Spend much time in beginner programming forums and you’ll see many of the same questions again and again from people trying to break into coding. For some of us who just sort of gravitated to the field, it’s a reminder that it doesn’t come as easily for everyone. Sometimes, I feel the urge to send them to Google for all the information that’s available now but, having taught programming, I know that people often need more guidance than that. So, in this post, I want to offer some of my own answers for these common questions.
I’ll start off by admitting to a bias in my approach; I’m mostly self-taught and have been since I got access to an unused Tandy TRS-80 computer in high school and started paging through the BASIC programming manual. My training has been a mix of hobbyist enthusiasm and on-the-job (sometimes anxious) necessity. This is not always the fastest way to learn but I tend to believe that it’s the most effective.
This means that I don’t have any magic programmer pills for you. I’m not here to tell you about the one course or video series that will get you a senior position this year although I will offer a few suggested resources that might come in handy.
How do I start programming?
Start by asking why you want to become a programmer. Do you love computer technology and want to get deeper into it? Do you have something specific you want to create like a game or a program to make your work easier? Maybe, like me, it just naturally appealed to you after you saw someone else being able to turn code into something interesting. Maybe you discovered your love for it through a required college class or stumbled into it on the job. Those are all good reasons but you should know why because it’s not something you achieve overnight and your reasons for doing it will affect your path.
without going through the trials of manuscript submissions, editorial reviews and multiple rejections … but here we are.