Rust is the systems language people reach for when they want C-level speed without C's memory bugs. Its borrow checker enforces memory safety at compile time, which is why it keeps topping Stack Overflow's most-loved survey and why it's now shipping in the Linux kernel, browsers, and game engines. Beginners have two solid free starts here. freeCodeCamp's 14-hour course is a straight video walkthrough, and Microsoft Learn's shorter interactive track hands you a certificate at the end. Google's 30-hour Rust course, the one it uses to train its own engineers, is the intermediate step once the syntax stops fighting you. Be honest about the curve, though: Rust is famously hard early on, and the compiler will reject code that most other languages would happily run. Learn it for the payoff, not for a quick first job.
Microsoft Learn's official getting-started path for Rust. Covers fundamental syntax, the ownership model, common collections, error handling, and modules. Browser-based exercises and knowledge checks throughout. Free with a Microsoft achievement.
Google's free 4-day Rust course taught internally to Android engineers. Covers core Rust through bare-metal and concurrency in depth, plus Android-specific modules. Slides, speaker notes, and exercises are all open source. One of the most thorough free Rust resources available.