Java is a truly general-purpose language. While other languages might gradually become more geared towards specialized niches, Java has been used far and wide for longer than most Career Karma readers have been coding!
This means it’s not just a great language to make your resume standout, it’s also a good one to pick up to make yourself a better technologist.
But we all know education can be expensive. If your desire to learn Java is as deep as your pockets are shallow, you’ll want to check out these resources to learn Java for free.
Books to Learn Java for Free
A language as old as Java will have many freely available resources for the aspiring learner. Here are some free books that’ll get you going and growing in Java:
- Introduction To Programming Using Java, David Eck
This is great for people new to Java, as well as people new to programming in general. It covers all the major themes a new programmer needs to learn, like objects, classes, and basic data structures.
- What’s New In Java 8, Adam L. Davis
If you’ve made it through an introductory resource, it’s probably wise to find out what’s going on with the latest iteration of the language.
- Think Java, Allen B. Downey & Chris Mayfield
O’Reilly’s “Think” series of books are excellent introductions to general programming and computer science using a specific language.
Courses To Learn Java for Free
As with books, there are also lots of freely available online courses. These have the advantage of being interactive, so you can tinker with your code and debug it. Speaking from experience, this is probably 70% of what my coding workload is like.
Here are the courses you need to succeed with Java:
As with many coding languages there’s a free codecademy course that’ll teach you the basics. The course covers all the fundamental topics you’ll want to learn as a new programmer.
Udemy courses can be a little hit and miss, but at 16 hours, this one looks rather comprehensive. It also covers popular Java libraries and the new features of Java 8.
Working through the popular online learning platform Coursera, Duke University offers this Java-based introduction to programming fundamentals. After a warm-up with HTML/CSS/Javascript, the four-course specialization covers all the ins and outs of object-oriented programming and software design.
- Youtube
Don’t forget that Youtube has lots of free videos on learning to program in Java, some of which are quite extensive. Here are two that clock in at 7 hours and 9 hours, more than enough time to cover the fundamentals.
With so many free coding resources there’s no reason that you can’t become a proficient Java coder without ever leaving your house! That said, I actually do recommend you leave your house every once in a while, preferably to a meetup where you can learn from more experienced Java programmers. Never underestimate the power of asking questions and watching someone else solve problems.
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