I Make Badass Programmers

Hello, my name is Zed A. Shaw, and it has been my mission in life to turn regular people into badass programmers. I'm a master programmer who's been coding for 30+ years. I've created software that powers billion dollar companies. I've created open source projects that inspired generations of programmers. I can code in 25+ programming languages, and I can learn new languages in a week. I know what I'm doing, and I want to teach you to be a confident badass who knows they can code.

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Check Out the Blog

I frequently write long in-depth essays on topics related to programming at all levels. You may get value out of Very Deep Not Boring Beginner Projects and you may be entertained by C++ Is An Absolute Blast especially if you're into Metalocalypse or curious about game development. If you're struggling to install your dev environment check out Solving the Worst Problem in Programming Education: Windows.

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Praise From Former Students

"Hello all the way from Australia! Many years ago I read your book Learn Python The Hard Way and I got hooked on programming. I later changed careers to become a software engineer and now I’ve written my own programming book!"
-- Donna

"About 10 years ago I was starting my PhD dissertation in economics, a science which requires maths and (for me) programming. Although I was ok at maths, programming had always eluded me, but there I was: alone, and needing to get started. I read a few programming tutorials on Python for a few weeks/months, and that ended up nowhere. By some kind of miracle, I came across Learn Python the Hard Way, and it clicked instantaneously! I was a beginner, so I needed someone to show me how to walk by walking, not by running! Beginners are beginners"
--Maxime

"Once upon a time when I was just a high school freshman, I wanted to learn how to code. My high school didn't have AP Computer Science or anything, so instead I looked online and found a website called learnpythonthehardway.org. My first anniversary at Google was last week. Couldn't have gotten this far without you. Thanks for being a part of my childhood!"
--Andrew

"I recently got an email advertising your new JavaScript/web development course, and I'm glad to see that you're continuing to produce top-notch technical courses after all these years. I first encountered your work back in 2013. I learned Python from Learn Python The Hard Way and it set me down the path I'm on today. I'm the technical lead at a lab where I get to apply the skills I learned from that course on a daily basis."
--Matthew

"I just wanted to let you know that this course is awesome. I'm following all of the instructions and everything makes sense, so I don't actually need help. I just wanted to thank you. This is a really well constructed course and well worth the very affordable expense. Cheers.
--Nathan

"I got stuck on the extra bits of exercise 17 in Learn C the hard way, the one with the little database to make it accept size parameters. After three days of frustration, this morning something clicked. I started over, and the whole thing compiled first time and worked! I was ecstatic. Last time I felt like this was when I beat the Taurus demon in Dark Souls, the first boss. Then I realized that your teaching method is much like Dark Souls, which is probably why yours is the first programming book I actually want to keep going with. So thank you for making me 'git gud'"
-- Dries

"Can I just say how grateful I am to you for writing this book. It is the first thing I have found that has made me feel like, I can get it together and learn to code."
-- Alexander

"I would like to say that I find your material absolutely terrific. Very pedagogical and methodical, taking it nice and slow. Perfect for a beginner and someone who thinks that technology can be a little intimidating like me."
--Michael

Challenging, But Fair

My courses are carefully designed to slowly teach people who know nothing how to code. I take my time and guide you through the process without skipping information or jumping ahead. My courses are challenging, but extremely fair. You will have to actually work. You will struggle. But, if you put in the work, you will see results. The result of your hard work is confidence in your skill and no impostor syndrome.

SHOP AVAILABLE COURSES

Available Courses

All courses are digital online courses featuring text and videos, with free direct help from Zed either through email or chat.

Epic Supporter Pack

A one-time purchase that gives you everything I've ever made, and everything I'll make in the future. Price is discounted based on past purchases.

This Product Bundle includes Learn JavaScript the Hard Way Learn Python the Hard Way, 5th Edition (2023-2024) Learn C the Hard Way Learn SQL the Hard Way Learn More Python the Hard Way Free Support Course Learn Painting the Hard Way Learn Unix the Hard Way Learn C++ the Hard Way Learn Regex the Hard Way .
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Learn JavaScript the Hard Way

An exercise based logical course in the most popular language in the world.

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Learn Python the Hard Way, 5th Edition (2023-2024)

The 5th Edition of Learn Python the Hard Way released in 2023-2024. **All new for Python 3 and 2023-2024!**

This Product Bundle includes Learn Python 3 the Hard Way .
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Learn C the Hard Way

A complete course in the C programming language for people who know at least one other language.

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Learn SQL the Hard Way

A complete course in SQL and data design for any programmer or data scientist.

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Learn More Python the Hard Way

The More Python Python the Hard Way will teach you to be a better programmer.

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Free Support Course

Provides additional support for published books Learn Python the Hard Way, and Learn JS the Hard Way.

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Epic Supporter Pack

A one-time purchase that gives you everything I've ever made, and everything I'll make in the future. Price is discounted based on past purchases.

This Product Bundle includes Learn JavaScript the Hard Way Learn Python the Hard Way, 5th Edition (2023-2024) Learn C the Hard Way Learn SQL the Hard Way Learn More Python the Hard Way Free Support Course Learn Painting the Hard Way Learn Unix the Hard Way Learn C++ the Hard Way Learn Regex the Hard Way .
See the Outline and Buy

Learn Unix the Hard Way

An introductory course in Linux fundamentals, featuring Vim! Currently in development.

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Learn C++ the Hard Way

A course in C++ for beginners who eventually want to make games.

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Learn Regex the Hard Way

A course in Regex for beginners.

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Free To Read Courses

Many of my courses are free to read because I believe that everyone benefits from learning to code. Programming for me is a fun, challenging, deep, and endlessly interesting activity that I want other people to enjoy. Look for any course that's marked "Read for Free" to get started.

For example, these funny images of me came from my Free to Read C++ Course on game development. I made a "game" that watches you code and makes fun of you called Turing's Tarpit I'm also working on a little Roguelike Game in C++.

SHOP AVAILABLE COURSES

Learn a Personal Process

If you're just starting out it's hard to know how to get started and what to do next. Learn Code the Hard Way teaches a personal development process that takes you from an initial idea to a working application in logical steps. The process is the result of watching thousands of beginners struggle with getting started, and has worked to help them start and finish their projects. Don't just learn a specific technology. Learn a process that works with all technology.

Videos Included

Almost every lesson in the course features video(s). The videos are a mixture of lecture and demonstration that review the written lesson and solidify the concepts for you.

Real Depth

I wrote an entire custom webframework by myself just to teach people web development. I used that framework to create this website which handles everything. No wordpress. No Gumroad. I even host the videos myself. Everything here was written by me and this is why my courses are so practical and to the point. I'm a working programmer actively using what I know and I teach you what I know.