At the Balkhi Foundation, we know that technology has the power to be a gateway to a bright future and an amazing career. As a child one of our founders, Syed, used his free time to teach himself ways to build websites. These hours spent learning new things ultimately led to the successful creation of WPBeginner, the largest free resource website for WordPress, along with a suite of small business products that have led to both financial freedom and the ability to give back to students like himself.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics points to technology careers as a rapidly expanding niche with better than average growth and salaries to match. As more students turn towards these careers, the availability of free web development courses and free IT training can be an amazing first step towards a career in technology. Here are five totally free tools for technology education to share with your student today.
1) Code Academy – Offering 30 totally free technology trainings geared toward web development, programming, and data analysis, Code Academy can be a simple first step for students looking to get a leg up on a career in technology.
2) Khan Academy – The same website you know for learning algebra or doing some last minute test prep has an entire category dedicated to computing education, including an introduction to HTML, Java Script, algorithms and more. Khan Academy as especially well suited to those students who prefer to watch videos to learn rather than reading through text.
3) MIT OpenCourseWare – For those looking for a more structured overview of courses, MIT OpenCourseWare offers a full catalog of past MIT undergraduate and graduate courses for free. With courses covering everything from Python to advanced algorithms, these course offerings can provide a powerful stepping stone for those students willing to take the plunge and learn something new.
4) Code.org – Code.org is an amazing comprehensive program and suite of resources aimed at teaching students and teachers how to code. With courses, activities, and even classroom lesson modules, code.org is a must-see for those interested in a technology career.
5) freeCodeCamp – freeCodeCamp is a non profit organization geared toward providing a safe and straight forward way for anyone to learn to code. freeCodeCamp goes a step further from the other resources in our list by providing six 300-hour level certifications along with real world practice for those interested in applying for a job creating code.
If you are a student who has found success with these or other online technology programs and would like to attend an in-person training, workshop, or internship to learn more, please contact us to learn more about our education and training scholarship for K-12 students.
If you would like to make a difference in the lives of students please help to fund our scholarships for talented students who need financial assistance.
