Whether they want to become software engineers, game developers, or data scientists (or improve their problem-solving skills), learning to code opens doors to endless opportunities. Even teens who don’t move on to rewarding tech careers may find coding offers many fun and creative benefits and advantages.

But with so many courses available, which one is the best? Weighing their options requires sitting down with their parents, discussing what approach makes sense for them, and carefully budgeting their expenses. Thankfully, high-quality bootcamps are available across the nation in just about every major city! These coding courses can even be taken online, which helps streamline a student’s education and ensures they get support that suits their specific style.

Why Should High Schoolers Learn Coding?

Mastering programming opens up a new world of exciting possibilities for serious students! They’ll learn new ideas, master complex technical concepts, and become more professionally accomplished. But why is coding a great opportunity compared to similar market skills? Beneath most tech-related industries, sit coding pros! Without skilled programmers, most modern industries wouldn’t run. Therefore, mastering programming can offer students benefits like:

  • Diverse Industries: High school students who learn to code gain a valuable skill that can lead to exciting careers in tech, engineering, finance, and even medicine. In this way, it should be reasonably easy to find rewarding positions after graduation.
  • Fantastic Career Opportunities: Coding is a great way to build apps, create games, and participate in competitions like hackathons. Students fascinated by the tech world will find it easy to jump right in when they learn programming skills.
  • Modular Approach: Mastering one coding language typically makes it easier to learn others. For example, someone who knows Python might transition to studying Java, HTML, JavaScript, and other tools. As a result, students can pick and choose their skills. 
  • Soft Skills Development: Beyond career-related concepts and techniques, mastering coding teaches soft skills. High schoolers will learn more about topics like logical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity and become more accomplished people.

Considerations for Choosing a Course

Teenagers scrolling through a list of coding bootcamps may feel tempted to choose at random. After all, they seem so similar at first glance without careful research. However, there are many factors that make these programs more diverse than they initially appear. As a result, a little research is necessary for serious learners. When selecting a coding course, students should consider the following topics to ensure that they pick a study path that makes the most sense.

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Programming Language

Coding is by no means a singular concept and falls under many different languages and headings. For instance, students might study Python, Java, JavaScript, and C++ based on their interests. Each language has pros and cons, so teens should study what feels “right” for them.

Level of Difficulty

When picking a class, teens should ensure their chosen course matches their experience and abilities. For example, some might know a little programming already, while others need more beginner-friendly lessons. Whatever the situation, the difficulty remains a critical consideration. 

Learning Style

Teenagers should also research the program’s teaching style, which may include self-paced, interactive, or instructor-led course formats. They should also check for certifications because many schools and courses offer completion certificates that help with college applications later.

Project-Based Learning

The most trusted coding bootcamps use hands-on exercises to enhance understanding and solidify a student’s knowledge. Often, these projects build towards a portfolio that highlights a learner’s abilities and makes it easier to show off what they can do to potential employers. 

What High Schoolers Can Do With Coding

While most teenagers learn to code to transition to a rewarding and exciting career, others jump into it for personal edification. In other words, they learn programming for fun or to complete engaging projects! After all, this powerful tech skill adapts to an individual’s needs and opens them up to many exciting worlds. Once they learn to code in one or more different languages, students can do so many things with these skills that it might honestly shock them, including:

  • Build websites and mobile apps and potentially share them with friends for fun, upload them on a portfolio to show off, or sell them on an app store for a bit of profit
  • Develop new and innovative video games with Unity or Unreal Engine, which are the two most commonly used game engines in operation today for 2D and 3D products
  • Explore artificial intelligence and machine learning to create AI projects or automate repetitive work tasks with scripts that reduce their boredom when doing dull work
  • Create robotics and IoT projects to strengthen their portfolio and show off their skills to potential employers in unusual and rarely discussed technological industries

The fantastic thing about coding is its adaptability to just about anything a teen can imagine! For example, mastering programming can help students transition into cybersecurity jobs, protect their network more closely, and even create adaptable AI bots to share with friends and others. As their skills improve, teenagers will find themselves feeling more comfortable with these and other tasks and can transition into higher education and training to further cement their abilities. 

Balancing High School and Coding Learning Demands

Teens looking at coding bootcamps might feel overwhelmed by the time commitment. After all, so many of these courses require 10-40 hours a week! Busy learners with friends, partners, and part-time jobs might find it hard to justify that investment. However, students can balance coding with school by following these simple suggestions. They’ll help teenagers from all walks of life better understand their opportunities and ensure they’re satisfied with their learning results. 

Find a Practice Schedule

Dedicating a few hours per week to practice helps students master coding more effectively. Some programs let them study whenever they want as long as they get their work done by a specific time. As a result, these flexible courses may work best for many teen learners. 

Make Small Projects

Working on small projects helps to reinforce a teen’s coding learning by building on previously learned skills. For example, they can master basic loops and use these tools to craft simple games and expand them further to create even more powerful and beneficial applications.

Join Coding Clubs

Learning to code doesn’t have to be a lonely experience! Many teenagers enjoy joining coding clubs for peer support. Often, they meet new friends this way. Even better, they can potentially build more substantial professional contacts and maybe even find their dream job as well.

Sign Up for Coding Challenges

Sometimes, students just need a little extra kick in the pants to stay focused on their learning. For example, they can try participating in online coding challenges to show off their skills, see how they stack up, and walk away with better personal and professional work connections. 

Jobs Available After Learning Coding

Teens interested in starting a rewarding career after completing a coding bootcamp are in luck! While a single class might not be enough to start a new job, it lays the foundation for more rewarding and higher-earning positions. By completing a bootcamp early in their high school career, teenagers prepare themselves for complex college courses and extra training. They might even jump into an entry-level position related to one of these satisfying jobs:

  • Web Developer: A Web Developer uses HTML, CSS, Python, and JavaScript to produce eye-catching and high-converting websites to earn about $92,000 annually.
  • Software Engineer: As a Software Engineer, teens will use programming daily to create high-quality products. Expect these killed specialists to make a $130,000 annual median.
  • Java Developer: A Java Developer works with this popular language to create Android and Apple applications and earns around the same amount as Python specialists. 
  • Data Scientist: A Data Scientist works with coding tools like SQL and Python when researching and handling large info sets. Expect an average $108,000 annual salary.

Benefits of Taking a Coding Bootcamp

Programming courses take on many forms, from intensive college programs to 1-on-1 mentorship opportunities. But what makes a bootcamp such a smart option for teenagers? It’s an intensive, fast-paced environment that works quickly to reinforce skills using practical exercises and activities based on real-world programming needs. In this way, bootcamps are among the best ways for high schoolers to learn this powerful, diverse skill. Benefits include:

  • Structured learning with a clear curriculum that works learners through easier early lessons up to more complex later ones to build off these concepts in a logical way
  • Hands-on experience with real-world projects that help students create a high-quality portfolio of diverse work that they can share with college admittance and employers
  • Mentorship from industry professionals with years of experience in the field, which not only helps students build their skills but expand their professional references
  • Networking opportunities for future careers through various events, activities, and forums, along with the chance to meet coding peers on the same level

Why Taking a Coding Course is Better Than Learning for Free

Free seminars, YouTube videos, forums, and other low-cost educational tools create a tempting situation for many teenagers. Why should they pay so much money if these resources exist? Well, paid courses provide more benefits than free tools. First, teens are more likely to complete their lessons because of their high expenses. Ironically, knowing that they or their parents paid thousands of dollars for a class gives most teens the motivation they need to continue. 

Even better, teens get immediate feedback on their code from a skilled professor who profoundly understands the subject. Most free resources lack that kind of interaction, which makes it far more challenging to learn with them. Just as importantly, paid programs offer comprehensive learning lessons that cover foundational concepts before moving on to more complex and advanced topics. Finally, they use project-based exercises to help learners thrive.

Financing Options for Coding Courses

Coding bootcamps for high schoolers typically cost thousands of dollars or more, making them challenging for many families to afford. However, most institutions understand this issue and offer high-quality financial support based on a student’s needs. They may pair with banks and lenders or offer cash themselves. So, when working with their coding bootcamps, students can explore a variety of financing options that should make these programs affordable, including:

  • Scholarships: When available, scholarships help teens pay for their programs without needing repayment. They’re available for high-achievers or those with financial need.
  • Financial Aid: Student loans (usually directly through the school or provider) may pay all of a class’ expenses. These do require repayment, usually with interest. 
  • Payment Plans: Most educational providers offer simple payment plans, typically in three to five installments, that make upfront expenses a little more affordable. 
  • Free Trials: Some programs (usually online, asynchronous ones) offer free trials for 7-30 days to help students put their big toe in the deep waters of coding training.

Skills High Schoolers Learn in Coding Courses

High schoolers interested in mastering coding should know precisely what they’re getting into before signing up. Throughout their courses, young students will develop skills such as the following techniques to prepare for a new career. Note that these are just a few of the critical concepts, theories, and practical lessons that high schoolers will master during their courses. There are even more topics that they’ll study, depending on their program and its unique scope. 

Programming Fundamentals

Teens start their programming journey by learning basic coding syntax. Put simply, they’ll practice writing and debugging code at the most primal level. They’ll complete the infamous “Hello, World!” exercise in one or more languages and move on to far more complex concepts.

Algorithms and Problem-Solving

Throughout their lessons, teens will learn about essential coding algorithms that help them think logically when solving problems. Furthermore, they’ll study version control using Git and GitHub to track changes in their code and complete projects at a higher, more accomplished level.

Web Development

Coding isn’t just about creating programs and applications. Many of today’s top programmers work in web development, which makes it essential to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript basics. Thankfully, these languages are some of the easiest to master for teens interested in coding. 

Data Structures

Later in their training, students will focus on learning about arrays, loops, and functions to solidify these crucial skills. These complex topics require a deep understanding of coding fundamentals, meaning teenagers must work up to them to feel comfortable with their training.

How Easy Is It to Learn Coding?

Learning coding can be challenging because it’s a complex and in-depth skill set that requires a lot of studying. While early lessons might seem pretty straightforward, these can quickly become very complex and difficult for many students. Thankfully, beginner-friendly courses often offer interactive exercises and hands-on projects that make it easier to learn programming. Completing bootcamps also helps teenagers solidify their skills and build a work portfolio.

How Long Will It Take To Learn Coding?

There’s no set-in-stone timeline for mastering programming. However, it’s fair to say most teenagers will likely feel proficient in beginner-level skills in a few months. More advanced knowledge could take 1-2 years, depending on their innate abilities and study schedule. While some teens may understand coding quicker than others, the only way to master any skill is through hard work. Even innately talented individuals need to study hard to learn coding.

Best Coding Courses for High Schoolers

Trying to sort through and choose from among the dozens of high-quality coding bootcamps for high schoolers can be a significant challenge. Teens and their parents might struggle to tell the difference between these programs or doubt their claims and value. However, the following schools and classes come from high-quality providers that stand out tall and proud among their peers. Students from all walks of life will likely thrive when signing up for one of these courses.

NextGen Bootcamp

NextGen Bootcamp is a next-level training team created in 2016 to offer high-quality education for high school students at reasonable prices. Growth from a small and respected school to an industry leader came rapidly for NextGen, and they’re currently at the forefront of the field due to 1-on-1 mentoring opportunities, small class sizes, trusted curriculums, legendary teachers, and a live online training model that takes real-world education to thousands across the nation.

Java Programming Summer Program Live Online

Java Programming Summer Program Live Online teaches high school students about this critical coding tool. As one of the top five most commonly used programming languages today, Java is critical for teens to master. Throughout their classes, they’ll learn about object-oriented programming, recursion, and the general coding process. During their lessons, they get real-time interaction with their teacher to sharpen their skills to complete project-based learning. 

Computer Science Summer Certificate Program Live Online

Computer Science Summer Certificate Program Live Online offers a comprehensive two-part course that includes the complete Java Programming Summer Program Live Online curriculum alongside a Python-related session for data science. As students work virtually with their professors and peers, they’ll learn how to use these programming languages, craft unique projects, and graduate with a completion certificate showing off their newly learned skills.

Code Galaxy 

Code Galaxy offers an online training experience for children of all ages. Learners will earn badges as they complete courses and build their knowledge. Programs take place online and cover essential skills as they gradually increase in difficulty. Each class is set up for specific ages and comprehension levels, meaning learners aren’t overwhelmed with their studies. Each graduate receives a completion certificate and awards as they complete classes and “rank up.”

Python Basics 

Python Basics covers everything a student needs to know to get started with this coding language. As the most popular and influential programming language in the world today, Python offers students many great projects and career opportunities. This course requires eight hours of study spread across two days. Learners receive hands-on projects to work on online and can receive on-demand help via Discord chat with professors and peers to sharpen their skills.