Taking Up Programming as a Beginner

Brian Bosire
Nov 1 · 3 min read

“Programming is the art of designing algorithms and the craft of debugging errant code.” ~ Ellen Ullman


A Bit of Programming Philosophy

If I could compare being a programmer to a profession from previous civilizations, I would say programmers are the scribes of the information age. Scribes in the past would take ideas and spoken information and write it down on clay tablets, papyrus and eventually paper. These texts could then be read by other scribes who understood the written language. The texts could also be transported great distances to pass messages between people and cities.

Thus drawing comparisons to scribes, programmers take problems they come across, devise their own steps to solving the problem (the algorithm) and write it down in various coding languages that computers can interpret thereby producing programs. These programs can then be used by other people to solve the original problem. The user may not understand the algorithm used to solve the problem but they can trust that the program was built properly by the programmer hence they can accept the solution presented to them.

So from this comparison, my own understanding of programming is that as a programmer our job is to document solutions for information specific problems.

Additionally it is our responsibility as programmers to ensure that the solutions we develop are as free from errors as humanly possible such that the users of our programs can trust our work, our craft.

Where do I start?

So you want to be a programmer. you’ve seen the success that various tech companies have achieved and you want to be a part of it. Good! Being a programmer may be a strenuous calling but the euphoria that comes from writing code that works and provides values to the user is wonderful. Let me guide you on where to start.

As with all other crafts, to be a good programmer you need to start with mastering the fundamentals. I highly suggest you start by taking the CS50’s Introduction to Computer Science (https://www.edx.org/course/cs50s-introduction-computer-science-harvardx-cs50x) by Harvard University. This is a free online course that will introduce you to the various core concepts of programming: data structures, resource management, software engineering but to name a few.

After completing the CS50 course, there are other courses (online and available locally in Kenya) that will help you narrow down which field you may want to work in: web development, mobile development etc. For starters Moringa School (https://moringaschool.com) has courses on Data Science and Software Development that will give you a head start in building the skills required for your desired field.

Once you have some courses and a couple of years of experience under your belt, there are numerous tid-bits of information on programming that cover more advanced concepts. One that I suggest you get familiar with are talks by Sandi Metz (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFQBiiaZoyrcTBYAGAUjvEUI6TUrp110W): Sandi metz is an experienced programmer that specialises in Object-Oriented programming (OOP). The various talks she has given go in-depth on principles that will help you write better code.

Parting Shot

I hope my brief insights into picking up programming will help you get started on the right foot. I wish you the best in your budding programming career. Hopefully we may meet in future as fellow senior software engineers.

Nobilis Insights

We partner with people who want to use software to make an impact. We work with them to materialise their ideas into digital products and platforms.

    Brian Bosire

    Written by

    Nobilis Insights

    We partner with people who want to use software to make an impact. We work with them to materialise their ideas into digital products and platforms.

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