I dedicated a lot of time this year to coding lessons! Here’s a bit of what I’ve learned along the way.
In a desire to change my career, I put a lot of time into learning more about programming in 2021. Thankfully, my hard work paid off and I got a new job! Today’s “Blogmas” talks about my coding lessons, but it pairs with a second entry about changing careers! In part 1, here’s what I can say about learning how to code, as a beginner looking to get better.
CODING LESSONS: 3 LESSONS TO TAKE ALONG THE JOURNEY
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There’s always a quicker way to do things.
I’m willing to bet that every update and every new coding language came from a realization of “this takes too long. It can be easier.” That same concept works with both the conception of ideas and the learning of a new coding skill. When writing code, a simple function can be written probably some five different ways! When you’re starting out, the method you use will probably take multiple lines of elaborate code. However, the more you learn, the more simplified the basic methods will get!
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Practice, practice, practice.
Like any skill, be it a sport or strumming a guitar, practice makes perfect practice! I recommend working on sample questions, no matter how rudimentary they seem! If you feel like a six year old spelling the word “cat,” you’re doing something right! From there, move on to a personal project. “To-Do Lists” are a great way to practice Javascript, and a number generator (like a dice roll) can be a good way to practice Python. After a sample project or two, return to those sample questions! If you can solve them faster, or you know new ways to solve them quicker, you’re ready to take your coding lessons to the next level!
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You won’t know everything. That’s okay.
Firstly, no one knows EVERY coding language. Secondly, no one knows every coding language, and machine learning. Lastly, no one knows every coding language, and machine learning, and cloud computing. Do you see where I’m going with this? Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Wozniak, and Bill Gates are all billionaire programming geniuses. However, they don’t know EVERYTHING. As a result, you shouldn’t feel like you need to know everything, either. The tech world is vast and varied! Start with the basics of HTML/CSS. For a lot of people, that can be all you need! From there, level up to basic Javascript. That will likely elevate you to a decent front-end developer role! Adding one or two more languages will put you far ahead of the pack. Combine that with proof by way of fun, personal projects, and you’re as good as hired!
In conclusion, my coding lessons taught me a lot about programming languages, but also about coding as a whole. It’s a whole industry, with relatively easy access. To anyone willing to learn and work hard, coding proves a great way to sharpen creativity and problem-solving skills. How’s that for transferable skills?