"1-treehouse","title":"1. Treehouse"},{"id":"2-udemy","title":"2. Udemy"},{"id":"3-codecademy","title":"3. Codecademy"},{"id":"4-stack-overflow","title":"4. Stack Overflow"},{"id":"5-github","title":"5. GitHub"},{"id":"6-skillshare","title":"6. Skillshare"},{"id":"7-job-ready-programmer","title":"7. Job Ready Programmer"},{"id":"8-coursera","title":"8. Coursera"},{"id":"9-codewars","title":"9. Codewars"},{"id":"10-edx","title":"10. edX"},{"id":"11-googles-certification-course","title":"11. Google's certification course"},{"id":"12-pluralsight","title":"12. Pluralsight"},{"id":"13-online-forums-about-programming","title":"13. Online forums about programming"},{"id":"14-local-coding-boot-camps","title":"14. Local coding boot camps"},{"id":"15-any-tools-recommended-by-your-aspiring-programmers","title":"15. Any tools recommended by your aspiring programmers"}],"json":[{"component":"p","children":["Today's world is all about technology, which means people who can develop software and applications are in very high demand. Many companies that need help with development have found there simply aren't enough qualified programmers to go around. So, whether it's languages like HTML, CSS, or Java for basic development or Python or SQL for analyzing data, familiarizing yourself with and applying even one of these languages to your work could mean big advancements for your company. "]},{"component":"p","children":["Businesses that need programming talent but can't find or don't have the resources to hire top tech candidates often choose to build the skills of their internal team to supplement their needs. However, it's not always clear how to go about implementing this professional development, especially on a small-business budget. Fortunately, there are countless free and low-cost tools, courses, and programs that can help teams boost their programming skills."]},{"component":"p","children":["To help you narrow down the list, we asked 15 members of ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Young Entrepreneur Council"]}," to share their top tool recommendations for businesses that want to build programming into their professional development flow. Read through their recommendations to find the right course of action for you, your team and your business."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"1-treehouse"},"children":["1. Treehouse"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"There are now more options than ever. Someone could join a degree program, but that's not always necessary now. If you have specific software that your employees need to learn, you might bring in a trainer who specializes in that, perhaps even from the company that created it. For widely used software, there are great courses offered by ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://teamtreehouse.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Treehouse"]}," and CodeGym.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/8ba33e1d-91a6-46e1-b622-3e21b9e5b006","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Kalin Kassabov"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.protexting.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["ProTexting"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"2-udemy"},"children":["2. Udemy"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.udemy.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Udemy"]}," is an excellent resource for those who want to learn more programming skills and expand on their knowledge. It has more than 150,000 courses to choose from in many different industries, including development and software.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/9a0d98e2-304b-47cc-a4f1-699c2f53e97e","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Stephanie Wells"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://formidableforms.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Formidable Forms"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"3-codecademy"},"children":["3. Codecademy"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.codecademy.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Codecademy"]}," offers courses and resources for both beginners and more expert programmers, and they are simple to utilize. They also come with quizzes and projects like you would see in a more traditional course setting.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/34375c17-2b37-44e7-a5fc-0477d666b215","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Andrew Schrage"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.moneycrashers.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Money Crashers Personal Finance"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"4-stack-overflow"},"children":["4. Stack Overflow"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"The first thing that comes to my mind is ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://stackoverflow.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Stack Overflow"]},". It's a massive online community where developers can learn from their peers, share their programming knowledge, support each other and build their careers. It's going to be useful for anyone, from a complete rookie to an experienced senior developer.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/6c274465-5395-4501-b419-ca0bb33fa98e","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Solomon Thimothy"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.oneims.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["OneIMS"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"5-github"},"children":["5. GitHub"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"Platforms and boot camps are limited in terms of developing real practical skills. New hires should focus on building an in-depth pet project or two, releasing them on ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://github.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["GitHub"]}," or even launching them as 'production-grade apps.' Practical projects, transparently developed online, are the only way to assess raw development skills for interns and junior applicants.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/f01062ee-b70e-4761-a272-b89cfe697346","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Mario Peshev"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.devrix.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["DevriX"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"6-skillshare"},"children":["6. Skillshare"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"Although this is an unlikely suggestion, it's a helpful one. I think that anyone can benefit from doing a few coding courses on ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.skillshare.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Skillshare"]},". Even though Skillshare is associated with artistic courses, you will find great coding classes on it. What makes it different and helpful is that the approach on this platform is more holistic. You'll learn to think like a coder rather than just master tools.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/50389664-8385-49e2-9686-5f9318aeabc3","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Syed Balkhi"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.wpbeginner.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["WPBeginner"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"7-job-ready-programmer"},"children":["7. Job Ready Programmer"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.jobreadyprogrammer.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Job Ready Programmer"]}," is a learning platform that offers a dynamic range of courses specific to programming. What my team has found useful about this program are the assignments provided to students, which create a practical and real-world approach to learning skills. You walk away not only understanding the concepts, but also knowing how to actionably use them on a daily basis.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/2563d9d5-98a4-464e-af54-9512bb2a8263","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Matthew Podolsky"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.floridalegaladvice.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Florida Law Advisers P.A."]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"8-coursera"},"children":["8. Coursera"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.coursera.org/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Coursera"]}," is a reliable platform to use for finding coding courses, among many other skills relevant to your business. You can find free courses or pay for them if you wish. They allow for remote learning, which is now more important, and can speak to my employees' interests in specific skills and fields.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/24ed3fa9-ae6f-44d0-8819-998af0b77a92","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Duran Inci"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.optimum7.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Optimum7"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"9-codewars"},"children":["9. Codewars"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.codewars.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Codewars"]}," is a fun and effective way to learn how to code or freshen up your skills. The website uses a series of challenges to teach students how to write, understand and read code. The challenges increase in difficulty, and you can look at how other people solved the problem after offering your solution. I like this feature because it helps me understand how other people solve problems.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/32ee32ad-8acf-4da7-a11d-1006c5f4aefd","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["John Turner"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.seedprod.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["SeedProd LLC"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"10-edx"},"children":["10. edX"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"I've used ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.edx.org/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["edX"]}," in the past when I wanted to make sure I was up to date on the latest trends. The website is open-source, so there's a ton of great lessons from people all over the world. Many of the classes are free, but there are premium courses available for people interested in diving in and fully understanding a new coding language.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/c59f812c-6440-4864-8312-1a3000c942fd","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["John Brackett"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://smashballoon.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Smash Balloon LLC"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"11-googles-certification-course"},"children":["11. Google's certification course"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"To remain competitive nowadays, most companies should expect and put a plan in place to help their employees gain basic coding skills or knowledge. Google just recently launched its new course in coding language called the Google IT Automation With Python Professional Certificate. It's just one of the many programming for automation opportunities employers and employees should take a look at.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/98f5e443-a75c-473c-9aa5-2d3d279ce49d","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Blair Thomas"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.emerchantbroker.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["eMerchantBroker"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"12-pluralsight"},"children":["12. Pluralsight"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"I think this is one of the best sites out there for learning programming skills for a couple of reasons, but one is that it approaches programming from foundational concepts but still manages to make the whole process beginner-friendly. Starters usually get caught up in chasing one technology after another, and it can be a confusing process. ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.pluralsight.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Pluralsight"]}," gives the process structure.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/50b0aede-0db6-4249-acb2-5c5a7427b57b","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Samuel Thimothy"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.oneims.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["OneIMS"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"13-online-forums-about-programming"},"children":["13. Online forums about programming"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"To develop any skill, it is important to be part of a community where the content focuses on the development and understanding of the skills. To learn to code more effectively, join online communities on forums and social media so that you can ask questions. You can also learn by finding solutions to other people's problems, which is why a community is helpful.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/269eda23-a257-4344-b50b-175542cfe077","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Blair Williams"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://memberpress.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["MemberPress"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"14-local-coding-boot-camps"},"children":["14. Local coding boot camps"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"If your business is located in a densely populated area like Austin or San Francisco, look into local coding boot camps. Sponsoring team members to take these courses can quickly get them up to speed on important programming skills. Additionally, you can avoid diminishing your business's productivity by spending work time on training.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/5a8aafaf-dd94-443c-bc3a-fab1adad7b99","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Bryce Welker"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://beatthecpa.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["Beat the CPA"]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"15-any-tools-recommended-by-your-aspiring-programmers"},"children":["15. Any tools recommended by your aspiring programmers"]},{"component":"p","children":["\"Before identifying tools or courses, I believe identifying people who want to learn programming is more important. I had my bachelor's and master's in computer science, and I can tell you that you don't learn programming with courses. Instead, you teach yourself and you search to find the tools you need. Companies should listen to who is interested and guide them or even pay for the tools that the individual sees fit.\" – ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://yec.co/u/da57aff8-606c-4efa-8990-a4c73216e22c","target":"_blank","rel":"external nofollow noopener"},"children":["Tolga Tanriseven"]},", ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.girlsaskguys.com/","target":"_blank","rel":"noopener nofollow"},"children":["GirlsAskGuys"]}]}]},"resource":null,"sponsorship":{"sponsorType":"no-sponsor","name":null,"thumbnail":null,"bio":null,"slug":null,"status":null,"social":{"website":null,"linkedin":null,"twitter":null,"facebook":null}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/5fd/787249c658ae3758b4567/1500-0-","caption":"PrathanChorruangsak / Getty Images","isBlurred":false},"bestPicks":null},"related":{"relatedArticles":[],"relatedReviews":[{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5df908cc5a215e8c4a8b4568/conferencecall_Antonio_Diaz_Getty.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/best-conference-call-services/","title":"The Best Conference Call Services of 2021","dek":"Which conference call service is right for your business in 2021? We review the top-rated services.","slug":"best-conference-call-services","lastModified":"2021-03-17T18:17:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5e00d4787b43745d6a8b456e/Laptop_undrey_getty.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/employee-monitoring-software/","title":"The Best Employee Monitoring Software of 2021","dek":"We've narrowed down the best employee monitoring software for businesses. Check out our best picks and reviews.","slug":"employee-monitoring-software","lastModified":"2021-03-05T15:40:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5df905909c658a7e538b4567/Faxing_junce_Getty.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/online-fax-services/","title":"The Best Online Fax Services of 2021","dek":"Online fax services are growing as more companies divest from conventional fax machines in favor of an automated, scalable and cost-effective option. Here's a look at some of the best online fax services on the market. ","slug":"online-fax-services","lastModified":"2021-03-02T16:07:00Z"}],"relatedSponsoredArticles":null}},"pageContext":{"displayModified":"2020-12-15T18:00:00.000Z","template":"v1","title":"Want to Boost Your Team's Programming Skills? Try These 15 Expert-Recommended Tools","meta":{"robots":"index, follow"},"docType":"articles","slug":"tools-to-learn-programming-skills","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/tools-to-learn-programming-skills/","skipTOC":false}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}