What is the Fastest Way to Learn HTML & CSS?

Free Resources: The Very Basics

There are quite a few free resources available for learning HTML & CSS, you just need to know where to look. YouTube boasts a wide range of tutorials and informative videos on all kinds of HTML & CSS subjects: from short five-minute episodes on the fundamentals to more in-depth breakdowns of advanced topics. YouTube is a great way to explore your initial interest or get answers to specific questions on HTML & CSS. 

Other websites like Google and LinkedIn offer short free tutorials and trainings designed to help you grasp the history and basic principles of HTML & CSS. Free resources are often your fastest option and can last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. Their brevity is one reason they are so popular for beginners, but the drawback of these courses is that they will lack the in-depth knowledge and real-time interaction with an expert instructor that more immersive programs offer. With that in mind, it’s best to use these resources as a brief introduction to make sure you’re interested in the subject (or as supplemental learning materials) instead of the sole source of your education. 

Introductory Classes: Ideal for Eager Beginners

If you’re looking for something slightly more in-depth than YouTube tutorials and blog posts, an introductory course is a great place to start. These classes cover the history of HTML & CSS, basic principles, and the fundamental techniques. They often will focus on specific tools that are used alongside HTML & CSS, like JavaScript or various other programming languages. You’ll have access to top-notch curriculum crafted by an expert instructor and will usually spend a portion of the class on project-based assignments that can be added to your professional portfolio. Introductory courses can be held in-person or online in a live or on-demand format. 

The goal of an intro class is to offer you a strong foundation in the subject, building your confidence to pursue more advanced tools and techniques. These courses can vary in length from a few hours to a few days, but rarely are longer than that. 

Certificate Granting Programs: For Aspiring Professionals

While certificates take more time than introductory courses or free resources, they offer a wider breadth of knowledge, noteworthy credibility, and the potential to network. These programs cover a HTML & CSS curriculum in a few weeks (or a few short months for part-time students) and are focused on professional development and technical training. While they may be longer than other options, they are still quicker than an undergraduate or graduate degree. The content covered will focus more on professional skills rather than introductory material or advanced theory, so you won’t get the immersive experience that a web development degree program would give you. You also won’t spend 2 to 6 years working on a degree, or be saddled with substantial student loans debt. These kinds of programs are the fastest options available for students whose goal is immediate professional development and employment.

On-Demand Courses: It's Hard to Tell

Self-paced courses from websites like Coursera and Udemy are a great way to learn the ins and outs of HTML & CSS from whatever angle you find to be the most interesting. If your schedule is complicated or you prefer to learn at your own pace, on-demand classes offer the most flexibility and freedom. All lessons are prerecorded and there’s no due dates or class times to worry about. You can skip any lessons you’ve already mastered or spend more time on more difficult subjects. With this comes the disadvantages of no live collaboration with other students or instant feedback from an expert instructor. While you’ll have more time to master challenging subjects, you won’t have someone to help walk you through those challenges or provide additional insight. 

It’s also important to remember that with more freedom comes less accountability. On-demand classes can work for independent learners who can keep themselves on task and motivated, but may not be the best fit for those who find motivation through accountability. Without scheduled class times and due dates, you may fall behind or take longer to complete your training. And without the right level of motivation, you can easily lose interest in completing the training altogether.

Learn HTML & CSS Skills with Noble Desktop

Live HTML and CSS courses are an ideal learning method for those entirely new to the field. Live online classes are great for those who prefer a solitary learning environment with minimal distractions. They allow you to learn from the comfort of your own home (or wherever you choose), providing more flexibility. Additionally, if you live in an area with limited (or no) in-person options, online classes open up more opportunities for you. 

A great place to start would be Intro to HTML & CSS, a hands-on course that will teach you the basics of both of these fundamental tools. You’ll hand code a webpage from scratch using HTML, learning how to format paragraphs, headings, and lists. You’ll also learn how to create links, add images, and modify tags with attributes. By the end of class, you’ll be familiar with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), including tag selectors, class selectors, and the class attribute.

Noble Desktop’s HTML Email Certificate will help you gain skills to create responsive emails with personality. Boasting small class sizes led by expert instructors, you’ll learn HTML and CSS coding, including how to code effective and cross-mail-client compatible emails and optimize emails for desktop, webmail, and mobile users. By the end of this program, you’ll be able to code emails that display properly in various email apps for your business or clients.

Their Web Development with HTML & CSS will teach you how to develop websites with HTML and CSS, the coding languages used to create web pages. Using HTML, you’ll learn how to create webpages with text, images, and more. Then you’ll use CSS to style the content, create centered page layouts, add background images, style navigation, and make the page responsive so it adapts to various screen sizes using media queries. Finally, you’ll upload files to FTP to make your site go live.

If you’re looking to go a little deeper, you could try the Front End Web Development Certificate. You’ll learn HTML to mark up web pages, CSS for styling, JavaScript to add interactivity and animation, and Git to track code changes and collaborate with other developers. Ideal for those new to coding, you’ll develop the skills to create responsive websites optimized for any size screen (mobile, tablet, and desktop). Additionally, you’ll learn how to use WordPress, the world's leading content management system, to create customizable websites and edit content without the need to be a programming expert.