7 Tips and Tricks to Learn Programming
One of the common and basic questions among students or someone who wants to learn code is “How can I learn to code fast ?”
Most people give up before they truly get started. In the beginning, we get very excited about the concept of learning to code, but later in most of cases students or beginners give up quickly because they find it difficult to continue, they get stuck and they face difficulty in finding the solution for a code. Learning to program isn’t an overnight journey but it’s also not as difficult as people think about it, all it just requires is dedication, passion, interest, and definitely patience
There are so many online and offline resources available to learn to code easily, quickly, and effectively. We will discuss some tips to learn programming effectively and faster.
1. Make Fundamentals Clear
The fundamentals are Data Structures, variables, control structures, syntax, tools, or text editors. When you start doing programming pick one programming language, stick with it, and clear all the basics of programming first before going to the next level.
2. Learn By Doing, Practicing and Not Just Reading
A common mistake is just reading a book or looking at the sample code on their desktop without practicing it. It’s easy to read about the loops, variables, and getting all the things in your head but actual programming doesn’t work in this way.
When you start coding, practice the same code or sample again and again until or unless you don’t need to refer to the same book or resource from where you have learned. Also build your own project, participate in coding challenges, play coding related games, practice it at your own end every single day.
3. Code By Hand
When you start programming you will be thinking that why should I code by hand. When you will apply for jobs in programming, most of the time the technical evaluation process will include code by hand. You will be asked to write code using pen and paper or you might have to use a whiteboard. Coding by hand is something old-school technique but it actually involves a test for a programmer’s proficiency.
4. Share, Teach, Discuss and Ask For Help
One of the best ways to understand programming easily and quickly is teaching. Teaching to someone, sharing your knowledge, doing discussions with other programmers will make you a better programmer quickly. Teaching to someone is teaching to yourself too, so if you are able to teach to somebody that means you truly understand the concepts. It is the best habit to learn something in-depth and you will realize that you don’t need to come back on the same topic.
5. Use Online Resources
There are plenty of online resources available paid or unpaid. You can subscribe to YouTube channels or try coding boot camps to learn programming quickly and effectively.
I usually prefer following web sites :
- Geeksforgeeks
- Udemy
- Coursera
- w3schools
6. Take Breaks
Take some short breaks to get refreshed. You should also keep this thing in mind while debugging your code. Sometimes you spend hours and hours to find the bug but you don’t get the solution for your code so it’s good to take a short break, clear your mind and do something else. It will restore your focus and you may come up with the solution for your code where you were stuck.
7. Learn to Use Debugger
Making mistakes in coding is very common and it’s completely acceptable in programming. You will find a lot of errors in your code at the beginning so it’s good to use debuggers to find out errors, impacts on your result and check where you have made the mistake.
In the end, the last tip is not to quit when you start your journey in programming. You might be thinking in the middle that you are not smart enough to code but keep in mind that in order to think like a coder it takes some time and patience but to learn it quickly, you just need to follow the right path and be consistent.
