Best Programming Courses in 2025: New and Favorite Picks on JetBrains Academy

Regina Muradova

“It’s tiiiiiiiiiiiime!”, and not just for Mariah Carey on the playlist. Here’s our annual roundup of JetBrains Academy courses – the favorites you loved this year and the new courses launched in 2025.

If you’re trying to figure out where to start, what to learn next, or how to invest in your future skills, this overview will help you navigate the best options and find a path that fits your goals.

Top in-IDE courses

Our in-IDE courses are built directly inside the tools developers use every day, so you learn by doing – writing real code, solving real tasks, and building skills that are sought after by employers. All in-IDE courses are free of charge, and as a student, you can apply for the JetBrains Student Pack and get a free licence for JetBrains IDEs. 

Let’s take a look at the courses learners loved most this year.

❤️ 100 Days of Code – The Complete Python Pro Bootcamp

Best for: motivated learners who want to build projects every day.

Angela Yu’s bestselling course comes to life inside PyCharm. You’ll build 100 real projects in 100 days, from data dashboards and simple games to full web apps, APIs, and automation tools. You’ll be learning Python, the most popular programming language, and a great place to  start your developer career. Join over a million learners who’ve completed the course and created a beautiful portfolio of 100 Python projects ready to show to future employers.

❤️ Introduction to Python

Best for: absolute beginners who want to get started.

With Python being the most popular language among developers in 2025, it’s no surprise that another Python course has been a hit among learners. This fan-favorite helps complete beginners write real code from day one. You’ll learn essentials like variables, loops, functions, and data structures while using the same professional developer tools you’d use on the job. After finishing, you’ll be ready to continue learning, and our structured Python learning roadmap can help you choose what to explore next.

❤️ AtomicKotlin

Best for: beginners to intermediate Kotlin learners.

Designed for both beginners and experienced programmers, this course contains exercises that accompany the Atomic Kotlin book. Start from scratch and progress atom by atom – write real code, test your understanding, and learn with instant IDE feedback and guided hints. 

❤️ 100 Exercises to Learn Rust

Best for: learners who want a hands-on path into Rust.

Rust is rapidly growing in popularity. The 2025 JetBrains Developer Ecosystem Survey results show that it’s among the top languages developers plan to adopt next, with 10% of respondents saying they want to learn it. It’s no surprise then that this course, which is based on Luca Palmieri’s 100 Exercises to Learn Rust, was so popular this year. Each lesson begins with a failing test, and your task is to write the code that makes it pass. By the end, you’ll have completed 100 carefully selected challenges and gained confidence writing clean, idiomatic Rust in a real development environment.

❤️ Introduction to JavaScript Programming

Best for: beginners interested in web development.

JavaScript isn’t just popular – it’s at the center of what most developers actually build. Three out of four developers work on websites or business software, where JavaScript is the industry standard. 

This course is a perfect starting point for learning JavaScript from scratch. You’ll pick up all of the core concepts needed to understand how modern websites work and start writing interactive code inside a real IDE. By the end, you’ll have the foundation to move confidently into frontend or full-stack development.  If you want to keep going, our Full-Stack JavaScript course is the ideal next step.

New courses in 2025

This year, we focused on giving learners even more ways to explore programming. Alongside new IDE-based courses, we launched partnerships, expanded to new platforms, and introduced completely new skill paths. Here’s a look at what arrived in 2025 and what’s coming next.

⭐ Skill Paths from JetBrains Academy and AWS

In October, we released our first joint Skill Paths with AWS – free to complete using the AWS Free Tier. These skill paths give you practical, real-world experience. You’ll write Python microservices, containerize them with Docker, deploy on AWS ECS or EC2, and even build and launch a full chat app using React and Flask.

Learners have already earned more than 40 certificates co-branded by JetBrains Academy and AWS. Get yours by completing the course – a strong addition to your LinkedIn profile or portfolio.

Early next year, we’ll also introduce new AI and LLM Skill Paths that dive into machine learning, reinforcement learning, and building applications with LLMs. You’ll learn how to train models with SageMaker, create Bedrock-powered assistants, and work with LangChain in real projects. At the end, you’ll have a working app or LLM endpoint, along with a verified certificate from JetBrains Academy and AWS. Save your spot on the waiting list!

⭐ AI-Assisted Programming With JetBrains Academy and Nebius

Over 65% of developers anticipate that AI proficiency will become a job requirement. AI tools are reshaping how we write and test code, but using them effectively isn’t always obvious. That’s why we teamed up with Nebius, an AI cloud platform, to create a new course series that helps developers move beyond the hype and learn how to work with AI in practical, meaningful ways. 

You’ll write and debug Python code with AI support, use AI for QA and bug detection, automate routine steps with AI agents, explore common AI development tools, and build and test projects with Junie, the AI coding agent by JetBrains, directly inside the IDE.

If you’re wondering whether learning to code still matters in an AI-driven world, we’ve covered this in our recent blog series, from why it’s still worth learning to code and exploring the psychology of beginner programmers to whether you should use AI at all.

⭐ JetBrains Academy Courses on Coursera

This year, JetBrains Academy expanded to Coursera, bringing our IDE-based learning experience to one of the world’s largest education platforms. Two courses already support full IDE integration, so you can complete all coding tasks directly in PyCharm – Python from Scratch: Learn by Coding and AI-Assisted Programming. 

This gives you a full IDE setup while you study – the same tools developers use, tightly connected to your Coursera coursework. In 2026, we’ll add even more JetBrains Academy courses to Coursera. Stay tuned for more!

⭐ Java Foundations Professional Certificate

Java may not be the newest language, but it remains one of the most in-demand. If you’re considering a career as a developer, Java is a solid place to begin.

That’s why JetBrains has partnered with LinkedIn to offer the Java Foundations Professional Certificate, exclusively on LinkedIn Learning. By completing this learning path, you’ll enhance your LinkedIn profile, validate your Java skills, and get real-world experience. You’ll work in IntelliJ IDEA, the industry’s leading IDE for Java development, gaining practical knowledge essential for your career. By the end of the series, you’ll have acquired the skills to apply for junior developer positions directly on LinkedIn.

Thanks for joining us on this tour of the courses that shaped 2025! If you’d like to explore even more learning courses, you can always browse the full JetBrains Academy catalog, with more than 120 courses designed to help strengthen your CV, build a standout portfolio, and ace IT interviews. 

Happy learning!

The JetBrains Academy team

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