Austin has it all. A great creative streak and a booming tech scene. Dell, Texas Instruments, Apple, Amazon, Indeed, Facebook, and Google all have offices in Austin. The city also has a great startup culture. With this level of support, it comes as no surprise that there are plenty of free coding classes in Austin in 2019.
We want to help you find the best free places to learn to code in Austin. There are a lot of great Meetups where you can learn new skills, build your professional network, or ask for help. Here are 8 free places to learn to code in Austin.
Women Who Code Austin
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: Ruby, Python, ReactJS, and more
Audience: Women
Women Who Code is an organization with active communities nationwide. Austin is no exception and the Meetup group hosts multiple events each month.
Past Events: “Hacking Hangout,” “Rockin’ React JS,” and “Tech Talk @ Headspring – Navigating Salary Negotiations”
Ask A Dev Austin
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: Varies
Audience: All
Need some help? Ask A Dev Austin is the group for you. The Meetup provides informal pair programming support for anyone who needs a mentor. The group meets once a month, so bring a laptop and any questions you may have.
Past Events: “Ask a Dev”
Austin Code Mentorship
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: N/A
Audience: All
What does the day-to-day of a developer actually look like? How do I negotiate a salary? What programming language should I learn? Sometimes, we need someone who has experience. Austin Code Mentorship meets monthly to do just that. Introduce yourself to fellow developers and come with questions!
Past Events: “Austin Code Mentorship”
Learn to Code Austin
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: ReactJS, JavaScript, and more
Audience: All
Organized by the coding bootcamp Galvanize, Learn to Code Austin is geared toward beginners who are just beginning their coding journey. Meetups occur regularly and are open to programmers of all levels.
Past Events: “Learn to Code: Arrays and Objects,” “Big Picture Perspectives: ReactJS at the Core,” “How To Be A Confident Software Engineer Even When You Don't Feel It”
Austin Computer Book Club
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: N/A
Audience: All
OK, this Meetup group won’t you learn to code directly, but it will help you express yourself as a developer. Austin Computer Book Club meets semi-regularly — typically once a month — to discuss a selected book.
Past Books: “What the Dormouse Said” by John Markoff, “Data and Goliath” by Bruce Schneier, "Becoming a Better Programmer" by Pete Goodliffe.
The Austin Learn To Code Study Group
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: Java, Objective-C, Ruby, Python, and more
Audience: All
Want to learn a new programming language or just hone your skills? Check out the Austin Learn To Code Study Group. Each Meetup is a hands-on workshop that teaches practical coding skills.
Past Events: “CSI: Code Scene Investigation,” “All About Python,” “Learn to Read Java in One Hour”
Flatiron School Austin | Learn to Code | Learn UX/UI Design
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: Ruby, JavaSQL, Design, and more
Audience: All
We’d be remiss to not include our own Meetup group in Austin. You don’t need to be a student to attend one of our events. We regularly host engaging panels with tech leaders, code workshops, and more. If you’re interested in tech or learning to code in Austin, check out one of our upcoming events!
Past Events: "Back to School Bootcamp Edition: Why Tech is the Way to Go Fireside Chat," "UX/UI Design Info Session | Austin," "A Day in the Life: Software Engineering Info Session"
Write/Speak/Code Austin
Experience level: Beginner and up
Programming languages: N/A
Audience: Underrepresented groups in tech (Women, Trans, and Non-Binary)
Write/Speak/Code is an organization that promotes “the visibility and leadership of technologists with marginalized genders through peer-led professional development.” Write/Speak/Code Austin features a mix of social events, workshops, and panels that are open to all experience levels.
Past Events: “Code & Contribute: Open Source Dinner Party,” “Speak Your Talk!,” “Write/Speak/Code: Develop a Blog Post!”
