GitHub Student Tools for New Developers

Most students would agree that beginning their coding journey can feel overwhelming. With so many tools and technologies to learn, it's tough to know where to start.

Luckily, GitHub offers an incredible Student Developer Pack packed with free developer tools and training specifically for students. This makes exploring coding infinitely more accessible.

In this post, we'll tour the GitHub Student pack, from how to unlock all its free resources to recommendations on the best ways to utilize them as a budding developer. Let's dig in!

Unlocking the Potential with GitHub Student Developer Pack

The GitHub Student Developer Pack provides a wide range of free developer tools and services for students to unlock their coding potential. Let's explore what it offers and how to get started.

Exploring the GitHub Student Developer Pack

The GitHub Student Developer Pack includes popular tools like:

Azure - $100 in Azure credits to build cloud apps and services
DigitalOcean - $50 in platform credit for cloud hosting
Namecheap - Free 1-year .me domain to host your portfolio
Educative - Access to text and video courses for coding skills
1Password - 6 months free password manager subscription

It also features the GitHub Campus Experts program that helps students grow as developers and leaders.

The Array of GitHub Student Benefits

Key benefits of the GitHub Student Developer Pack:

Save money on developer tools and cloud services
Build real-world projects with free resources
Develop in-demand skills with access to educational content
Get visibility and connections through the Campus Experts program

The pack unlocks $200,000+ worth of developer tools for free while you learn.

Determining Your Eligibility for GitHub Student Discount

To qualify for the GitHub Student Developer Pack, you must:

Have a GitHub account
Upload proof you are currently enrolled at an academic institution

Once verified, you get access to the full pack and discounts.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an Account on GitHub

Follow these steps to create a GitHub account:

Go to github.com and click Sign Up
Enter your email, create a password
Choose your username
Verify your email address
Explore GitHub guides to set up your profile

With an account created, you can apply for the Student Developer Pack.

Navigating the GitHub Education Landscape

Alongside the Student Pack, GitHub offers:

GitHub Classroom - For managing student coding assignments
GitHub Campus Program - Helps students grow through real-world experience

These initiatives provide even more ways for students to unlock their potential.

Is GitHub free for students?

GitHub offers the GitHub Student Developer Pack which provides free access to various developer tools and services for students. Some of the key benefits include:

Free access to GitHub Pro and GitHub Team plan features
Free domain registration from Namecheap for 1 year
$50 in credit for Microsoft Azure
$100 in credit for DigitalOcean cloud services
Access to free courses on Educative
1Password Families for 6 months

To be eligible, you need to be a student aged 13+ and enrolled in a degree or diploma granting course of study. You'll need to verify your student status with a student email address or upload proof of enrollment.

The GitHub Student Developer Pack helps students gain real-world development experience through practical application of tools used by professional developers and companies. It's a great way to build your portfolio and showcase experience with industry-standard technologies.

Overall, the program provides excellent value with all the free resources for students interested in software development. It's worthwhile signing up to accelerate your learning and career opportunities.

Is GitHub copilot still free for students?

GitHub Copilot can be an incredibly helpful tool for students learning to code. The autocomplete suggestions help you write code faster and learn along the way.

Fortunately, GitHub offers GitHub Copilot for free to verified students through GitHub Copilot Individual. Here's what you need to know:

To qualify, you must have a valid school-issued email address. You'll need to verify your student status with ID.me.
Once verified, you can enable GitHub Copilot for free in your personal GitHub account settings.
GitHub Copilot will be available for use in your personal repositories and gists.
The free Individual plan does not cover use of GitHub Copilot in organization accounts. For that, you'd need a paid GitHub Copilot Business plan.

So in summary - yes, as a verified student, you can continue using GitHub Copilot for free through your personal GitHub account. This special offer makes it easy for students to benefit from Copilot as they learn to code.

Is GitHub student pack worth it?

The GitHub Student Developer Pack provides a lot of value for students learning to code or build software. Here are some of the key benefits:

Access to Pro Developer Tools

You get free access to professional developer tools and services including:

GitHub Pro account features like unlimited private repositories
Azure cloud credit to build apps
DigitalOcean hosting credit to deploy apps
Domain names from Namecheap to create a portfolio
1Password password manager for security

These tools normally have paid plans costing hundreds of dollars per year.

Learn In-Demand Skills

The pack includes free access to high-quality learning platforms like Educative to gain skills in trending technologies like Python, JavaScript, cloud computing, containers, and more. This can help you become a more qualified engineer.

Grow Your Network

You can join the GitHub Campus Experts program to get involved with local developer communities. This allows you to network with peers and industry professionals.

Use Tools in Class Projects

If your school uses GitHub Classroom, you can use the free tools and services included in the pack for your coding assignments, capstone projects, hackathons and more.

So in summary, the GitHub Student Developer Pack provides tremendous value to new developers through free access to professional tools and resources. It's definitely worth signing up to accelerate your education and career.

What are the requirements for GitHub for students?

To qualify for GitHub Student benefits, you must meet the following requirements:

Be enrolled in an accredited academic program: You need to be currently enrolled in a degree or diploma granting course at a high school, college, university, or other educational institution. Homeschool students are also eligible.
Have a verifiable school email address: GitHub requires you to sign up with an official email address issued by your academic institution. For example, johnsmith@university.edu.
Upload enrollment verification documents (optional): If your academic email domain is not automatically verified, you may need to provide documents that validate your current student status. This could include items like an enrollment certificate, transcript, student ID, or tuition bill.
Have a GitHub personal account: You'll need to create your own free GitHub account before applying for GitHub Student benefits. Accounts from classrooms or academic projects don't qualify.

That's it! Once your academic status is confirmed, you'll get access to various GitHub Student developer tools, cloud resources, training materials, community events, and more. Taking advantage of these benefits can level up your coding journey as a student.

Getting Started with the GitHub Student Developer Pack

This section provides a step-by-step guide to applying for the pack and activating key services like Azure, DigitalOcean, and Namecheap to start building projects.

Creating Your GitHub Personal Account

The first step is to create your free GitHub personal account, which allows you to access the Student Developer Pack.

Navigate to github.com and click Sign Up in the top right corner
Enter your email, create a password, and choose a username
Verify your account via email confirmation

Once your GitHub account is created, you can start setting up your profile by adding a profile picture, bio, location, website, and more.

Verifying Your Student Status for GitHub Pro Student

Once your account is setup, you can apply for the pack and upgrade to GitHub Pro Student by verifying your student status using documents like your student ID, transcript, or enrollment verification letter.

In your GitHub account, go to Settings > Developer settings
Click GitHub Student Developer Pack
Click Get the Pack and choose your school
Upload proof of enrollment like your student ID
Your GitHub account will upgrade to Pro status for free

GitHub Pro Student gives you extra features like unlimited private repositories.

Activating Microsoft Azure with GitHub Student Pack

With access to the pack, you can now claim your Microsoft Azure credits along with free access to various cloud services to start hosting applications and websites.

Go to the Azure portal and click Create a free account
Sign in with your GitHub student account
Verify your status to activate $100 in Azure credits
Use Azure to host virtual machines, databases, web apps, APIs, and more

With your Azure credit, you can run cloud servers to deploy full-stack web projects.

Launching Your First Project with DigitalOcean Credits

Another great option is using your DigitalOcean hosting credit to easily spin up Linux cloud servers and deploy web applications with just a few clicks.

Create a DigitalOcean account and connect your GitHub
Get $50 in hosting credits added to your account
Launch a Droplet (virtual server) running Ubuntu
Use the control panel to deploy apps, manage firewalls, and more

DigitalOcean's fast SSD servers make it easy for students to quickly deploy applications.

Securing Your GitHub Student Free Domain with Namecheap

Register your free .me domain for one year through Namecheap to establish your personal website or portfolio with a professional URL.

Go to the Namecheap site and create a new account
Search for a .me domain and add it to your cart
Go to checkout and apply the GitHub Student Pack coupon
The .me domain will be free for one year
Point your domain to your DigitalOcean or Azure projects

With Namecheap, you can register a custom domain name to brand yourself as a developer.

Maximizing Educational Benefits with GitHub Student Tools

The Student Developer Pack provides access to valuable resources like online courses, tutorials, and GitHub programs to help new developers build coding skills.

Accessing Online Courses on Educative with GitHub Student Pack

The GitHub Student Developer Pack includes free access to over 100 coding courses on Educative. As a GitHub student, you can unlock topics like Python, JavaScript, cloud computing and more to strengthen your skills.

Educative offers text-based courses with embedded coding environments so you can practice as you learn. Courses also feature discussion forums to engage with instructors and peers. With extended GitHub student access, you'll have ample time to reinforce concepts at your own pace.

Some featured Educative courses relevant for new coders include:

Introduction to Python
JavaScript for Beginners
Docker for Developers
Google Cloud Platform Associate Certification

Take advantage of this valuable GitHub student resource to build a strong coding foundation across trending languages and frameworks.

Becoming a GitHub Campus Expert

The GitHub Campus Experts Program allows students to gain real-world experience while acting as a brand ambassador for GitHub. As a campus expert, you'll organize tech events, support open source projects, lead workshops and more.

The program helps build leadership abilities and technical skills. It also connects you to full-time internship and job opportunities at major tech firms that sponsor GitHub.

To become a campus expert, you must be actively enrolled in a bachelor's, master’s or PhD program. An application and interview is required. GitHub selects candidates based on their passion for community building and advancing open source technology.

Engaging with Peers through GitHub Community Exchange

GitHub Community Exchange allows students to connect with open source projects relevant to their interests and studies. You can filter projects by topics like science, journalism, government and social impact.

Participating provides networking opportunities to meet peers and professionals in your field. It also enables you to gain practical experience by contributing code to real-world projects and initiatives.

As an added benefit, some open source organizations offer swag or travel support for top contributors. Community Exchange represents a great way for aspiring developers to build their skills and expand their professional network.

Enhancing Learning with GitHub Classroom

For students taking a coding course, GitHub Classroom can reinforce what you learn through practical assignments. Classroom allows instructors to distribute coding activities, test suites and auto-graded assessments.

As a student, you can use GitHub to complete tasks and receive automated feedback on your work. This closes the feedback loop so you can iterate and improve your code rapidly based on objective evaluation tools.

Classroom integrates seamlessly with GitHub repositories to streamline the developer workflow. Using it alongside a course accelerates your proficiency through hands-on coding practice.

Managing Passwords Securely with 1Password for GitHub Students

The GitHub Student Pack includes a free 1 year subscription to 1Password. This powerful password manager helps you store login credentials securely for all your projects and tools.

1Password enables you to generate strong, random passwords so you don’t repeat insecure ones across sites. It also auto-fills usernames and passwords on websites for convenience.

With a GitHub student account, you can sync 1Password across all devices to access saved credentials anywhere. Whether working on group assignments or personal projects, you’ll have secure access to the tools you need.

Conclusion: Empowering Your Development Journey

The GitHub Student Developer Pack provides a robust set of tools and resources that empower students to advance their development skills and career opportunities. By summarizing key takeaways and next steps, we can recap how to make the most of this offering.

Recap of GitHub Student Pack Perks

The GitHub Student Pack offers notable benefits, including:

Access to industry-leading development tools and cloud services for free while you study. This allows you to experiment with new technologies at no cost.
Educational content and training materials to level up your skills. Whether you're just starting out or looking to advance, there are ample learning resources.
Community networking to connect with other developers, explore open source projects, and potentially find job opportunities.
Professional profile badges to showcase your skills and certifications on GitHub. This can help when applying for developer roles.
Ongoing access to new tools and content as more partners join. The Student Pack will continue expanding over time.

Next Steps after Accessing the GitHub Student Developer Pack

Once you've activated your Student Pack, here are some recommendations on how to proceed:

Browse the full catalog of available tools and identify ones that align to your learning goals or project ideas. Sign up for trial access to experiment.
Take advantage of educational content like video courses and hands-on labs to expand your skills. Identify knowledge gaps holding you back.
Engage with open source communities around tools you find valuable. Consider contributing to projects to gain experience.
Add badges to your GitHub profile to showcase specific skills or partner program participation.
Check back periodically for new Student Pack offerings as more partners join.

The GitHub Student Developer Pack removes barriers for students to access industry-standard tools for learning and launching their development career. By taking full advantage of its offerings, you can empower your coding journey.

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