Where to Start Coding: The First Milestone Towards Success

Written by Sarvagya Jain

We are living in a digital world, where the role that technology plays in our daily lives is increasing day by day. If you think about it, technology is everywhere, like counting steps, controlling the light and mood of the house, online games, etc. Tech companies are continuously enhancing and optimizing their technology, and still, the area of development is vast.

Why Should YOU Learn to Code?

During the global pandemic, we witnessed how technology can run businesses, jobs, and can shift the whole paradigm. We adopted a new way of living, which we wouldn’t have imagined. Everyone widely accepted online education, remote doctor’s consultation, and online entertainment. Indisputably, one of the brightest career opportunities for the young generation is in the field of technology.

Coding is a key ingredient of technology with no age restriction and prerequisites. It helps communicate with machinery to perform tasks according to the users’ commands. There are many tools available that can help build logical thinking without writing a piece of code, which can be transitioned into a full-fledged code writing skill with time. Coding is not limited to technical skills, you’ll also begin understanding how many things revolve, and even evolve around you as you’re surrounded by technology. You’ll gain a new perspective on seeing things and an urge to try and figure out how objects function.

Where to Start Coding?

I recommend starting with Block-based programming, which avails in understanding the basic algorithmic structure and testing reasoning ability. Since block-based code is quite interactive and user-friendly, you will find it interesting and will gain confidence once you start developing programs. Eventually, you will get comfortable with the concept of how to instruct computers to perform actions, aka programming. I found Scratch and Code.org to be excellent block-based coding platforms.

Text-based programming is where you really start coding and syntax comes to play. This is where you can enter a limitless terrain without the constraint of the available features from the platform. The Python Package Index (PyPI) is a repository of software for the Python programming language. PyPI helps you find and install software developed and shared by the Python community. There will be multiple language options where you can choose at this stage like Python, Javascript, Java, C, etc. I will be covering this topic in further detail in my next article.

Enroll in courses to learn how to code, erudite courses like these can be found on Udemy. The benefits of learning with Udemy are: it has tons of affordable coding classes to choose from and lets you learn at your own pace. There are several courses for different programming languages. I recommend finding courses that teach the contents you want to learn and are focused on what you want to achieve. Here are the courses I’d recommend for different programming languages:

The Modern Javascript Bootcamp Course (2022) for JavaScript.

100 Days of Code: The Complete Python Pro Bootcamp for 2022 for Python

The Complete Java Development Bootcamp for Java

C Programming For Beginners — Master the C Language for C

These courses go through the fundamentals of coding and have projects to go alongside them. This technique of learning has proven to be beneficial for beginners, they will grasp concepts with the help and guidance of professionals. They take you through a step-by-step process using engaging video tutorials and teach you everything you need to be successful as a developer.

Bootcamps are another utilitarian option to learn coding, they are intensive programs that teach many coding skills, such as technical coding in a variety of languages. One such exceptional bootcamp is HyperionDev. Owning exceptional stats and success rates, this bootcamp takes it’s students from beginners to being job-ready. Every piece of code you write is reviewed by professionals who check and refine code for some of the biggest companies out there. Expert on-demand feedback will get you writing efficient, error-free code, and keep you from getting stuck.

Predominantly, converting our prior learnt knowledge into fully-fledged projects is of paramount importance. Until and unless we don’t have hands-on experience, veritable confidence will be inexistent. In addition to this, creating programs brings finesse to our reasoning skills and trigger novel ideas. Numerous project ideas which assess each programming concept are waiting to be made on Project Idea Generators.

Do’s and Dont’s

Before attempting challenges and making projects, make sure you have downright understood the concept it requires. It’s essential that you fully grasp each of the fundamentals before advancing, as everything you learn in computer science builds on topics that came before.

Ever heard the phrase ‘Patience is the key to success’? All those lectures about patience you got weren’t completely in vain. Patience is compulsory when it comes to coding. Programming is hard and sometimes you will face bugs or difficult problems, this requires patience to overcome and resolve. Bear in mind, that trying to solve problems then and there won’t bring you anything, take time, be determined, and you’re more likely to accomplish your goal.

Stuck on something? Search it up! Many websites such as Stack Overflow and W3Schools have communities that ask, share and answer doubts. They are public platforms building the definitive collection of coding questions & answers. From first-hand experience, this works very well. Engines such as these are there to be leveraged.

Don’t expect your code to function properly the first time your run it. It may be obligatory to make fixes and to make the code more efficient before you run it again. It may take time to debug your program and fix the error. But with practice will come perfection.

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About The Author

I’m a 14-year-old boy with a profound interest in computer science. My urge for coding started when I was 9, with a small group that taught me how to make simple programs on scratch.com. Since then, I’ve coded regularly with a few breaks in between. In the last 4 years, I’ve traveled miles: I’ve developed many high-level games and programs. This is going to be my first article on coding, which I hope will inspire many kids like myself to pick up the key to success.