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As a small business owner, you know the importance of outreach and ensuring that your business is widely known and trusted. What better way to reach people than the internet? If you are considering taking coding classes online to help further your business’ reach by building your own website, this article will show you the possible advantages and disadvantages, along with information on what your next step should be. This way, you can avoid outsourcing web development only to add more contract management duties to your to-do list.
Should I Learn To Code?
There are many advantages to learning to code. The first, and probably most important reason, to any small business owner is cost efficiency. Outsourcing website development and maintenance can be extremely costly. As an alternative, learning the skill yourself can eliminate the cost for any current business or business down the line. This may also give you an advantage when looking for investors or partners down the road who will appreciate the significance of your skills. However, the major disadvantage to learn coding is the loss of time to manage the business itself. Thankfully, you do not need to learn how to code something like Palantir software. Developing and maintaining a web presence is a lot of work, and without sufficient time, one or all other areas of your business may suffer, but you should be able to learn the basics in a shorter amount of time.
You Have To Want It
Most developers and coding experts will tell you that if you are going to learn to code, you have to really want it. Learning to code can be done entirely on your own to help you avoid common outsourcing challenges. But, you have to really be willing to work for it. If the personal drive, desire and motivation is not there, you will not successfully learn to code. This is true regardless of how much you paid for your coding bootcamp. It is also true if you decide to learn how to code online for free whenever you have down time. If you are not dedicated to learning, you will never be able to master web development or any other skill that requires the use of coding languages.
Okay, I Want To Code…What Next?
There are many brick and mortar schools that provide classes on learning to code. But, as a small business owner, the time restrictions may make this a unlikely option. Have no fear, as there are also many opportunities to learn to code remotely. Kahn Academy provides classes online which include quizzes to monitor your progress. They provide an excellent resource that will help you design business website pages that are user friendly and look good. Secondly, CodeAcademy is another website that is free for users. It allows you to select one aspect of coding you would like to focus on, which can be useful to a small business owner. Furthermore, there are apps for your smartphone that will teach you to code such as Swifty or Udacity. Some apps are free and others may be somewhat of an investment, but there is something to be said for the convenience which it provides.
Best Online Coding Classes
The online coding solutions listed above are a great place to start looking. However, if price is not of concern, only the best coding classes online will do. Here are the best online coding courses for you to consider.
- Code Avengers
- Treehouse
- Code School
The three listed above are not free online coding classes however, you get what you pay for. Code Avengers, Treehouse and Code School are all offered for reasonable prices and offer high-quality lessons to teach you everything you need to know from coding to endpoint security. Consider these top three online coding schools before making your decision.
What Are Some Other Options?
If you’ve decided that learning to code is not the right decision for you or your small business, there are many website hosting companies that provide templates and easy-to-use tools to create and run your own website. One such site is SquareSpace. If you’d like a little more control in the appearance of your website, the best bet may be to hire a freelance website developer. Although it is a costly investment, it can be a very wise one. You may also wish to secure some help in building mobile apps for your business. These individuals will provide you with top of the line sites while also ensuring that your needs are met in terms of content and appearance tailored specifically to your business.
Certainly, taking coding classes online is a major commitment, especially if you do not already know the basics about your business server operating system. Most likely, they will only help you build a website for your business if you stay committed to the courses and complete the project. For busy owners, starting the project might be easy. However, actually completing it is a whole other story. So, be realistic with yourself now that you know the options available and continue to grow your small business one day at a time.
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