Can I Learn HTML & CSS For Free?

Yes, you can learn HTML & CSS for free online. Especially in today’s online world, there are endless resources available right at your fingertips. With the right resources and mindset, you can master the basics of HTML & CSS on your own, but it’s recommended that you use free resources as a way of exploring the fundamentals of HTML & CSS or as a supplemental resource for more in-depth learning. This article will explore what free resources are available to you and how best to use them to your advantage. 

What Free Resources are Available for Learning HTML & CSS?

Free resources are available for learning HTML & CSS. YouTube boasts a wide range of tutorials and informative videos on all kinds of coding 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) as opposed to the sole source of your education. 

How to Make Use of Free HTML & CSS Resources

With the above in mind, it’s best to use these resources as a brief introduction to make sure you’re interested in the subject, as opposed to the sole source of your education. You can also use them as supplemental training materials while you attend a more structured course either in-person, live online, or on-demand. You can consult your free resources when you find yourself stuck on a specific concept and can’t wait for a time to discuss it with your course instructor. Or, if you find you learn at a faster pace than the course allows, you can use free resources to skip ahead to the lessons and subjects that will challenge and engage you more. 

You can also use free resources to test out skills and techniques, practicing your hand at HTML & CSS while simultaneously learning through a structured course. If you feel anxious about making mistakes in your course or are worried about embarrassing yourself in front of others, you can work through your projects with the help of free resources, testing out various options so that your final submitted course project meets your personal standards. 

Limitations of Free Resources

While great as bonus learning materials, free resources aren’t recommended as your primary source of education, as they’ll lack the immersive experience that a structured course offers. Plus, using this method as your sole source of education can take the most time. You’ll be responsible for sourcing all your learning materials and ensuring that you’ve covered all the important subjects of HTML & CSS, and this process can take a substantial amount of time.You also won’t be able to ask questions and receive feedback in real time, like you would in a live class. Additionally, like on-demand courses, it’s easy to lose motivation and fall behind with free resources, so they’re best for independent, self-motivated learners. 

There is another disadvantage to consider: It’s possible that your free resources could be outdated. HTML & CSS is a constantly evolving tool, so topics and training materials will need constant refreshing to stay relevant. It can be time consuming to check that your resources are the most up-to-date and accurate. Plus, if you’re not familiar with HTML & CSS, you may not be able to tell when a resource is no longer relevant. 

What to Do After Utilizing Free HTML & CSS Resources

If you thrive in a collaborative classroom environment, look into in-person classes. You’ll be able to work with other students, make new friends, and receive feedback and input from your instructor in the moment. These classes also provide a higher level of accountability and are a superb choice for those who struggle to keep themselves motivated or on task. They are, of course, less flexible than an online class, but often their advantages outweigh this one disadvantage. 

Live classes, whether attended virtually or on location, offer the structure, accountability, and discourse that can help you master React (from basics to advanced skills) as efficiently as possible. 

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.

You could also attend Noble’s Software Engineering Certificate. The program's first section covers basics like how to HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling. You'll also learn the fundamentals of JavaScript, Git for version control, and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, reorder web page content, and make it adapt to different size screens. You’ll build upon these beginner skills while you learn fundamental JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. Then you’ll learn React, a powerful JavaScript library for web development. Finally, you'll learn the lexical syntax of Python and master advanced topics like dictionaries, custom functions, and sorting algorithms. You'll progress to object-oriented programming, working with APIs, and querying databases with SQL, and get an introduction to Django, a Python web framework used for back end web programming. By the end of this course, you’ll have the skills and confidence to pursue a career in software engineering.