How to Learn to Code: A Practical Guide For Beginners
“I think everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer, should learn a computer language, because it teaches you how to think. I view computer science as a liberal art. It should be something that everyone takes.”
-Steve jobs
Almost all devices that we use now rely on codes. Coding involves writing commands in a language that a computer can understand, which is the initial step in communication with a computer. Every line of code tells the computer to do something by providing instructions.
There are different types of programming languages, each used for different purposes. Creating a webpage requires a style language like CSS while querying a database requires a query language like SQL. Building an application requires a programming language like Javascript, Kotlin, Python.
Should you learn to code? Absolutely!
- Coding is a cool fun hobby and it’s for everyone 😃
- Coding is creativity. You’ll be able to turn an idea into an App!
- You develop problem-solving skills
- It guarantees you a good job/money 💰
- You can work from home
- Coders have a vibrant and friendly community
Coding is NOT a hard task!
If you take the time and have a lot of patience, you can really learn just about anything. While programming languages can be intimidating, they’re often easy to learn. Once you understand the fundamentals and learn with proper resources and strategy it’s easier to catch up.
If you’re sure about your decision to learn to code, let’s help you get started!
Which programming language should you choose first?
There are so many programming languages serving different purposes — some derived from previous languages, some used for app development, some for game development etc. The first task is to choose which language to learn first. While there is no single ‘best’ language to learn, some are easier and user friendly than others. If you know exactly what you want to get out of coding or why you need to learn to code, then it will be easier to choose which language to start with.
If you’re just learning for fun, pick any language you like! As this is a beginner’s guide, we’ll go through some of the most popular yet comparatively simpler options:
While HTML and CSS are considered to be the painless starting or entry point to programming, they are for creating web designs alone. But with only these two, we may not be able to build a responsive interactive website; we’ll also need javascript.
Javascript- Javascript is everywhere. It allows developers to add interactive elements to their website. Along with HTML and CSS, Javascript will help you create beautiful responsive websites.
C- It’s said that beginners can start learning programming with C. If you learn C, other languages are easy to grasp. But C is a very structured and procedure-oriented language making it a little harder.
C++, Java, Python, C# etc all are object-oriented programming languages that use Classes, objects, OOP concepts. The code length of C++ and Java are quite long compared with python. C++ and Java strictly follow the syntax norms but certain syntax forms are not compulsory in python. Python has simple easy-to-use syntax. This makes Python an excellent language to learn to program for beginners.
Still no idea on which language to start with? We’ll help you choose the right one!
Python is useful and powerful while also being readable and easy to learn. This makes it suitable for programmers of all backgrounds and is likely the reason Python is one of the most widely used programming languages. Python is a great start to the world of coding.
Why Python?
- Beginner friendly and easy to learn
- Popular in demand with a huge Career opportunity
- Libraries and frameworks
- Various communities
- Portable, Extensible and Flexible
- Multiple Use Cases
So, you’re ready to learn coding, but how do you get started?
- You complete an online course or read a book on the topic
- You understand the main ideas and concepts
- You solve the coding exercises of your book or you get a green test on your online tutorial ✅
Here are some websites to learn coding —
Reach out to others online / find a mentor
The tech community is engaging and is built off networking. You’re more likely to find people that are willing to help you here. Having a mentor who has been through similar experiences and can provide advice, guidance and encouragement is SO important when you’re trying to develop a career in tech. Learn, ask questions and listen to your peers or fellow developers.
Write down your goals
Learning how to code can be an intimidating journey so be sure you prepare yourself and think about what you want to do.
REMEMBER: You will get lost without concrete goals. There are tons of programming languages out there and it’s normal for you to feel lost. 😧
Ask yourself questions like:
- What do you want to achieve?
- How will you get there?
Set up your goals, write down the steps to get there as mini-goals. Whichever language you choose, there is no shortcut to master it. Learn the basics, learn it to the fullest and keep learning!
Finished an online course, now what?
- Recreate — Take what you have learned and build a similar project but customize it.
- Teach — Teach others what you have learned. Being able to explain what you have learned ensures that you yourself understand it. Create youtube tutorials or write a blog.
- Discuss — Join communities on Twitter, Discord and discuss what you have learned.
Joined TinkerHub Foundation Discord server? Head over to: join.tinkerhub.org
- Practice — You can consume all the information from books and google. But nothing will be effective unless you practice.
- Look for an internship — Your online course has given you all the textbook knowledge you need; now it’s time to gain hands-on experience.
Conclusion
Coding is worth learning no matter what background you are from. You never know you like it until you try it. Happy that you have taken this first step to start learning to code. Happy learning! Happy coding! 😃
This content was curated by Fathima Nihla Latheef and Ananya R from the TinkerHub Team! If you loved reading this post, show your appreciation by clapping below! Stay tuned to us for more reads on learning, building and collaborating.
We love to hear from you! Learn more about us on the website. Reach out to us via e-mail or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
