Resources
Welcome to my resources page, a curated list of the websites and tools I strongly recommend for learning to code. I have personally used every one of these recommendations. I actively use many of the resources listed here in my programming ventures, and many more were instrumental in helping me learn to code.
Web Development
Bluehost
My site is hosted by Bluehost, and I have only positive things to say about their service. Whether you need a website to show off you projects, or you want to start a blog, it needs to be hosted somewhere, and Bluehost is a great choice.
They offer one-click WordPress installation, which is super convenient when you’re trying to get your first website up and running quickly. Also, their 24/7 customer service is excellent—the one time I had to contact them, the issue was resolved within 10 minutes. Even WordPress themselves recommend using Bluehost!
Full Disclosure: I am an affiliate for Bluehost. If you choose to purchase through my link, I earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy is where I first realized that I didn’t need any kind of special education to learn to code. I could teach myself, using the resources available on the internet. They also have lessons on a wide variety of other topics, not just computer science, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
Free Code Camp
Similar to Khan Academy, freeCodeCamp is another great resource if you want to learn to code. They have lessons on HTML, JavaScript, CSS, databases, and more—all for free!
iOS Development
XCode
If you’re interested in developing for iOS or Mac OS, you’ll want to check out XCode. XCode is Apple’s suite of tools that allow you to build, test, debug, and deploy apps and games to the Mac and iOS App Stores.
Swift
After learning the very basics of JavaScript on Khan Academy, I started using Swift. Compared to many other languages out there, it’s easy to learn, and it was built to work together with XCode, which makes for a very nice developer experience.
3D Game Development
Unity
Unity is a 3D game engine that makes building 3D games easy. With a community consisting of millions of developers, the answer to virtually any problem is just a search away. Unity is definitely one of the best tools out there if you’re looking to build games for various platforms—and it’s free!
Blender
If you’re building 3D games, you’ll also need 3D models. While you’re still learning to code, I recommend using whatever models you can find for free on Unity’s asset store, but eventually you’ll probably want to make custom models. Blender is a tool that allows you to do just that, although it can be quite confusing when you’re just starting to use it.
Other
Visual Studio
Visual Studio is a powerful IDE, jam-packed with useful developer features. I’ve only used it to build apps and games, and only with C#, but it supports a wide range of languages and has many uses. If you’re on Windows and using Unity, Visual Studio is a must-have!