Learn to code your site for free with Code Oregon and Treehouse

Like it or not blogging and coding go hand in hand. Html knowledge can be very beneficial when trying to insert embed code, and it is even more important when trying to fix formatting and design issues. Blog hosts such as Blogger and Wordpress provide users with the option of altering the html code for every single post. This gives bloggers the option to tweak the final look of their posts however it can be very intimidating to tackle when your knowledge of html coding is limited.

In the past Google searches have answered most of my basic questions but ultimately still left me frustrated that I didn't fully understand what I was doing. Then one day my hubby introduced me to Treehouse. Treehouse is an affordable code-teaching subscription. The lecture, practice and assessment methods that they use to teach coding is very effective and far more affordable than standard college courses.

What I have accomplished so far.

What exactly do you learn?

Treehouse teaches a wide range of tech skills including HTML, CSS, Wordpress, iOS, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, PHP, Android App Development and Python. At the moment I am focusing on Web Development which is most important for developing websites and blogs. I would love to learn how to code games and apps in the future.

So far I have learned how to create the basic layout of a portfolio website -  from scratch! This is a small feat in the world of programming but it is a big accomplishment for me. I feel like I have already learned a ton in the past week that I have been working on my Treehouse project. I already understand many of the basic formatting issues that were bothering me before but I still have so much to learn to perfect them.

How are lessons taught? 

Once you subscribe to a track you click to begin the track in sequential order. Each lesson builds upon the previous lesson. When you exit Treehouse all of your progress is saved and the site takes you back to the exact place where you left off.

My workspace

Each lesson begins with a video lecture. During the video lecture you can launch your personal workspace which is used to code the assignment as you go. Each section is completed with a code challenge and/or a multiple choice assessment.

Is it hard?

Although coding was pretty intimidating to me at first Team Treehouse does a wonderful job breaking down complicated tasks into simpler ones. Initially I had a hard time remembering to close each tag and quote. One little omission can break an entire line or two or three... of code. It is such a good feeling to finally solve issues though!

Learning html code is much like learning a new language. Some of the words are familiar but the sequencing is completely different. It takes some time to memorize which phrases to use for specific tasks but thankfully Google is filled with answers to most simple questions.

What is the biggest mistake you've made so far? 

One time I accidentally placed my index.html file into the image folder which completely messed up my entire site. Everything was gone! I kept checking and double checking my code to figure out what was wrong but could find no errors. Then I looked into the sidebar of my workspace and noticed that I couldn't find the index.html file. Thankfully I found it in the images folder. Once I dragged it out to it's original position on the sidebar of my workspace everything worked again. Whew!

Pricing

Normally Treehouse is between $25/mo for a Basic account and $49/mo for Pro. If you live in Oregon you can get it for free through Code Oregon. The only catch is that you have to make continual progress or they will shut down your account. Fair enough!

Long Term Benefits

Treehouse could literally change your life. Treehouse offers a Career Program for those willing to commit. Those who manage to complete their chosen track, 3 projects and a few other requirements will be considered for job placement. In my area coding jobs are well paid and on the rise so I'd really like to get into the industry myself.

*****Wishing you all peace and productivity!*****

<3 KM