Whether you’re currently pursuing a degree in computer science, studying in school or an aspiring self-taught developer, mastering the craft of programming is a perpetual struggle. As we can see there is a huge demand for good engineers and will be a great scope for software developers in future. It’s become important to master skills required for programming at the right time. Here are seven tips on how to learn programming faster in most effective way.
- Learn by playing with the code
With every new subject, the sooner you start playing with the code, the faster you will learn the given concepts. The more you practice by actually writing a code in system the more you will learn. Even if you blaze through an entire chapter of reading and a topic like for loops seems straightforward — you’ll still scratching your head when tasked to implement the code for the first time.
Talk is cheap. Show me the code.
— Linus Torvalds
2. Grasp the fundamentals for long-term benefits
As elementary as they may appear at first, programming fundamentals always need to come first: the better you understand them, the easier it is to learn more advanced concepts. It’s always noticed that students who rush through the beginning of the courses and don’t give too much importance to fundamentals are often the first to get stuck when it comes to work on more advanced material. So it’s very important to give equal importance to basic fundamentals as well because it will be your building blocks for your future projects.
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals.
— Jim Rohn
3. Code by hand. It sharpens proficiency
Computer monitors become thinner, hard drives lighter and programming languages more powerful, but coding-by-hand still remains one of the most effective methods to learn how to program. Coding-by-hand requires further caution, precision and intent behind every line of code. Because unlike on a computer, you can’t run hand-written code midway through the sheet to check if the work is correct. Although it’ll be slower, there’s a lot of evidence suggesting that writing-by-hand is superior to typing in gaining better conceptual understanding of a topic. For college exams and technical interviews — a critical component of the job interview process — you will have to code-by-hand, because not only is this good for learning, but it’s universally known to be the ultimate test for a programmer’s proficiency. So start early and get used to this old-school practice.
Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.
— Martin Fowler
4. Ask for help from your senior
People learn faster with mentors and peer feedback, rather then working on their own. What may seem like an immovable bug or topic could be quickly alleviated by a fresh pair of eyes or a new interpretation of the subject. Whether it’s online or in-person, ignore the trolls and don’t be afraid to ask help, because every programmer has been in your shoes before. Besides, most developers love to code and if there’s one thing that passionate individuals enjoy, it’s to share their knowledge with others. Asking your senior for help will solve your problem quickly, will safe your time and you will learn some new tips as well.
Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes
— Oscar Wilde
5. Seek out for more online resources.
If a particular concept doesn’t make sense, be it in a textbook, or during class lecture, maintain your confidence and look for alternate online resources to learn the same content. Everyone learns differently, and just because one source doesn’t make sense, doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It means that you’re not clicking with the delivery of the material. The online resources to learn computer programming are endless, and there’s always tutorial,or blog explanation that will make the material-at-hand crystal clear.
Knowledge is power.
— Francis Bacon
6. Don’t just read the sample code. Tinker with it!
Reading sample code is not enough to understand how it works. To develop a true understanding, you need to actually run the code and tinker with it. With the additions of comments and instructions, sample code is packaged to be by the reader; but in reality, it’s pretty difficult to replicate from scratch. Reading is not the same as understanding, and actually trying to write the code yourself, or at least running it, will facilitate the learning process much more.
Before software can be reusable it first has to be usable.
— Ralph Johnson
7. Take breaks when debugging
When debugging, it’s easy to go down the rabbit hole for hours, and there’s no guarantee that you will fix the problem. To avoid this, it’s best to step away from the problem for a few hours, and return with a fresh perspective. Not only is this a guaranteed way to help solve the problem, but you’ll also save yourself hours of headache. So if help isn’t available — to touch on our previous tip about seeking advice — consider taking a break to clear your mind and return later. In the meantime, the bug won’t be going anywhere, and you’ll at least restore some needed sanity to improve productivity.
Sometimes it pays to stay in bed on Monday, rather than spending the rest of the week debugging Monday’s code
— Dan Salomon
Conclusion: Keep Calm and Keep On Coding
Despite these 7 tips, the most important ingredient to learn programming faster is to remain confident. To do so, you should expect to fail repeatedly and be patient with your progress; because becoming an expert at anything requires hard work and time. And if a single doubt ever clouds your mind, remember that every programmer this path before — none of them more destined to become a developer than you. Whichever path you are currently on, be it college or coding boot camp, the only barrier to success is your work ethic and confidence to persevere.