More and more people are becoming interested in coding. This activity is a creativity booster and can be a good option when you are looking for a career change. Besides, you can start at any age, because it gives you the possibility to create and let other people enjoy your creation.
Most people who want to be programmers think that coding is difficult and requires sophisticated calculations. In fact, the situation is quite the opposite. If you follow some simple steps, you will see that programming is not complicated; even kids can do it.
If you are just starting your coding journey, you should know some tips that will help you get on the right track soon. We will mention them now.
- Make sure that you are starting with a beginner-friendly language.
Once you have learned how a programming language works, it’s easy to catch up with the others as well. First of all, think about your purpose, because coding languages can be used in different ways.
For example, if you intend to create an iOS app, start learning Swift. In general, first-time programmers start with C and escalate towards Phyton.
- Motivation is very important
If you decided that you want to learn programming, the first thing you should do is figure out which is the direction you want to follow. A career change requires a deeper understanding and advanced studies. In this case, it would be a good idea to sign up for some college courses.
Let’s not forget about the fun part of coding! You could start this activity for fun or making some profit in your free time. Yes, everybody can create games or websites with the help of interactive tutorials. You will make the right choice if you consider the costs, time and effectiveness of your training.
- A children’s coding app is great for learning when you are making your first steps on the programming path
Like we mentioned before, coding is not brain surgery. Even kids can do it, so experts created programming apps especially for them. These tools are easy to use and simplistic, but some of them, like Scratch, can be used by both children and adults. You can use them to learn the basics of coding.
- Sites that offer free online training are useful resources as well
Nowadays, the Internet is a useful resource in any situation. This means that here you can find many websites that will help you learn programming from scratch. Codeacademy or The Hour of Code are among the most popular virtual guides for first-time coders. With their support, you can write your first computer program and the guidance is all free.
- Next to free apps and tools, you can get useful information from free coding books
- Like we mentioned before, a coding course will help you gain more knowledge and develop your practical skills in this area. If you feel that you need more time to learn and more practice, you could start completing your education. You will find good and free options by scrolling through Universities’ offers.
- A mentor will help you understand practical aspects better
- Coding games are good practice for beginning programmers
- You could start your practice by hacking someone else’s code. Your mentor can tell you more about this.
- Whichever method you will choose, start with small steps and be patient.
As you know, nobody was born knowing everything. The most important thing when it comes to coding (and by this mean both the learning and the doing part), you have to be patient and unleash your creativity. You will become an expert in no time!
Henry Lares is still early into his career as tech reporter but has already had his work published in many major publications including Tech Crunch and the Huffington Post. In regards to academics, Henry earned an engineering degree from Apex Technical School. Henry has a passion for emerging technology and covers upcoming products and breakthroughs in science and tech.