Remember when you had to buy a $50 book just to learn basic Python?

I was at the library in 2010 trying to figure out loops from a massive textbook, and a guy at the next table showed me a free site called Codecademy. That one tip completely changed how I started learning. What was the first free resource that really clicked for you guys?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_kai8d ago

Man, that Codecademy story brings back memories! My first real free resource was actually YouTube, just watching some random guy build a simple website from scratch. It felt like magic seeing the code change the page in real time. Those early tutorial channels had such a weird, homemade charm that made it less scary to start. I probably learned more from those videos than my first actual computer class.

olivia_morgan88d ago

That YouTube homemade charm @the_kai mentioned was so real. I remember finding this one channel where the guy recorded with a cheap mic and had these weirdly specific pizza analogies for everything (like a function was a "pizza order form" you fill out). Those rough edges made it feel like anyone could do it, which was the whole point.