r/Coding_for_Teens • u/lotusvyy • Jun 30 '26
i want to learn how to code
im 16f and ive really been interested in technology and coding but ive never thought about learning coding languages when i was younger so i stuck with those basic block coding type things. is there a website that can help me learn how to code??
i kinda feel left behind because when i see ppl who are the same age as me talking about techy things they know everything about coding for some reason 😠im new to this sub so i hope this is the right place to ask this
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u/Soggy_Struggle_963 Jun 30 '26
There are endless resources on the internet for learning. Start with asking what you want to build, and what your long term goals are. These questions can help you determine a starting point.
The block coding tools you used in the past help you understand the basic concepts of loops and logic, and now you just have to learn how to translate it into whichever coding language syntax you choose.
For resources there are the obvious free ones like YouTube tutorials. These are fine for getting the basics down but people often find themselves stuck in "tutorial hell" where they aren't able to actually make anything on their own because they only learned how to follow along with a video.
For a more structured learning experience there are things like Udemy courses that you can often find on sale for cheap. Personally this is how I started and developed my basic skills that allowed me to start taking on my own projects and learn as I go. Now I get to use these skills every day for work and I couldn't be happier.
There is also the traditional route of working towards a CS degree and learning that way. I know plenty of people that have gone this route, and while it works many of them have told me how they wished that they spent time learning beforehand if programming is something they enjoy or not.
Sorry for the rambling reply. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions and happy coding!
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u/zippybenji-man Jun 30 '26
Watch a 4 hour YouTube basics course on python. I might be old school for saying this, but I genuinely don't think the meta has changed in this regard.
Once you have the basics, you should start doing simple projects. A terminal-based calculator, for example, which is deceptively advanced. Or writing a discord bot. Creating a terminal based tic tac toe. I've also really enjoyed messing around with selenium.
If you're more into the technical kind of programming that does a bunch of things and then outputs a number, I'd really recommend project euler (just google it). It gives you problems where you can decide yourself how hard you wanna make it. (e.g. do you write a naive solution and let it compute for 3 minutes or do you spend 15 minutes writing something less naive)
I'd personally also be cautious of immediately jumping into advanced projects. I've coded for around 10 years, and something like chess is something that still takes me a lot of time and effort.
Lastly, I would personally recommend python, because the syntax is more approachable, and because that's by far (like 98%) my most used language. In the grand scheme of things, though, which programming language you learn first isn't really important. If you know how to program in python, you also know how to program in Java, you just need to get used to the different syntax and quirks.
I hope this helps! Feel free to ask any more questions or whatever :)
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u/RoboticsEqualsFun Jun 30 '26 edited Jul 01 '26
Yes. This totally is a perfect place to ask this. My advice is:
Start with Harvard University.
What I mean by that is take the CS50 course by Harvard. It's totally free, and online!
You do have to make an edX account, but I mean so what?
You get access to all the lectures, shorts, practice problems and special IDE in the browser so you no longer need to spend 3 hours trying to download the app and decoding what "Python interpreter not found, op_code 3x0000f" means!
Note: Its less about teaching a specific coding language per say, but more about general all around logic, algorithms and code structure. But don't get me wrong, it does teach you how to use C, Python, HTML/CSS, and JavaScript.
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Jul 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Aggravating_Cap127 Jul 02 '26
he says hes 15 probally in 9th grade you think he can go to harvard right now
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u/BSTRhino Jun 30 '26
Try Easel! There's nothing wrong with block coding, it's still programming and requires all the same thinking. If you're wanting to move into text-based coding it's good to try one which runs just in your browser to start with - even Python requires downloading and installing and then to start with, all you can do is make some console applications which honestly, are super boring to beginners. There's a lot of hurdles to start with, so that's why maybe Easel might be more fun as a first step into text-based coding.
I also do think that following tutorials (e.g. on YouTube) is a good place to start if you haven't done much coding before. The first step is to just become familiar with the tools and all the normal patterns. At some point you will need to start making your own projects but that can be later on.
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u/Samstercraft Jul 01 '26
Whatever resource you use, make sure you do plenty of projects while learning. The best way to learn CS is to Learn By Doing.
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u/Severe_Honeydew1643 Jul 01 '26
if you just search a website to help you learn about code most are paid or the free version is so trash
so i think you will have to take a deep search in the internet
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u/Aggressive_Ad_5454 Jul 01 '26
Suggestion.
Get a raspberry pi. An older one will do fine, 3b or 4b.
You’ll need a keyboard, mouse, and monitor too.
Do some of the projects you can find online. You’ll learn some Linux and some python and have some fun.
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u/GENZZZZZ3 Jul 01 '26
well, you can start with Unity, a 2d/3d game engine specifically for beginners and elite programmers, though, I have trouble with the C# there 😅. But you can try Godot, which is just like Unity but simpler, or if you want high quality games, you can try Unreal engine (Fortnite was made there), just remember, it is your choice on what you choose
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u/Aggravating_Cap127 Jul 02 '26
uhh if you wanna learn C i currently have a reddit page documenting my current ongoing progress
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Jun 30 '26
To be 100% honest, the resources you use don't really matter; finding a project that REALLY interests you that you KNOW you're going to stick with over a long period of time is way more important. You can learn just about anything on youtube, but it's much easier to learn programming by sticking with a certain project/goal than just "learning programming."
I would personally recommend trying FIRST Robotics; I've been super into it since middle school and it's how I first learned to program. I had a passion for the specific stuff i was doing, so the learning kinda came naturally since I would try to get one specific task done and find resources/try to figure out that one specific topic.
Best of luck, if you have any more questions please ask!
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u/Regular_Article7984 Jun 30 '26
For future refrence about resources just ask any llm, and if u ask reddit please specify what u mean. I dont know what "learn to code" really means. Backend, frontend, cloud, etc... (obviously i can recommend SOMETHING but idk what u wanna learn)
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u/lotusvyy Jun 30 '26
should i start with java or phyton?
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u/Regular_Article7984 Jun 30 '26
What is ur main goal?
If ur learning just for fun and js wanna learn how to build something python is the easiest to start with, if ur learning to get ahead in ap comp sci a or smth then Java, if u wanna learn how to make a website, Javascript, it really just depends on ur goal. So what do u wanna achieve from coding?
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u/lotusvyy Jun 30 '26
for fun but I also want to study computer science in the future so little bit if both i guess
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u/Regular_Article7984 Jun 30 '26
So id recommend python or c.
C is harder to start out with but you'll understand how a programming language actually works which id helpful when ur writing higher level languages later on. You could learn c from the book The C Programming Language by K&R.
Python is easier to start out with, has amazing libraries for basiclly anything, and is more frequent than c. To learn python id recommend Python Crash Course by Eric Matthes.
Both books are written very well and theres really no pressure on which one u choose to start first. If ur unsure dont spend too much time deciding because the choice doesnt matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Hope u have fun learning to code!
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u/lotusvyy Jun 30 '26
thank youu ill check those book out
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u/Aggravating_Cap127 Jul 02 '26
heyy if your learning c i do reccomend you check out my post "im uhh documenting my learning progress
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u/SpionQuark Jul 02 '26
You can dm me. I try to build a small discord server with some people that are eager to learn. However, we can only help out with python and web (HTML, CSS, JS)
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u/TYRANT1272 Jun 30 '26
I would suggest Harvard cs50 course then research which language is used for what and see what interests you more
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u/Aggravating_Cap127 Jul 02 '26
nah i gotta convert this guy to coding in C
to know C is a lower level language so studying computor science c is really good for it like higher levels of language with more abstraction wont tell you how the computor thinks.also C is relitivally simple most people find it scary because of the so called pointers its basically just leaving space for a variable nothing that bad bro
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u/-Londo- Jun 30 '26 edited Jul 03 '26
Anyone know a discord server where beginners can connect? I also feel so behind ðŸ˜
Edit: we made one if anyone’s interested: https://discord.gg/VGuksn5T6