4 Tips I Wish I Had Followed When Starting Programming
Navigating the Early Programming Journey with Hindsight and Insight
Programming is a skill that everyone should acquire. No matter your academic background, if you know how to code, you can create something valuable and profitable.
Keeping this in mind, I embarked on my coding journey. The whole ride was bumpy and shaky, solely because of the terrible habits I developed on my programming trek.
There are 4 things that I wish I had grasped from the outset of my programming journey.
- Picking the Right Programming Language
When starting programming, you have to choose a programming language in which you can build stuff. I think you must start with a language that is easy and versatile. Considering the scope of a language is also important, but the motive to learn programming should be genuine interest, not just scope.
- Avoiding the Video Tutorial Hell
Everyone has to follow a resource to get started. I get it, but there is a very thin line between practicing how to code, getting stuck in watching tutorials and never practicing. While watching a video, things always seem very simple and easy. You might think merely watching videos is enough to learn to code but true learning happens when you sit down, write that code and run it on a compiler. Seeing the output in the console is both exciting and motivating.
3. Neglecting Project Building
Now that you have made it out of the tutorial blackhole and you might think that you are a professional programmer but things are just starting for you. Knowing all the loops, conditional statements, and built-in functions is good but not enough. The next step is to build projects. You can find numerous exceptional projects on youtube. Watch the tutorials and follow along by writing the whole code by yourself. Once you feel comfortable with all the concepts, then start working on your own project. Remember never to be afraid to ask for help.
4. Being Consistent
Staying consistent and disciplined is a struggle for everyone. When it comes to programming you must build a strong habit of practicing writing code daily. Yes, it can be challenging but dedicating 30 minutes to practice on a busy day is sufficient. To enhance your skills you can start practicing problem-solving questions on websites like LeetCode, HackerRank, GeeksforGeeks, and more.
In conclusion, I want to emphasize that every skill takes time and patience. A common thread among all challenges is that, in the end, upon reflection, you invariably realize that the effort and hours invested in learning a skill were undeniably worthwhile.
So, don’t get dishearted and embrace the challenges that you may encounter throughout your journey in programming. Try your best and learn from your mistakes. Happy programming!
Thanks for reading this article. For more tech articles follow me on Medium.
