Learn to Code In HTML

HTML is the backbone of every website running on the Internet. It’s the basic language in which all of your favorite websites–from Reddit and Facebook to the homepages of your banking and insurance companies–are built. 

Surely, anything that widespread and popular is worth learning. But it turns out that learning HTML is not only a great way to get started in programming, it’s also rewarding and fun!

Should I Learn HTML?

Lots of people are wondering how to learn programming. As the foundational skill of many of the best jobs of 2019, there’s never been a better time to invest in this skill set. And with so many great learning resources, like Career Karma’s extensive list of guides for learning how to code, there are many places for you to start. 

There isn’t necessarily a bad programming language to start with, but depending on your background and interests, some are definitely easier than others. HTML is undoubtedly the easiest because, well, it isn’t a programming language. 

HTML is a markup language. It lets you use a limited syntax and a set of tags to describe content to a computer. It’s the simplest task you can do that still counts as coding. 

Luckily, a lot of the skills and thinking habits you pick up mastering HTML will transfer right over to Ruby, Python, or whatever else you decide to do next. 

How Can I Learn HTML? 

HTML isn’t hard to learn. If I were just starting out, I’d read a good overview article explaining the basics of what HTML is used for, and I’d try to find a place where the simplest HTML tags are explained clearly. 

There are many more free HTML tutorials online than you’ll ever find the time to complete. You could opt to begin with Codecademy’s outstanding course for HTML beginners, like I did. Or, you could go with any of the popular alternatives. Both Learn HTML and CodeConquest are solid entry points. 

What makes the online approach better than a book is that you can usually code in-browser. Coding is the sort of thing which can only be learned by doing, so I recommend you start doing it as early as possible. 

But don’t worry, books will work too! You’ll just have to take the extra step of setting up a little coding environment to try out the new things you’re learning. 

What Can I Build with HTML? 

With HTML, you can learn how to build functional websites. To make pretty websites you’ll need to also pick up CSS, and to make dynamic ones you’ll need JavaScript, AJAX, and possibly JQuery. 

But the most important thing that HTML will let you build is the foundation of a great new career!