What’s the Best Way to Learn to Code? (in 2026)

Let's be honest, learning to code is fairly simple:

• Pick the tech career you want to work in

• Find out what languages and skills you need for that career path

• And then learn those coding skills

The issue really is that there's so many different ways to learn coding, and that's what trips a lot of people up.

So in this article I'm going to make it easy for you.

I'll break down the 4 most popular ways to learn to code, and weigh up the pros, cons, and costs. This way you can decide for yourself the best way to learn to code for you, and your needs. So let's get into it...

Option #1. Become a Self-Taught Programmer using free resources

Before we get into anything further, it's worth nothing that you don't need a degree to get into tech. As long as you can prove you can do the work with a project portfolio and show your skills, you can get hired.

With that in mind, a lot of people start off with this method where they learn for free from resources online.

In fact, our very own founder Andrei did this exact same thing and learned to code for free and got hired. He breaks down what he did in that guide so you can do it too.

Articles are not the only free option to learn from though. You can grab books or watch YouTube tutorials, and pick up a lot of information. Heck, we've even share the first hours of most of our own courses on our own channel so you can watch for free.

For example

Here's the first 8 hours of our Python course:

Not bad right?

The key thing to understand is that every method on this list has pros and cons. The biggest pro with using free resources is they are essentially 'free'.

However, it does mean that you end up having to go through it all on your own which can be a HUGE sticking point for most people. In fact, there's even a term in the industry for this called 'Tutorial Hell'.

Basically you watch one video (or read a guide) and then bounce to another and another. Either never finishing anything or not being sure what to learn next or why you should learn it. So you pick up tiny bits of skills and you quit, or take years to learn what you need to know to get hired.

So you save a few dollars up front but potentially add years to the time to get where you want to be.

Add in the fact that tech moves fast and content can get out of date quickly and you're spending your time learning things that might not be correct. (For example, all our courses are updated multiple times per year, whereas our free videos are not).

This is why a LOT of people start with the free route, but then end up moving onto another option on this list, because they realize they need a path, support, and up to date information.

Pros and cons of learning as a self-taught programmer

Pros:

• Inexpensive / Free!

• Can get started right away

• Can always transition to another learning option later especially if you start making money while you learn to code

• No fixed timetable to stick to

• Can do remotely from anywhere in the world

Cons:

• No real structure. This can mean you struggle to find what you need or bounce around wasting time

That's not to say you can find success with free content. Like I said, Andrei managed it. But you need to be incredibly focused and dedicated, and do a lot of research to figure out what you need to learn.

If this is the path you want to check, definitely check out his guide. Otherwise this next option is what the vast majority of people use, (even if they've tried or completed other methods on this list).

Option #2. Learn online with a coding academy

Now I'm going to seem biased seeing as we run our own online coding academy but bear with me.

The reason so many people end up joining a platform like ours, is because it has all the benefits and very few downsides of the other options.

Yes it costs money to learn but here's the thing. People often fail to attach any value to 'free'. And so if you give them the knowledge to help get a $100k a year career for free, they'll often just glance over it and do nothing with it.

It's kind of crazy, but when they pay for the information, they'll see it as being more valuable and want to follow through and take action.

It's kind of like having a gym membership or being given some weights for free from a friend. Both can help you get in shape, but you'll probably only lift those free weights once. Whereas the pain of having to pay for the gym will make you go, which then means you get fit.

Same with an online academy.

And to be honest, they're not that expensive. The price for most platforms is usually fairly cheap at around $45-$60 a month or so.

Here at ZTM we're only $49 a month, or $25 a month if you pay for the year in advance. Even that low cost though is enough that you follow through and do the work.

Add in the fact that online academies:

• Teach the most important skills

• Have roadmaps of what to learn and in what order to get hired

• With up to date content from industry experts who work in their fields

• And they have community support so you don't get stuck and are more likely to finish what you start

It's a win:win situation. You sign up, watch the videos, take the actions, and can start learning within about 5 minutes of joining.

Better still, because those courses follow specific paths for specific tech careers, you can usually start applying for jobs within around 6-12 months or so!

For example

Here's a link to our roadmap on the fastest way to become an AI and Machine Learning Engineer:

Simply follow that, do the courses and you can get hired by the end and make over $100,000 a year.

Handy right!?

That being said, not every academy has these features so make sure to do your research when choosing the best option for you. We've shared a few comparison guides to help you decide, but make sure to look for up to date 3rd party reviews on places like TrustPilot or even Reddit also:

Pros and cons of learning with online coding academies

Pros:

• Affordable for most people with great ROI (return on investment)

• Slightly more financial stake than self-taught, which can help you follow through

• More likely to have updated content (vs. Self-Taught) and teaching relevant in-demand skills (vs. CS Degrees)

• Usually learning from instructors with real-world experience

• Can get started right away

• No fixed timetable to stick to. Go as fast or slow as you want

• Can do remotely from anywhere in the world, as long as you have the internet

• Similar in structure to Bootcamps (focused on teaching only the most relevant topics)

• Usually have options to specialize into specific niches, or go deep and become a full-stack developer

• Instructors can answer questions, even if you’ve already been hired and need help in an area 😉

Cons:

• It doesn’t have ‘in person’ interactions, which is either a pro or a con depending on your point of view!

• Even with a strong community element, it still requires self-motivation and discipline. This is true of any option to a degree

• It’s not free

However, they are definitely cheaper than the next options.

Option #3. Join an in-person Coding Bootcamp

Coding bootcamps are in-person training programs. You sign up for a specific date, and then learn with them for 8 hours a day, for around 6-12 weeks. The goal is to try and teach you a set syllabus, as fast as possible, in a shared environment.

Now for some people, this is perfect because they struggle to learn outside of this type of structure.

However, the costs for something like this is much higher than the other 2 options we've shared so far, with the average bootcamps costing around $10,000 or more. (We've even seen some as high as $35,000!)

Obviously this is a big price jump from being self-taught (free) or even what most online academies cost, ($49 a month or $299 for a year), but you do have to remember the potential payoff.

If you think of the cost as an investment, then investing ~$10,000 to land a job that potentially pays $100,000+ per year can totally be worth it.

What if I can't afford this amount?

Some Bootcamps offer scholarships to students who can meet certain criteria so it doesn't hurt to reach out to see what that looks like.

There are also some Bootcamps that offer deferred payment options. The most common these days are ISAs (Income Sharing Agreements) which are for people who can't or don't want to commit to the cost upfront. The way they usually work is that you don't pay until you’re employed but then you have to pay them back an ongoing percentage of your earnings for a certain time frame.

This can be a great option if you're really stuck and would be willing to pay ~$10,000 but just don't have the money on hand right now but you may be paying 8-25% of your income for 1-4 years. And in some cases you actually end up paying more than the $10,000 that you would be paying up front.

Ultimately this is just a different form of debt. You're not avoiding paying $10,000 (or maybe more)... you're just delaying it. So just make sure to read the fine print. There are some horror stories out there that you can find.

Can they help you get hired?

Kind of...

Remember that you can get hired at any tech company with the right approach, knowledge, and project work.

That being said, some Bootcamps do have partnerships with companies and those companies use these Bootcamps as one of their recruitment pools so I'd say you can likely raise your chances of being hired by these companies simply by completing that Bootcamp, but it's still not a guarantee.

You'll still need to do the work and build a portfolio and apply.

Sidenote: A lot of online academies have similar resources and interview prep for a far lower cost. They just don't usually have the industry hiring pool. That being said, if you share your work with the communities you'll be surprised at what this can lead to.

Pros and cons of learning with coding Bootcamps

Pros:

• You follow a set structure

• You learn fast

• Usually focused on making you a full-stack developer in a specific language or framework, so you learn a lot

• Frequently updated (like anything though, some bootcamps are better than others so do your research)

• It’s a pro and a con, but a large financial component and face-to-face interaction can help force you to finish your learning and push through when the learning gets tough (which it will... like learning any new skill)

• Can ask questions live and interact with the teacher

• Have a community to learn with

• May be able to take advantage of job opportunities with companies partnered with your bootcamp

Cons:

• No guarantee that you will get hired (this is true of any option on this list)

• $$$$... quite a high cost that is out of reach or a lot of people

• Set dates to enroll and limited locations (can't start any time)

• Usually in a set physical location that you may have to travel to

• Can be an intense workload

• No ongoing support or learning opportunities after the 6-12 weeks are over... you're kind of left on your own after the Bootcamp is over

Bootcamps can be a great option if you have the cash and want to be pushed, but there are far cheaper options out there. That all being said, they're still far cheaper than the final option on this list.

Option #4. Enroll in a College Computer Science course

College is a fantastic experience.

For most people you're leaving home for the first time, meeting new people and having a blast. Not to mention that you also get a degree at the end of it.

But.. if you don't need a degree to get hired in tech, why would you still go?

Well some HUGE tech companies like Meta and Google still like to see a CS degree on applications, although if I'm honest, this is happening far less nowadays.

They just want to see you can answer more fundamental questions that are covered in a CS degree, but you can learn all of this in online:

Add in the fact that:

• You have to hit the grades in school first to even apply

• The degree will take 4 years to complete

• And they cost around $70,000-$90,000 per year which means your degree will cost anywhere from $280,000-$360,000 in total!

And its suddenly less appealing to go the college route.

(Bootcamps (~$10,000) and online academies ($49 a month) are looking pretty good right now eh?)

Obviously, the price for each CS degree can vary on location, country, and if you manage to land a scholarship. Stanford has a lot of their students hired by Amazon and other big tech companies and costs around $78,218 per year to study there, while Kellogg is around $87,800 per year.

Oof...

It should also be noted that while some universities now offer online CS degrees for $15K-$30K, they don’t offer the same networking benefits or hands-on experience as in-person programs. You're just doing an online course but over 4 years instead of 6 months, and spending $14k-$29k more!

Like I said, it's kind of crazy. Especially because we've had people hired at those same companies with no prior experience or coding degrees.

Honestly, you don't really need a degree to get hired.

If you don't believe me, go check the LinkedIn profiles for a lot of Senior Developers. There are definitely more and more that are self-taught or learned via online academies and bootcamps.

Pros and cons of learning via a Computer Science degree in College

Pros:

• College can be one of the most fun times in your life!

• A broader understanding of larger topics in programming

• Some companies will recruit right from school

• Some companies and hiring managers will filter for "Has CS Degree"

• A structured learning environment at a slower pace than other options

Cons:

• Dear lord, the cost!...

• A lot of hoops to jump through to get started. Requires success in school, specific grades, applications to each school, and then succeeding in the application process and then there's only one time you can start every year (usually September)

• The main theoretical component taught in CS degrees that is missed in other options can be learned elsewhere

• The time to complete a degree means that you may not have relevant knowledge when joining the hiring pool. A lot of students will often supplement their courses elsewhere because the tech industry moves so fast

• Some specialties are not covered in most Colleges yet (ex: if you're interested in Crypto / Blockchain)

• Usually based in a physical location for 4 years+

Could you just learn a core language and get a job, save 4 years of your life and $300,000 though? Oh most definitely. Heck, you can even learn that theory content and other languages online after you've been hired if you really want to.

I know which I would choose, but I encourage you to weigh the pros and cons for yourself.

So which is the best way to learn to code in 2026?

Like I said at the beginning, the best option for you really does depend on your own situation and needs.

If you’re still on the fence about the best route, or if you simply jumped ahead and want to know the basic pros and cons, then here are the TL;DR comparisons:

• Self-Taught is obviously the cheapest option and there’s a lot of free content out there on YouTube and other sources. You can 100% learn to code and get hired as a self-taught programmer and depending on your current finances it might be your best option. You also get to choose exactly what you want to learn (vs. a rigid curriculum)

• Coding Bootcamps cut the theoretical information out and take 12 weeks or so to complete. It’s an intense learning experience but you’re usually a full-stack developer by the end of it with a chance to get hired quickly. The biggest downside is the cost but if you have the money, it can definitely be worth the investment

• A CS Degree covers more detailed theory and might increase your chances to get hired at big tech companies (Amazon, Microsoft, etc.) but it takes 4 years+ to complete and there are still no guarantees. Also, the costs can be anywhere from $100,000 - $350,000 and less of those companies are asking for degrees nowadays

• Online Coding Academies are the sweet spot that blends a lot of the best elements of each of the other options. They are more affordable than CS Degrees or Coding Bootcamps while still offering structured learning and support (some give you access to ask teachers questions for quick feedback) and you get to learn at your own pace (faster or slower)

Start learning to code today!

I really hope this guide has helped you to narrow down the best way for you to learn coding and programming, based on your particular needs and circumstances.

It’s an incredibly rewarding career, you get to solve interesting problems, you're constantly learning new things, you can achieve high salaries very quickly, and it has many other benefits that you just don’t see in other jobs.

It’s also one of a few industries where you can get there with just self-taught learning and experience which is awesome.

Whether you decide to go with the free route, fast track with a structured online learning plan or drop some serious cash on a Bootcamp or Degree, you won’t regret getting into this industry 😃.

And if you do think of doing this online, but not sure which tech career to get into, then take our 2-minute tech career path quiz:

You just answer a few questions and it'll tell you the best career for you, as well as share resources to start right away.