Mike's NBC-TV stories

Apps that teach you how to code

With more of our world moving online, programming — aka coding — has become one of the best career choices in today’s technology-dominated world.

If you’ve ever wondered where to begin — or want to get better— PC Mike Wendland has three apps that can help.

Encode is a great coding app for beginners. Lessons are short as you start. But it also has advanced options, such as coding using languages like JavaScript. The lessons offered by Encode are interactive and the app provides feedback after each lesson. The app is free for iOS and Android.

SoloLearn teaches the basics of coding. You learn programming through short texts and follow-up quizzes. SoloLearn also offers a forum where you can connect with other users to work through the learning process. Fresh content is added daily. The app is free for iOS and Android.

The app called Progra mming Hub also allows users the opportunity to learn more than 20 coding languages and online courses. As an added bonus, users can input their own profession and Programming Hub will tailor learning to that specific trade. The app is free for iOS and Android with premium features available for purchase.

Mike is a veteran journalist whose video "PC Mike" reports have been distributed weekly to all 215 NBC-TV stations since 1994, making him one of the most experienced tech reporters in the country. His tech stories and videos have appeared on MSNBC, CNBC, the Today Show, The New York Times, USA Today and in numerous national newspapers and magazines. In addition to the PC Mike tech blog, he also publishes the Roadtreking.com RV Travel Blog in which he travels North America in an RV reporting about interesting people and places.