How do Beginners Learn IT?

As a beginner, studying IT may seem overwhelming. Instead of trying to learn everything all at once, it’s best to start with the essential fundamental skills and terminology. Luckily, the basic skills of IT are easily accessible, even for beginners. 

There are multiple ways to learn IT as a novice. The foundational principles can be explored through free resources like YouTube videos or other online tutorials. Basic skills can be gained through on-demand, live online, or in-person classes, and a deeper level of knowledge can be reached through a certification or degree program. Each of these methods will have pros and cons for beginners, so keep reading to learn more about making the best choice for you.

Getting Started with IT

Good news: there isn’t much needed in order to start learning IT. It is recommended that you have a good grasp of mathematical equations and at least a basic understanding of HTML & CSS. If you haven’t yet covered HTML & CSS though, don’t worry. You can always choose an IT course that includes an introduction to these extremely helpful and commonly used basic languages. 

The First Steps when Learning IT

As a beginner, you’ll want to start with the foundational skills of IT. You’ll begin by getting familiar with the tools of the trade. Every company typically has their own versions of each of the following: 

• Network Security
• Data Storage and Management
• Data Recovery
• Capacity Planning
• Performance Monitoring
• Knowledge-Based Software
• Project Management Software 

These tools can take some time to understand and master, so take your time covering these initial steps. It’s also recommended that you have a good grasp on HTML & CSS, as well as at least 1-2 programming languages like Python and JavaScript. Once you feel confident with these basic skills, you can try your hand at identifying errors and problem solving while using these tools. 

Free IT Tools for Beginners

Free resources are available for learning IT. 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 IT. Other websites like Google and LinkedIn offer short free tutorials and trainings designed to help you grasp the history and basic principles of IT. 

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 Can I Make Learning IT Easier?

Choosing the right learning method for you is one important way to make learning IT easier. There are several methods to consider and each come with their own pros and cons. When choosing a method that’s best for you, you’ll also want to consider how quickly you want to learn and if a full-time or part-time class is better for you (should you choose to attend a structured course).

Full-time classes and part-time classes may differ in how comprehensive they are as well. Some part-time classes, in order to save on time, may not cover as many topics as a full-time course. Plus, a full-time course offers a more immersive experience, as you’ll spend less time being pulled away from your studies to deal with other work or life responsibilities.

From there, you’ll want to consider if a live or on-demand format is best. Live courses, whether held online or in-person have scheduled class times where you learn from an expert instructor. Live online classes offer instant feedback from your teacher and interactions with other students, creating the opportunity for a deeper understanding of the coursework. These classes are ideal for students that thrive in a structured learning environment and benefit from the accountability that a live class requires.

Also known as self-paced, on-demand classes offer the most flexibility of any class option; not only can you learn from wherever you want, you can also learn whenever you want. There are no due dates or scheduled class times, so you can take your time on challenging topics or skip over ones you’ve already mastered. These classes are ideal for learners with complicated schedules who need to squeeze their studying in around their work and other obligations. You’ll need to be an independent and self-motivated student to succeed in an on-demand class. It’s very easy to lose momentum or fall behind when you don’t have any outside accountability, so these courses tend to take longer than a structured live course. 

With all that in mind, below are some questions you should ask yourself when considering the options described below in this article:

• Are you between jobs or able to take vacation time to complete a full-time training course? 
• Are you only free in the evenings and need a class that can accommodate your schedule?
• How much flexibility do you need with your learning?
• How quickly do you need to master IT?
• How immersive do you want your program to be?

Live IT Training for Beginners

If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly course that teaches the basics of HTML, check out Noble Desktop. Their HTML Email Bootcamp 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.

Or, you could try out their Web Development with HTML & CSS that 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.

Noble Desktop’s Data Science Certificate prepares you for entry-level data science and Python engineering roles. You’ll learn how to manipulate databases and perform data analysis, read and write complex database queries, prepare and clean data for analysis, and use Python to automate everyday tasks such as aggregating, updating, and formatting data. This course also covers how to clean and balance your data with Pandas, apply machine learning algorithms with the scikit-learn library to solve real-world problems, and analyze the results to detect areas for improvement. Finally, you’ll build and present dynamic dashboards and other data visualizations and deploy your projects online with GitHub to demonstrate your analytical abilities to employers.

The Next Step

If you’re looking for more advanced or comprehensive courses, Noble Desktop has those, too. Their Data Science Certificate prepares you for entry-level data science and Python engineering roles. You’ll learn how to manipulate databases and perform data analysis, read and write complex database queries, prepare and clean data for analysis, and use Python to automate everyday tasks such as aggregating, updating, and formatting data. This course also covers how to clean and balance your data with Pandas, apply machine learning algorithms with the scikit-learn library to solve real-world problems, and analyze the results to detect areas for improvement. Finally, you’ll build and present dynamic dashboards and other data visualizations and deploy your projects online with GitHub to demonstrate your analytical abilities to employers.

Their Software Engineering Certificate is another option for aspiring IT students. Divided into front end development, React Development, and Django (Python) Development, you will learn HTML to mark up web pages and CSS for styling; the fundamentals of JavaScript and Git; and how to use Flexbox and Grid to layout, align, reorder, and adapt web page content to different size screens. You’ll then move on to the fundamental JavaScript programming concepts, including variables, data types, loops, and DOM. Plus, you’ll cover topics like React, a powerful JavaScript library for web development, and master Node.js, MongoDB, and Express.js to round out your JavaScript development skills.

By creating a portfolio of projects, preparing for common interview questions, and polishing your resume and LinkedIn profile, this course will have you ready to pursue a new job in software engineering in as little as 20 weeks (on a full-time schedule). One-on-one mentoring and a free one-year retake are included in the cost of this course. Payment plans and tuition assistance are available, and this training requires no previous experience, making it great for beginners.

Finally, there’s Noble’s 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.