Are you looking to learn Kotlin and become an Android/Java developer quickly in a cost-effective way? Here’s the ultimate list of online courses, YouTube videos, and Amazon books that will help you to become a master of Kotlin programming.
Kotlin is a modern programming language. It makes Android and Java coding much easier than existing programming languages. Also, Google has endorsed Kotlin as the official app development language for the Android operating system.
Therefore, many developers are now in the race to learn Kotlin. Read on to find some truly helpful, affordable, and high-quality resources to educate yourself on Kotlin.
Kotlin and Its Benefits
Kotlin is a modern, free, open-source, general-purpose, and intuitive programming language. Jet Brains developed this coding language for Android and Java Virtual Machine (JVM) in the first place. Later on, the Kotlin Foundation was set up, and the language got multiplatform features like:
- For Native Code, Kotlin/Native
- For JS Code, Kotlin/JS
- For JVM Code, Kotlin/JVM
Developers can now use Kotlin for multiplatform mobile apps, web frontend for mobile apps, Android development, and server-side solutions.
Key benefits of Kotlin are:
#1. Safe, concise, and modern coding language that developers can pick up in a few hours and develop outstanding apps immediately.
#2. It is one of the most productive programming languages for server-side coding programs.
#3. Developers can use one application logic for many platforms like Android, web, iOS, and computers when coding in Kotlin.
#4. Shareable application code across many platforms does not interfere with applications’ native code and UI.
#5. Java and Kotlin work side by side. Hence, developers can utilize their Java programming knowledge while using Kotlin.
Kotlin Vs. Java as an Android Development Tool
Kotlin and Java programming languages are both accepted for Android app development by Google. Though Google suggests, developers use Kotlin for the maximum part of the programming language. However, Java is 100% supported when needed.
Readability is a crucial concern when developing a mobile app. Kotlin is highly readable when compared with its Java counterpart. Check out detailed information on Kotlin vs. Java.
Let’s now look at some good courses to learn Kotlin.
Kotlin for Beginners: Udemy
To develop a solid foundational base on Kotlin, you must sign up for this Udemy course. In approximately four hours, you will go through the fundamental learnings of Kotlin, like:
- Introduction to Kotlin
- Installing Kotlin on your computer
- Programs and variables
- Looping
- Ranges
- Functions
- Object-oriented Kotlin
To grasp the lecture videos and hands-on Kotlin coding, you must come to form a background where you have learned the basics of computer programming. Once you purchase the course, you get lifetime access to it from your Udemy account.
The learning content has been designed following responsive development to support smart TVs, mobiles, tablets, and computers.
Free Kotlin Tutorial: Udemy
Are you not sure whether Kotlin is for you? Not a problem at all! You can view this one-hour Kotlin guide from Udemy to know if the coding language is truly worth monetary and time investments. It is an on-demand video lesson that you can conveniently access from your mobile when traveling or wanting a break from what you are doing.
This video covers many introductory parts for those who want to learn Kotlin. For example:
- Basic programming with Kotlin
- Object Oriented Programming with Kotlin
- App package and structure built on Kotlin
- Kotlin programming elements like variables, data type, functions, etc.
Kotlin Bootcamp for Programmers: Google Developers Training Team
Yet another high-quality and free resource to learn Kotlin programming is Kotlin Bootcamp for programmers from Google. The course comprises six codelabs to provide a complete understanding and hands-on experience for Kotlin-based app development.
You will go through the following lessons:
- Get started with Kotlin
- Kotlin basics
- Functions
- Classes and objects
- Extensions
- Generics
- Functional manipulation
Google suggests you complete the lessons in the order of appearance. However, if you are an experienced developer and want to explore Kotlin’s advanced concepts, you can start the sections in any order.
Kotlin Bootcamp for Programmers: Udacity
This Udacity course on Kotlin helps you to learn Kotlin programming from the experts at Google. Be prepared to go through an intensive and advanced training session on Kotlin coding language when you appear for this free course.
Key Bootcamp features are:
- Rich learning content on Kotlin
- Go as you learn as its entirely self-paced
- Pathway to the nano degree program Android Kotlin Developer
- Interactive tests and quizzes
- Learn by hands-on exercises
- Free instruction videos
Before signing up for the Bootcamp, ensure you know object-oriented, modern, and statically typed coding languages like C , Java, or Python. Google also suggests one-year coding experience along with hands-on with Android Studio or IntelliJ.
Complete Kotlin Development Masterclass 2022: Udemy
This Kotlin Masterclass by Udemy claims to make an expert programmer from a beginner by teaching you the fundamentals and advanced topics of Kotlin. Participants here get the chance to work on various exercises, projects, and challenges after each concept.
This course has 381 downloadable resources, 30.5 hours of on-demand video, and 71 articles. It covers language fundamentals, error handling, exceptions, functions, packages, collections, Object Oriented programming, development principles, classes, coroutines, and extensions.
The Complete Android 12 & Kotlin Development Masterclass: Udemy
Do you want to develop apps like Trello and 7Min Workout using Kotlin? Try this Kotlin development course from Udemy to learn effortlessly.
Whether you are a beginner or a pro, this course will help you learn app development for Android 12. It consists of 47 hours of on-demand video and 35 articles. Moreover, you get lifetime access to 110 downloadable resources that you can use anytime.
After the course completion, participants can:
- Create an Android app with Kotlin
- Publish apps on Google Play and start earning
- Use Google Firebase to develop cloud apps
- Become a confident programmer
Learn Object-Oriented Programming with Kotlin: Coursera
Those who want to gather knowledge and hands-on experience on object-oriented programming and Kotlin will find this course by Coursera useful. This beginner-friendly course duration is 1.5 hours and needs you to have basic knowledge of Kotlin and Android development using Kotlin or Java.
It teaches you different pillars of object-oriented programming and how to implement it with Kotlin. However, the course material is available on desktop computers only.
Kotlin for Java Developers: Coursera
The Coursera course on Kotlin for Java Developers overviews Kotlin and discusses other topics such as Java interoperability. Since it is based on your experience with Java, you can easily understand the similarities and differences between Kotlin and Java. You need to invest around 25 hours in completing this intermediate-level course.
While the course does not teach you programming fundamentals, it covers basic syntax, nullability, functional programming, object-oriented programming, and Kotlin standard library. The course material is available in English, but you can always turn on the subtitles in Arabic, French, Spanish, German, Russian, Portuguese (European), Italian, Vietnamese, and English.
Online Kotlin Course: Pluralsight
The objective of this Pluralsight course is to offer you an introduction to Kotlin so you can start creating your app right away. It teaches you the Kotlin tool installation and setting up IDE for your projects. You will also learn the basic language syntax and ways of using the object-oriented features of this language.
This is an intermediate-level course that will require you to have some basic programming knowledge. It covers topics like programming features, writing codes in Kotlin, and testing apps. After finishing this course, participants will have a strong foundation in Kotlin and be able to develop apps.
Kotlin Course: freeCodeCamp.org
This Kotlin Course will introduce you to the trending programming language. This course covers essential Kotlin functions, function parameters, lists, maps, arrays, class methods, interfaces, objects, data classes, and Kotlin Standard Library.
Kotlin Tutorial for Beginners: Donn Felker
If you are a beginner looking for a full-length course to learn Kotlin programming, you can opt for Kotlin Tutorial for Beginners. After completing this 9 hours of video, even a beginner will be able to write Kotlin codes to contribute to Kotlin projects. Some topics covered in this video course are conditionals, functions, objects, data classes, sequences, maps, and Kotlin REPL.
Kotlin Programming: Amazon
This resource is right for you if you want to learn Kotlin from a book that provides a complete guide to the Kotlin programming language. It teaches you the methods to work effectively with Kotlin giving clear explanations and hands-on examples of major Kotlin components and foundational APIs.
Furthermore, it makes you familiar with the IntelliJ IDEA development environment of JetBrains. After finishing this book, readers can create powerful apps using Kotlin. As a newbie or an experienced developer, you can read this to learn the primary and advanced usage of Kotlin.
Kotlin In-Depth: Amazon
This book discusses all the major components of Kotlin so that readers can successfully implement this language to develop apps for various platforms. Reading it, you can also export Java codebases to Kotlin.
This resource will prepare you to work on the more specialized areas of the Kotlin ecosystem, including Android applications, native programming, server-side development, and code sharing across different platforms.
The book covers other topics such as the use of Kotlin standard library, application of Kotlin coroutines package, object-oriented & functional capabilities, foundations of different development tools and platforms, etc.
Java to Kotlin: Amazon
If you are a Java programmer who wants to learn Kotlin, this book is for you. From this resource, you can learn the key concepts of Kotlin and how to write code from scratch using Kotlin.
Programming Android with Kotlin: Amazon
If you want to develop Android apps by learning Kotlin, then try this insightful resource. It teaches you how to move from Java to Kotlin and how you can give better control over asynchronous computations through Kotlin.
From the book mentioned above, you will also learn:
- Android fundamentals like OS, application container, and its elements
- The essentials and collections framework of Kotlin
- Performance optimizations to reduce resource consumption
- Thread safety and concurrency management
- Using channels to communicate between coroutines
- Structured concurrency examination with coroutines
Functional Programming in Kotlin: Amazon
This book on Kotlin is a handy resource for designing and writing Kotlin applications. It comes with clear examples, detailed explanations, and exercises so that you can know your subject well. The topics covered in this book range from basics like types and data structures to advanced ones like stream processing.
Moreover, it teaches you different approaches to functional programming that you can implement in the real world. Also, you can learn to write combinator libraries from it. Any Kotlin developer can read this book to get the most out of it. There is no need to have experience in functional programming.
How to Build Android Apps with Kotlin: Amazon
This book work as a comprehensive guide to kick-start your Android development projects. Often, developers want to build Android 11 apps but have no clue about how to learn Kotlin. This book discusses app development fundamentals that will enrich you with the confidence and skills necessary to create your Android app.
From this book, you will get a clear idea about the lifecycle of the Android development process. Besides creating scalable apps using Kotlin, it teaches you how to publish them on Google Play Store.
After reading this book, developers will become capable of using standard libraries for data parsing and dependency injection. It also teaches you to develop the apps in an easy way using Google architecture components.
This resource will also come in handy when importing outside data and applying the repository pattern. To properly understand the concepts discussed in this book, readers should have a basic understanding of Kotlin or have experience in another programming language similar to Kotlin.
Conclusion
Kotlin is the trending coding language for apps targeted at Android devices. According to StatCounter, 71.54% of mobile devices across the Globe are Androids. Experts suggest that the number will grow sharply in the coming years.
Therefore, you may want to learn Kotlin to thrive in the competition for Android app development. Check out this article to learn some beneficial online learning courses, books, and videos that can assist you in becoming a Kotlin developer.
You may also be interested in low code or no code platforms to build mobile apps for business or personal use.
