9 Free C# (C-Sharp) Courses and Tutorials for Beginners and Intermediate Programmers— Best of Lot
Many people underestimate the power of C# and never think highly of it when they talk about programming languages. Still, the truth is that C# is one of the popular programming languages of today’s world, just behind JavaScript, SQL, and Java on StackOverFlow’s Developer Survey for the last a couple of years.
There are a lot of jobs and opportunities available for experienced C# developers. It’s one of the critical languages for developers working with Microsoft technologies like Windows and SQL Server.
It is also one of the most popular programming languages for developing desktop GUI, surpassing Java Swing entirely in the last couple of years. I have seen many big investment banks switched from Swing to C# for their GUI development work.
C# is also very big on game development because of Unity, which is the most popular game engine in today’s gaming world. If you don’t know what Unity is, it’s a cross-platform game engine developed by Unity Technologies and used to create video games for PC, consoles, mobile devices, and websites.
More than one-third of top games are made using Unity, and there are millions of active users of games created using the Unity Game Engine. Unity is also used for VR, with 90% of all Samsung Gear and 53% of all Oculus Rift VR games developed using Unity.
C# is also a part of .NET, so it is used alongside languages like ASP in web development and apps, particularly on Windows 8 and 10 platforms.
Btw, If you don’t mind investing few bucks for your learning, then I also suggest you join the C# Basics for Beginners: Learn C# Fundamentals by Coding course by Mosh Hamedani on Udemy.
It’s one of the best courses to learn C# with so many tips, examples, and exercises. You can get this course for just $9.99 on crazy Udemy sales which happens every now and then.
Top 10 Free C-Sharp Tutorials, Classes, and Courses for Programmers
So, these are just some of the reasons why I think C# is a good language, mainly if you are interested in game development and GUI development. If those areas excite you and you want to learn C#, here is a couple of free C-sharp tutorials and courses you can join to start your journey.
1. Fundamentals of Programming: Understanding C#
This is a comprehensive, 10+ hours free course to learn C+ from scratch. Created by Jesse Dietrichson this course is designed for people with NO prior programming experience.
You will learn how to write computer programs using Microsoft Visual C#. The topics in this course are handpicked to build a strong foundation for all new programmers.
What makes this course better than the others? This course is better than others due to the design of the lectures. Complex topics are explained in a way that anyone can understand.
The instructor began as a self-taught programmer and knows where new programmers make mistakes and get confused. All the topics in this course have the instructor’s personal tips and tricks that helped him to succeed.
Here is the link to sign up in this course for FREE — Fundamentals of Programming: Understanding C#
2. Basics of Object-Oriented Programming with C# [Udemy]
This is another free course to learn C# Programming from the start. This course is also short and to the point, which means you won’t get time to bored and you can possibly finish the course in just one sitting.
For example, you will learn how to create classes, objects, how to use Abstraction, Encapsulation, Polymorphism, Inheritance, and other Object-Oriented Programming concepts using C#.
If you don’t know, C# is an object-oriented programming language, much like Java and C++, and this course will teach you the basics of OOP using C#.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE —Basics of Object-Oriented Programming with C#
3. Introduction to C# Programming and Unity [Coursera]
This is one of the excellent courses to learn C# from Coursera instructed by Dr. Tim Chamillard, also known as Dr. T. and offered by the University of Colorado.
This course is part of the C# Programming for Unity Game Development Specialization but Like many other Coursera courses, all the courses from this specialization is also free to audit if you only want to learn, but you need to pay if you wish to certification as well.
This course’s primary goal is to teach you how to develop games using the C# programming language and the Unity game engine on Windows or Mac, but you can also use it to learn to code in C#.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE — Introduction to C# Programming and Unity
If you have never done any coding, then this online course will be convenient for you. The lectures are engrossing, the instructor is very enthusiastic, and the tempo of the class is quick, which means you won’t feel bored while watching those lessons.
Overall, an excellent course to learn C# programming. The course also has an average rating of 4.8 from 14,000 students, which is genuinely impressive.
By the way, 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 Coursera Plus, an annual 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.
4. C# Fundamentals
This is one of the most popular and comprehensive courses to learn C#, delivered by popular instructor Scott Allen on Pluralsight.
This course will teach you everything you need to become a productive C# developer on the .NET platform, and covers things like the syntax of C#, which is similar to Java, JavaScript, and C++, classes, and objects in C#, and types and assemblies.
You will also learn how to use Visual Studio, one of the powerful IDE for a C# developer, and the object-oriented programming paradigm.
Once you complete the course, you should have confidence in reading and writing C# code in your own applications. I highly recommend this course for anyone serious about learning C#.
Here is the link to join this — C# Fundamentals
Though, you need a Pluralsight membership to access this course, which costs around $29 monthly or $299 annually (Well, I bought in $199 when they last run their promotion).
This may seem a bit expensive at first, but it’s well worth it because it provides access to more than 5000+ online courses on Pluralsight, which you can use to learn any latest technology.
I am a Pluralsight member, and I also suggest you join it if you can invest that much money in a year for your learning. Anyway, even if you don’t have Pluralsight membership, you can still access this course for free by signing up for the 10-day free trial, which provides 200 minutes of access to all of their classes.
5. Programming Fundamentals — The Basics with C# for Beginners
This is another free course to learn C# on Udemy. Created by Tod Vachev, this course will teach you both the theory and the practice behind coding in the C# programming language.
You will also find numerous examples and projects to practice what we are learning and nothing will be left out. At the end of each section, there will be a short quiz that will test you for some of the tricky parts of that section.
Exercises are also provided so that you can try to code on your own, most of them will not be solved in the course, but you will get hints from time to time on how to solve some of the hard ones.
And you can always ask a question in the QnA section of the course if you get stuck anywhere.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE — Programming Fundamentals — The Basics with C# for Beginners
6. C# From Beginner To Pro — Write A WindowsUI Style App Form
This is another hands-on and project-based course to learn C# for free. Created by Cindy Oakes, this 7 and half hour long course will teach you everything you need to know about GUI development in C#.
This course covers the following topics:
- Object-Oriented Programming In C#
- Data Structures In C#
- Tips & Tricks To Improve Productivity
- Debugging C# Programs in Visual Studio
- Creating Custom Controls in Winforms
- User Interface Design and Creating Custom Events
Overall a nice course to learn C# fundamentals. Cindy has got a nice voice and a clear accent with a knack for simplifying complex C# concepts which makes learning really easy.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE — C# From Beginner To Pro — Write A WindowsUI Style App Form
7. Introduction to TDD in C#
TDD is an important skill for modern Application developers. You can Learn test-driven development to make your code testable, robust, and maintainable and bring unit testing skills to the next level.
This course is all about practicing TDD using the C# programming language and NUnit as a unit testing framework. Along the way, we will learn the concepts related to unit testing. This course does not cover all the features of NUnit. This course is way more interesting.
Learning unit testing and TDD puts a powerful and very useful tool at your fingertips. Being familiar with unit testing and TDD you can write reliable and maintainable applications which can make you a better programmer. This course is useful for both beginners and intermediate C# developers.
Here is the link to join this course for FREE — Introduction to TDD in C#
8. C# Basics — Learn to Code the Right Way
This is again one of the basic courses on C#, which will teach you programming fundamentals like data types, OOP basics using C# like classes and objects, working with arrays, etc.
The good thing about this course is that it’s very hands-on, and you will learn not only how to code on C# but also about tools that professional C# developers use like Microsoft’s Visual Studio.
It’s also completely free, thanks to Wasim Hamami, the instructor of this course on Udemy. Once you enroll in the tutorial, you will have free access for a lifetime.
Here is the link to join this — C# Basics — Learn to Code the Right Way
Talking about social proof, the course has got on average a 3.9 rating from close 12,500 students, which is fantastic. The only downside of the course is that it’s not comprehensive and has just 1.5 hours of content covering the basics of C# Programming language.
9. What is new in C# 6
This is another short course on C# Programming language to learn new features of C# 6 using practical examples.
You will learn about new C# 6 features like auto-property initializers, getter-only auto-properties, expression-bodied members, using static, null-conditional operators, string interpolation, the name of expressions, index initializers, exception filters, await in catch, and finally blocks.
The best thing about this course is that all features are demonstrated with practical code examples in Visual Studio IDE.
Here is the link to join this — What is new in C# 6
This C# course is not for beginners but for programmers who have some knowledge of C# and want to learn new features that come with the C# 6 version.
That’s all about some of the best free courses to learn C# online. These courses will provide you with everything you need to become an excellent C# developer, which is essential on whatever you develop with C# like desktop GUIs, games using Unity game engines, or web applications with .NET framework.
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Thanks for reading this article so far. If you like these free C# courses and tutorials, then please share it with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback, then please drop a note.
P.S. — If you don’t mind spending some bucks for an excellent course, then I also suggest you join Unity game development using C# because I have personally found game development is the best way to learn Programming and develop the coding sense.
