Learning to Love Programming: A Personal Journey of a Former Non-Techie
As someone who once had no background in tech, I understand the daunting feeling of contemplating a switch to a tech career. However, I took the leap of faith and I am proud to say that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. In this article, I will share my personal journey of transitioning to a tech career, including my motivations, how I got started, and advice for anyone who wants to embark on this path from scratch.
I pursued Agricultural Science for my Bachelor’s degree in Nigeria and later went for a Master’s degree in Global Climate Change and Soil Science, thanks to a scholarship from the European Union. This experience was a revelation to me as I realized I had untapped potential.
After completing my Master’s degree, I was at a crossroads, and I had to choose between pursuing a Ph.D., getting a job, or developing a skill that would be relevant in the future. I decided to learn a skill that would be relevant in the future, and that was when I discovered my interest in technology.
Why I Decided to Learn to Code
Although I had no experience in programming languages, I was motivated to learn to code for several reasons:
1. Increased Job Opportunities: Being an immigrant to Europe made it challenging for me to find a job due to language barriers. The tech industry, on the other hand, is less concerned about language proficiency, making it easier to find a job.
2. High Demand for Coding Careers: The average entry-level salary in the U.S. is $40,153 in 2022. But the average starting salary for a programmer is more than twice as much, at $85,293. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that employment in computer and information technology occupations will grow by 11% from 2019 to 2029.
3. Flexibility that Comes with Tech Jobs: Tech jobs offer more flexibility than many other industries. It’s easier to work remotely, set your own hours, and even take time off to travel.
4. Potential for Increasing Salaries: The tech industry is always changing and evolving, and with it comes the potential for increasing salaries. With new skills, experience, and expertise, programmers can command higher salaries and even advance to management positions.
5. Desire to Tackle Climate Change: As someone who studied global climate change and soil science, I’m passionate about finding solutions to environmental issues. Technology plays a crucial role in this, and I believe that by learning to code, I can make a positive impact in this field
How I started My Journey
From my experience, switching to a tech career requires three fundamental things: Time, Dedication, and Internet Access. At the early stage of my career transition, my goal was more about learning than earning. I made sure I learned and coded every day. The following approaches are also some of the steps I took.
1. Decide on the first programming language you want to learn: This is a crucial step, and it’s essential to find the most relevant language in the part of the tech industry you want to enter. I recommend starting with Python because it is easy to learn for non-coders.
2. Take online courses: There are several free online courses available on sites such as Coursera, Udemy, w3schools, DataCamp, and freeCodeCamp.
3. Watch video tutorials: YouTube is a good platform for beginners to learn.
4. Read books and e-books: Books will introduce you to fundamental concepts and provide you with the power to understand the rudimentary reason for doing things you learn in videos. Here are some established texts for each recommended beginner language:
- Python: “Python Crash Course A Hands-On, Project-Based-Introduction-to-Programming”.
- HTML/CSS: “Head First HTML and CSS A Learner’s Guide to Creating Standards”.
- PHP: “Head First PHP & MySQL”.
- JavaScript: “Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming”.
- SQL: “SQL in 10 Minutes, Sams Teach Yourself”.
5. Learning with a community: This should be either locally or online, and can help you grow faster. Finding a mentor and joining online communities such as Stack Overflow, GitHub, and Reddit can be helpful.
6. Check out other people's code: Checking out other people’s code can also be beneficial, as it allows you to learn from past coders and build on their solutions.
7. Completing coding projects is essential as it helps you learn the complete pipeline of a project, which you can replicate in other projects.
8. Enrolling in a coding boot camp can be a great way to learn, as it provides a comprehensive coding curriculum in a short amount of time. It’s also a great way to surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share the same goals.
Advice for beginners starting their coding journey.
1. Be Patient: As a beginner, it’s important to understand that learning to code is a gradual process that requires patience and commitment. The beginning may seem tough, but with consistent effort, you will gradually get familiar with the concepts and become more comfortable with the language.
2. Don’t Rush the Fundamentals: Understanding the fundamentals of coding is crucial to becoming a proficient programmer. It’s important to take the time to learn data types, variables, functions, conditional statements, arrays, and objects before moving on to more complex topics. Rushing through the fundamentals may lead to confusion and frustration later on.
3. Learn to Write Clean Code: Writing clean and organized code is essential for efficient programming. Learning to write clean code from the beginning will not only make your code more readable but will also make it easier to debug and maintain. Be sure to comment on your code appropriately to make it easier for others to understand.
4. Use Google as a Resource: One of the most valuable resources available to beginner programmers is the internet. When facing a coding problem, don’t hesitate to search for a solution on Google or other programming forums. It’s likely that someone else has faced the same issue and has shared a solution. Just be sure to understand the solution and avoid simply copying and pasting code without understanding it.
Overall, remember that learning to code is a process that requires time, effort, and patience. By taking the time to understand the fundamentals, writing clean code, and utilizing online resources, you can become a proficient programmer regardless of your age, culture, financial background, or gender.
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