Whether you want to learn to code to improve your mental health or to switch careers, there are many great ways to learn to code. Websites like CodeAcademy allow you to work through exercises in a browser to learn a language. This is a great way to learn the syntax and structure of a language without having to install a development environment.
Not everyone learns this way and many people believe project-based work is better for long term learning. These YouTube channels let you code-along with full projects, allowing you to learn practical skills while achieving something!
1. Learn C++ Game Development With Javidx9
YouTuber Javidx9 is a hardware specialist by day but runs the One Lone Coder project by night. His videos cover C++ as a programming language for making games. Where Javid differs from many teachers is that he has written two open source game engines as a vehicle for teaching and community projects.
In this video, Javid creates Asteroids from scratch. Not only is this a great way to learn C++, but you will also learn the maths involved with game development in a simple to understand way. Javidx9 has many code-along videos on his channel, and all of his projects are available from the One Lone Coder GitHub repository.
2. Learn Rust With Hello Rust!
Rust is the most exciting new language around, and its popularity is growing all the time. Hello Rust is the YouTube channel of Matthias Endler, a backend engineer for Trivago.
His videos are not the average Rust tutorials. Rather than focusing on fundamentals, each video is a code-along covering a single subject or refactoring code to make it better. As a result, you'll learn functional Rust code and similarly, good coding practice.
This video shows how Rust can be used to create modules for other programming languages like Python. Small projects and common coding practices like those featured in Hello Rust can help take basic knowledge about any language and translate it into useful coding skills with real-world applications.
3. Learn MVC Game Development With Quill18creates
Quill18creates makes long-form Unity3D tutorials for every aspect of game development. There is a reason he shows up in almost every list of Unity tutorials, and that's because he's taught us almost everything over the years.
This video is the first in a long and detailed series about creating a Rimworld-like base-building game. The series is a cut above the average Unity project tutorial. Rather than focusing on hacking together a working game, Quill teaches good practice above all throughout.
This code-along will teach you proper model view controller (MVC) architecture and embedded Lua data systems for modding. You'll also create a functional prototype for a game you can personalize to your own tastes.
4. Learn API programming With PixelogicTV
Pixelogic is a small development studio with a difference. Each of their products is created during a "Four Week Sprint," and are live-streamed on Twitch.
This video is the first in a series covering the creation of a web API from the very start, right up to deployment. The SimpleAlerts program integrates with StreamLabs to help streamers organize their alerts.
5. Learn the MERN Stack With Traversy Media
MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js makes up the MERN JavaScript stack. They are among the most popular web frameworks available. Learning them is one of the quickest ways into web development.
Brad Traversy is the creator of countless tutorials on every aspect of programming and web design. His MERN stack playlist will teach you each framework by building a project you can then change to reflect your own interests.
6. Make a Game in Python With Sentdex
Sentdex is a legend in the Python community. He's been teaching Python and related subjects on his channel for over five years, and consequently has covered almost every aspect of the language.
This Python Pygame playlist takes you through how to create an object avoidance game with scoring and increasing difficulty. The playlist then goes on to cover other fundamentals like start menus, game pausing, and turning your game into an executable which will run on any system.
7. Build Facebook Messenger in Swift With Let's Build That App
Let's Build That App live up to their name. The channel is full of walkthroughs as to how you can build almost any kind of app. They also cover useful tips and tutorials on essential parts of app making like secure logins and grid design.
The Lets's Build Facebook Messenger playlist takes you through building a FaceBook Messenger-like app in Apple's Swift programming language. This code-along will teach you the inner workings of one of the most popular apps, along with a language essential for all iOS developers.
8. Learn ASP.NET Core With Kuvenkat
For the past six years, Venkat from the YouTube channel kuvenkat has been teaching every aspect of C#, Dot Net, ASP, and PHP. His ASP.NET Core playlist covers how to build a CRUD web application for an SQL server, in C#.
9. Learn Unity Game Development With Sebastian Lague
Sebastian Lague's series on Game Development is one of the best all-purpose primers for game development. You'll learn the fundamentals of C# coding along with how to use the Unity game editor.
The playlist contains several game examples to test what you have learned. Sebastian has also collaborated with Brackeys, another YouTube Unity teacher, to create a code-along RPG game tutorial which is perfect for taking your knowledge even further!
Learning by Doing
These channels are noteworthy for their code-along content, but there are many more YouTube tutorials for all types of programming.
If project-based learning works best for you, then try any one of these beginner programming projects to improve your knowledge or take a look at low-code and how that works! You can also learn to write pseudocode to improve your coding skills. One learning resource we would not recommend for newbie coders is Codecademy. Here's why shouldn't learn to code with Codecademy.