Last weekend I incurred the understandable wrath of many a programmer by suggesting that new coders learn coding "the hard way" via the C programming language rather than the language most of the universe wants them to learn, which is JavaScript. While a lot of readers wrote in to say that I was full of shit, I've also been getting a steady stream of emails asking: How do I learn C?

Read more: Know Your Language: C Rules Everything Around Me

Good question! Given the completely overwhelming glut of online learn-to-code classes, it's not always obvious. I'll try to give some answers below.

Community college

I started studying computer science at Portland Community College. My instructors were enthusiastic, interested in my success (as an individual), and almost all of them came from the software engineering industry. This is where I learned C.

Results may vary, of course, but your local community college is worth investigating. My classes were next to free and were designed to be foundations for later CS learning. I wouldn't have done it any other way.

edX CS50: Introduction to Computer Science

This is Harvard University's Introduction to Computer Science and, in addition to the edX verified certificate ($90), there's a for-credit variation. Looking through the syllabus and reviews, this course isn't fucking around.

Effort-wise, the CS50 packs in nine problem sets with each one requiring 10 to 20 hours of work, and a final project. If that seems like a lot (it shouldn't), it's because the course covers a lot. It starts with C and basic computer science stuff (algorithms, data structures, computer organization), but progresses into more on-the-ground topics like security, web development, and even artificial intelligence.