How to Learn Programming?
You have decided you are interested in learning programming, but you don’t know much about the subject or what you need to do to start your studies. Of course, it goes without saying that programming in itself is not an easy study. I am here to show you what you can do to go further in your studies and achieve a better understanding of your chosen programming language than any other student. These are things I believe every programmer should know.
Without further ado, let’s jump in!
FIRST, HOW ARE YOU AT THE DESK?
Most programmers spend upwards of 8 hours a day at their desk. So the question is how dedicated are you to your desk? There are many problems that can develop from this constant position, as such an understanding of ergonomics is required to better alleviate the pains of working at a desk all day. Personally, I can recommend having padding for your back or if you have the coin, purchasing an ergonomic chair to help alleviate any posture problems as well. All this must be kept in mind and we haven’t even discussed programming yet. If you have been programming for a while now I recommend asking yourself this question. Can you stand to program at your desk for hours on end? Well, yes, with a standing desk, but that can get uncomfortable with time too.
DO YOU HAVE PROGRAMMING POTENTIAL?
In my book I discuss the mindset of a programmer, the struggles and joys we experience. More than that, I discuss the potential every programmer has. The potential to become a valuable member of a programming team, perhaps even the leader. The potential to create. That’s right, to create. Programmers are a form of artist, experimenting with code and making programs. There is a sort of wonder that falls over every customer when they see and app or program developed by an intelligent team of programmers. The remarkable ability to take something so basic and turn it into a useful tool. Of course, anything useful soon becomes a part of today’s society, resulting in large income.
In this way a programmer can make it.
ARE YOU CREATIVE?
Yes, creativity is a fundamental basic of any programming. Creativity is the ability in which an effective programmers takes advantage of. An effective programmer spends time in their mind or on paper planning their code out as they type it. Creativity helps the programmer devise better ways of doing things. One practice I have done with students to show them they have this ability is ask them to do the reverse. I make them write two lines of code. One asks the user for their name and the other prints out a greeting, such as, “Hello John”. Once they have done this I ask them to complicated the code to an extraordinary degree. Make as much redundant code as possible for the software to sift through till it eventually does the same task as the two lines the students began with. I warn them that the only way they will complete this task flawlessly is if each piece of redundant code is different. You can’t simply swap the value back and forth between two variables for over a thousand lines. It is a basic task, but soon I am greeted with the most complex, in depth, maze of programming from each student. The task is used to test their language understanding as well as how many techniques in programming is in their bright mind. I find this a great way to show the students that they do have creativity locked in their mind and all it takes is a little effort to access it.
THE PATH OF THE PROGRAMMER
Of course, the first thought that usually circles a potential programmers mind is, “Where do I begin?”. First, one must analyze why he/she/them decided to become a programmer. A programmer has a very specialized form of ambition within them. A desire that they want to fulfill by becoming a programmer. Whether it is to create programs or improve upon programs or simply to be part of the development. As such, at the start of any profession, there are many paths laid out in front of you.
Do you become a data scientist or an app developer? Do you participate in e-learning or go through a physical university? Where does one begin?
In this book, 10 Ways You Can Make it as a Programmer, I show you the top ten paths I have noticed in my students as well as in the profession. These are 10 career that you have the greatest chance of making it. Some of these paths are difficult, some of them simple. All of them, unless you develop something truly groundbreaking in a short amount of time, require large amounts of time. That is the sad truth…
MOST PROGRAMMERS NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE
Usually, by the time a programmer has made it in a career of their choice it is difficult for them to participate in anything else of the profession. Not because of age, but because their minds have been set. After so much dedication and time spent on a job it is hard to adapt, no matter how similar this other job is to their current one. The result, programmers generally have one shot. One shot to make it in a career, not two. Of course you can quit early if it isn’t for you, but once you’ve decided to ‘make it’ in a career, there isn’t much more you can do after.
With these thoughts in mind, when a programmer decides to make their choice they should be well informed of what they are getting into and even better, have some experience in the field, even if it is shadowing someone else do it for a day.
The goal of my book is to show you the top 10 paths, correct, but it is also to ward you off a career choice that doesn’t suit your style. Suppose you decide to become a programming professor, but you’re not sure what you will encounter. I will highlight the difficulties and joys you will most likely experience. With this information, not only are you better informed on the subject, but you are also sure about making your decision to continue with the job or not.
ARE YOU PREPARED TO STUDY?
Programming is an intensive practice that requires several years of study before one can consider themselves a useful programmer. Of course you can’t become a programmer without the knowledge which is why you must realize that to become a programmer you must sacrifice time and energy to its study. Programming is a fantastic skill that will no doubt aid you in future software development or any programming career. Of course it goes without saying that studying will be the first stage of your journey and that if you are willing to put the time and effort in, then most likely you have the keen energy and interest to become a programmer. A sacrifice of time and money is something that must be acknowledged if you want to learn how to code. However, the work is certainly worth the sacrifice if your interest is high enough.
There you have it. If you can ask yourself these questions and still want to learn to code, then I can highly recommend beginning as soon as possible. I recommend to any beginner to start with either Java or Python. These languages are more basic and can help you get started in your studies, not to mention that Java and Python programmers have higher salaries than other languages. You can check the courses tab in ProgrammingTut.com to receive a 25% discount on all basic courses. So save yourself time and money, begin your programming journey with Programming Tut.
