20 Free Coding Classes and Workshops in NYC for 2024
New York City has long been a hub for the tech industry, home to Silicon Alley startups and FAANG company offices alike. But you don‘t need to be a Google engineer to get involved in the city‘s vibrant tech scene – NYC also offers an abundance of free coding classes and workshops for aspiring techies from all walks of life.
Whether you‘re a total beginner looking to explore programming for the first time, a college student building your skills outside the classroom, a career changer seeking to break into tech, or even an experienced coder looking to learn a new language, there‘s a free class for you. Here are 20 of the best options in 2024:
Long-Term Free Coding Programs
If you‘re ready to make a serious commitment to learning coding, these free multi-week programs provide in-depth, structured curriculums:
ProjectCode at NYPL
The New York Public Library‘s ProjectCode initiative is basically a free coding bootcamp. The 12-week program teaches front-end web development with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Classes are offered at three different NYPL branches, with multiple time slots available. All experience levels are welcome, but you must be a NYC resident and commit to attending all sessions. Graduates leave with a strong foundation in coding and a portfolio project. The application period for Fall 2024 opens in August.
Access Labs Initiative
The Access Labs Initiative, offered by Programming School at its Brooklyn campus, provides a free 15-week software engineering course for low-income NYC residents. Students learn full-stack web development with JavaScript and Ruby, getting hands-on experience and career coaching. Access Labs seeks to improve diversity in the tech industry and offers stipends to make participation more accessible. Competitive application process begins in May 2024 for next fall cohort.
"Access Labs completely changed my life by giving me the skills and confidence to pursue a tech career. I went from working minimum wage jobs to landing a six-figure software engineering role within months of graduating," said Tanya M., Access Labs class of 2023.
Recurse Center
This free self-directed coding retreat is open to anyone who already knows how to code. There‘s no curriculum or teachers – rather, participants work on their own projects alongside a built-in community of peers and mentors. Recurse is free to attend, and even offers need-based living expense grants. The retreat batches run for 12 weeks, with multiple start dates throughout the year. Admission is competitive, with applications opening 6 months before each batch‘s start date.
Free Workshops and Events
Don‘t have time to commit to an intensive multi-week program? Get your coding journey started at one of these free one-off classes and workshops:
Byte Academy: Intro to Python
This free 2.5 hour workshop assumes no prior coding experience and covers the basics of Python, one of the most versatile and beginner-friendly programming languages. Byte Academy hosts these sessions monthly, with both weekday evening and weekend time slots. The workshop gives a taste of their popular (paid) Python bootcamp.
FullStack Academy: Intro to Coding
This free online event teaches the fundamentals of HTML, CSS and JavaScript through a series of fun, interactive coding challenges. By the end, you‘ll have built your first web page. FullStack Academy offers this 2-hour workshop once a month. It‘s a great way to see if coding is for you before considering one of their full-time or part-time immersive programs.
Girl Develop It NYC: HTML & CSS for Beginners
This beginner-friendly workshop covers the building blocks of all websites, HTML and CSS. In this hands-on class, you‘ll learn how to structure web pages with HTML elements and then style them with CSS to make your site look great. This workshop from the NYC chapter of Girl Develop It is open to all genders and experience levels. Attendees need to bring their own laptop. The 4-hour workshop costs a small fee of $20 to cover the space rental and snacks.
Free Meetup Groups and Events
Prefer a more casual, community-based environment to learn coding? Check out some of these free Meetup groups that host coding workshops, project nights, and talks:
NYC Codecademy Meetup
If you‘re working your way through Codecademy‘s free online coding courses, this Meetup group is for you. The NYC Codecademy Meetup hosts monthly events where you can code alongside others, get help with tricky concepts, and hear from more advanced programmers. All levels welcome.
freeCodeCamp NYC
This Meetup group brings together coders working through freeCodeCamp‘s popular free online web development curriculum. Events include informal co-working sessions to regular deep-dive workshops on topics like JavaScript algorithms, React projects, and technical interview prep. Volunteer mentors help guide newer coders.
NYC PyLadies
This Meetup group is dedicated to helping women and non-binary people learn and advance in the Python programming language. Events include project nights, talks featuring influential women in the Python community, and beginner-focused study groups going through free online courses together. Join their active Slack group for support in between events.
CodeNewbie NYC
CodeNewbie is all about making coding education fun, social and accessible. This NYC chapter hosts regular events like project showcases, resumé workshops, and guest speakers aimed at aspiring techies and early-career coders. They maintain an inclusive, jargon-free environment and partner with local bootcamps and tech companies.
One-Off Free Classes and Talks
Many coding bootcamps, colleges, and tech companies offer occasional free intro classes, workshops and talks as a way to engage with the community and showcase their offerings. Some to look out for:
Programming School: Free Intro Workshops
Programming School, a leading bootcamp with both online and NYC courses, hosts free evening intro classes about once a month. These 2-hour workshops offer a beginner-friendly taste of web development, data science, or cybersecurity, depending on the focus that month. It‘s a chance to meet Flatiron instructors, see their curriculum style, and figure out if a bootcamp might be the right fit before applying.
Columbia Engineering Coding Bootcamp: Free Intro Class
considering Columbia University‘s prestigious coding bootcamp? Test the waters with their free 3-hour intro class, offered once a month on campus. You‘ll get a high-level overview of the topics covered in their full-time and part-time programs – front-end and back-end web development, plus dabbling in APIs, databases and deploying your apps.
Tech Talks at Microsoft Reactor
Microsoft‘s Reactor space in NYC hosts free tech talks and panel discussions aimed at professional developers, but open to all. While these events don‘t usually involve hands-on coding, they‘re a great way to learn about new technologies, practices and career paths from industry experts. Past talks covered topics like accessibility in web design, machine learning on Azure, and pivoting into management as an engineer.
Other Free Coding Resources
In addition to classes and workshops, here are some other free resources to supplement your coding education journey in NYC:
New York Public Library TechConnect
The NYPL offers dozens of free tech courses both in-person and online, including many coding classes. From beginner-level HTML and Python courses to more advanced topics like data visualization with D3.js, you can learn a variety of languages and skills – for free, with just a library card. Some classes are one-offs, while others are multi-week series.
Codecademy NYC Chapters
If you‘re learning to code online with Codecademy, you can complement your solo learning with their free local chapter events. The NYC chapter hosts regular study groups, project building meetups, and talks across all five boroughs. It‘s a chance to connect with other learners, get guidance from more experienced coders, and find motivation to keep working toward your coding goals.
BetaNYC
This nonprofit is all about leveraging technology and data for civic good. BetaNYC hosts regular hackathons focused on building tools to solve problems facing NYC neighborhoods and communities. If you‘re learning to code and want to use your skills for social impact (or just want to practice coding in a collaborative, purposeful setting), these events are for you. Volunteers of all skill levels are welcome, and experienced technologists are on hand to guide newer coders.
NYCx Co-Labs
Part of the city‘s broader NYCx tech equity initiative, Co-Labs are free programs aimed at increasing access to coding education, tech tools and mentorship in underserved NYC neighborhoods. Local tech companies and community organizations host the Labs – for example, Genspace offers free intro biology and code workshops in Sunset Park, while Silicon Harlem leads digital skills trainings for small businesses in Upper Manhattan.
From intensive multi-week programs to casual weekend workshops, there are more opportunities than ever before to learn coding for free in NYC. These classes and events aren‘t just about picking up technical skills – they also plug you into the city‘s rich, diverse, and supportive tech community. You‘ll meet peers on the same self-taught coding journey, mentors to guide you, and even make connections that could lead to your dream tech job.
Don‘t let financial barriers hold you back from pursuing a career in technology. With some research, commitment and active participation, you can take advantage of NYC‘s trove of free coding education resources to transform your career. Start by attending a one-off workshop to see if coding is right for you, then maybe work your way up to a multi-week program to really build your skills.
Remember, everyone starts somewhere – even the most brilliant tech minds had to write their first line of code once. With hard work and support from NYC‘s accessible tech community, you may soon progress from newbie coder to fully-fledged software engineer. Get out there and happy coding, New York!
