Hello guys, you might know that C++ is one of the most popular and powerful object-oriented programming languages and if you want to do low-level stuff then it’s the best language to start with.
You will find applications written in C++ on a wide range of fields like embedded programming, server-side application, gaming, and even high-frequency trading applications. Most of the complex software like Operating Systems, Database Management Systems, and Powerful trading systems are written in C++.
While many of us have learned to program by using C and C++, let me be honest with you learning C++ is challenging. There are many areas that are tough to grasp like points but you will learn them slowly and that’s where these free C++ courses will help you.
There is no doubt that learning C++ will open several opportunities for you. There is a huge demand for good C++ developers, especially in the area of high-frequency trading where every microsecond matter and power of C++ is absolutely needed.
C++ is the language that provides the best of both world, it allows you to use OOP to manage the complexity of software but at the same time, it also allows you to get close to your machine and access all of your computer’s hardware, which is not easily possible for other object-oriented languages like Java or Python.
That’s the reason C++ is heavily used for writing native device drivers, high-end desktop games, and complex artificial intelligence programs where you need high performance.
In this article, I am going to share with you some of the best and free courses to learn C++ online at your own time and place and free of cost. You can use these courses if you are starting with programming or you have some experience in coding but are not familiar with C++.
10 Best Courses to learn C++ Programming in 2024
Anyway, here is my list of some free and paid C++ courses to become an expert programmer this year.
1. C++ Tutorial for Complete Beginners
This is an awesome course to learn C++ and you can get this on Udemy for free of cost. This course teaches you the powerful, fast, and popular C++ programming language from scratch, assuming only basic computer knowledge.
You will start by setting up your development environment and then learn the basic syntax and building blocks of programming. Slowly, you will move into object-oriented coding and learn things like Inheritance, Abstraction, Encapsulation, etc. After this, you will learn about more advanced concepts like Pointers and Memory management.
Here is the link to sign up for this course — C++ Tutorial for Complete Beginners
At the end of the course, you’ll also learn how to create a beautiful “particle fire” program, including a smattering of the basic principles of game development.
In short, one of the best free courses to start with C++ programming. Learning C++ is challenging but if you stick with the course and maintain patience and persistence then nothing can stop you from succeeding. More than 400K people have already benefitted from this course and it still has 4.4 average ratings after so many participants.
2. Beginning C++ Programming — From Beginner to Beyond
This course will help you to obtain Modern C++ Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) and STL skills needed for game, system, and application development.
Created by Tim Buchalka’s Learn Programming Academy and instructor Frank J. Mitropoulos this course has already helped more than 40,719 students to learn C++.
Talking about social proof the course has on average 4.6 ratings from 10,114 ratings which is phenomenal. Apart from English, the course is also available in Polish, Spanish, and Italian.
Here is the link to sign up for this course — Beginning C++ Programming
3. Unreal Engine C++ Developer: Learn C++ and Make Video Games
This course will help you to learn C++ from the basics. It will also teach you how to make your first 4 video games in the Unreal Engine, the engine behind Fortnite. Interactive tutorial.
Created by Ben Tristem and GameDev.tv, this is an ideal course for anyone learning C++ from a game development perspective. This course has already helped more than 182,054 students to learn C++ and develop games.
It’s also one of the 5 stars rated the course on Udemy with on average 4.6 ratings from close to 35,161 developers. Apart from English, the course is also available in Polish and Italian.
Here is the link to sign up for this course — Unreal Engine C++ Developer course
4. Learn C++ from Scratch
Learning C++ can not only make you a better developer but also opens the door for several high pay jobs you can do as a C++ developer, and if you want to become a C++ developer, this free course is a great place, to begin with.
This interactive course on Educative and The Educative Team first introduces you to fundamental programming concepts in C++. It begins with a simple hello world program and proceeds to cover common concepts such as conditional statements, loop statements, and functions in C++.
After that, you will learn essential topics like pointers and arrays, as well as the power they give to the programmer to write better code.
Finally, it dives more in-depth in order to teach about advanced concepts such as classes, inheritance, and templates in C++ through interactive challenges and exercises.
Here is the link to join this course — Learn C++ from Scratch
If you don’t know Educative is another online learning platform that is gaining a lot of traction for its text-based, interactive learning courses. Reading is generally faster than watching and If you prefer reading text than watching videos then this is the platform to checkout.
It has some of the best courses to prepare for coding interviews like Grokking the Coding Interview: Patterns for Coding Questions and Grokking the system design interview. It also has a lot of free resources like this free C++ tutorial to learn essential technologies. Thx to Fahim ul Haq
You can register for this course for free but if you like to take full advantage of the platform, I suggest you buy Educative Subscription which cost $18(50% discount now) monthly, completely worth for a programmer and software engineers where continuous learning is required
5. Learn C++ by Creating [FREE]
This is another great free course to learn C++ on Udemy. In this course, you will learn by doing stuff and building skills one level at a time. The course starts with teaching you how to make your computer ready to write a program in C++ using Visual Studio, the most popular IDE for writing C++ programs.
After that, you will learn to write the HelloWorld program and to deal with input and output like writing programs to take input from the user and show the output on the console.
Here is the link to sign up for this course — Learn C++ by Creating
You will also learn to create several applications to explore different concepts like creating an application that manipulates strings, does automatic and writes a chatbot.
In short, a great course for beginners or a nice refresher for anyone who has not used C++ in a while.
6. C++, Short, and Sweet, Part 1
This free C++ course is for beginners who want to learn programming in C++, taught by Jeremy Siek, a professor at the University of Colorado.
This is a two-part course that is based on the excellent textbook Accelerated C++ by Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo.
Part 1 covers the first seven chapters of Accelerated C++, in particular, Chapters 0 through 6, and part 2 of the course covers the second half of Accelerated C++, including how to write your own classes and generic functions.
Here is the link to sign up for this course — C++, Short, and Sweet, Part 1
Similar to the textbook, the course quickly dives into problem-solving and making use of the C++ standard library, including strings, vectors, and lists.
In short one of the practical courses to learn C++ where the emphasis is on teaching you the parts of C++ that you will most likely need in your day-to-day programming.
7. C++ Programming Basics [FREE]
This is one more free C++ course from Udemy which teaches you how to code C++ and fundamentals.
This course provides a quick overview and an introduction of C++ to anyone interested in learning C++ with simple programs. You will also learn how to include header files, write functions, and other powerful features of C++.
In short a perfect course for beginners.
Here is the link to sign up fo this course —C++ Programming Basics
8. Beginning C++ Templates [Free]
This is one more free C++ course from Udemy which teaches you the basics of C++ templates.
If you don’t know, C++ templates are used for creating high-performance algorithms and classes. Most of the high-performance libraries, such as the Active Template Library, Windows Template Library, etc, have been implemented through C++ templates.
Templates are a challenge for any novice C++ programmer. But, this course will help you understand the syntax of templates.
It gently takes you through the basics and then slowly builds upon the advanced concepts such as specialization, variadic templates, etc.
Here is the link to sign up for this course — Beginning C++ Templates
Btw, this is is an excerpt from the course Beginning Modern C++, and if you want to learn complete modern C++, you can take a look at that as well.
This course is for experienced C programmers who want to program in C++. The examples and exercises require a basic understanding of algorithms and object-oriented software.
This course focuses on C++ 11 and also teaches you real-world graph algorithms. This course is Just right for a developer seeking to update their skills to the new V11 C++.
I also recommend getting the book by the author that helps along with a text or Coursera course on Algorithms. The course is offered by the University of California, Santa Cruz and the instructor are Ira Pohl, a Professor of Computer Science division.
The course is already trusted by more than 91,399 programmers and it also provides certification, which you can share in LinkedIn profile, on printed resumes, CVs, or other documents.
You can Sign up here — C++ for C Programmers
This is the second part of the above course which focuses on C++ 11 and Standard Template Library or STL.
It s a good course for a C programmer to get started with C++. It gives you all the fundamentals which are required to carry out day to day development work and gives you the aptitude to learn the remaining C++ via documentation or other resources.
Both of these courses are also part of the Coding for Everyone: C and C++ Specialization on Coursera. I Highly recommended for anyone wanting to learn some serious C++ and introductory AI!
Here is the link to sign up for this course — C++ for Programmers, Part B
And, if you find Coursera courses useful, which they are because they are created by reputed companies like Google, IBM, Amazon, and best universities around the world, I suggest you join the Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera
This single subscription gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects. It cost around $399/year but its complete worth of your money as you get unlimited certificates.
How to Learn C++ Programming from scratch?
I love learning new technologies and programming language because they expand your knowledge, give a boost to your resume, and set you apart from your competition, but learning a new programming language is not easy. It takes time, practice, and dedication to learn new stuff.
Though you can easily learn new things by following my 3 points formula, which I have used to learn several new things like Kotlin, Docker, Maven, JUnit, Angular, ReactJS in last a couple of years. It’s practical and works well.
The first point is to join an online course, free or paid, to start with a new programming language. Once you get hold of basic stuff and understand the vocabulary of the technology, you can start with the 2nd point, which is reading a book.
This is also optional, if you join a good course then you can start writing code immediately but if you want to learn things in depth, choosing the right book is the best way forward.
After that, you should build a project, that’s the most important step where you use all the knowledge you have learned. At the step, you go back and forth to the course and book to repeat and refer, which consolidates your learning.
If you follow these three steps then you can easily learn a new programming language, library, framework, or new stuff quickly.
That’s all about some of the best courses to learn C++ for free. These courses are great to start learning to program with C++ as well as to learn C++nuisance in depth.
If you are like me who learn more by actually building something then you will also love the Unreal Engine C++ Developer: Learn C++ and Make Video Games which teaches you programming by building games, which is an awesome way to learn a new programming language. And, if you need more resources, check out this list of free C++ courses for programmers and beginners.
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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these free C++ programming courses then please share with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a comment.
P.S. — If you want to learn advanced C++, I think the Learn Advanced C++ Programming is the best one to start with.
Learn Advanced C++ Programming by Developing Advanced Applications
This course will take you from a basic knowledge of C++ to using more advanced features of the language. This course is…
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