Are you an ambitious problem-solver looking to build a career in programming and software development? Well, don’t be daunted by the immense scope and depth of the field because we’ve got some great tips to help you on your journey.
Learning programming skills introduces you to a whole new world of lucrative and promising career opportunities. You get a chance to pursue a rewarding career in top-notch companies and even offer your services as a freelance developer. In fact, programming is considered essential for many of the high-paying jobs in the international market. It is one of the most satisfying fields for people who love creative freedom and have a knack for solving complex problems.
However, becoming a software developer requires expertise in programming languages, and it takes years for a beginner to master the art of programming. If you’ve just entered the world of computer programming, a step-by-step approach to learning can help you master these skills faster. To make things easier, we’ve compiled a list of useful tips to learn how to program and eventually become a coding guru. Let’s begin!
1. Know Your Programming Goals
Software development is a vast field. You may choose to become a web developer or gain expertise in developing smartphone apps, games,APIs, cloud-based apps, and operating systems.Whichever field you choose, you’ll require a high level of proficiency in a certain programming language or set of languages. Instead of trying to learn all the programming languages at once, focus on developing skills in languages related to your field of interest.
For example, a cybersecurity specialist often requires extensive expertise in programming languages like Python, Ruby, and C++ to identify trapdoors in critical applications or perform penetration testing and ethical hacking to detect security flaws in a system.For this purpose, degrees like an MS in cyber security usually focus on developing proficiency in programming languages that are only related to that field. Cyber security specialists may also require hands-on experience in writing SQL queries for database pen testing and bash or shell scripts to conduct various types of assessments and low-level exploits.
If you want to learn these programming languages from the basics and gain real-world programming expertise,the best way to do that is to enroll in a degree program. Thanks to remote learning management systems, you can now enroll in online degree programs that allow you to get a quality education at your doorstep.
2. Learn Core Programming Principles
Core programming principles are universal; they apply to almost all programming languages! Even if you’re programming in complex languages like assembly, where you’re dealing directly with registers and bit-by-bit data for firmware programming, the basic concepts of creating code structures, designing functions, and manipulating data remain the same. Understanding these core programming principles will help you learn new programming languages faster. These core principles include the following:
• Understanding data structures, data types, and their use
• Conditional programming using if-then-else structures
• Concept of loops, both incremental and conditional
• Understanding functions and procedures and how they differ from each other
• Understanding classes, objects, and global/local variables
Once you master these core programming concepts, you’ll be able to write code faster and with fewer errors. The syntax and code structures may vary in different programming languages, but the main idea and purpose of these programming concepts remain the same for each language.
3. Start by Writing Algorithms
Whenever you seek a systematic solution to a problem, you start by brainstorming a complete blueprint of the solution. In programming terminology, we call it algorithm design. Algorithms are solutions to computational problems. Creating an algorithm requires a clear understanding of the problem’s requirements, followed by a step-wise approach that tackles the issue in segments.
What makes the practice of writing down algorithms particularly beneficial is the ease with which you can transform these instructions into executable programs using any programming language. The only change you will need is to convert the simple statements written in the algorithms into the specific syntax of the chosen programming languages.
Start by writing algorithms for simple problems like adding two integers, creating tables of numbers, temperature conversion, currency conversion, and finding prime numbers. Once you’re fluent in creating algorithms, use your knowledge of core programming principles to write even more complex algorithms for specific problems.
4. Familiarize Yourself with the Programming Language Environment
Now that you’ve learned the core programming principles and practiced developing algorithms, it’s time to choose your programming language and start using the platform.
Remember, writing a piece of code isn’t enough;you need to know how to run, debug, interpret your code, import libraries, and create executable files. Once you’ve installed the programming language or opened the online code editor (for Python and Ruby), you should first familiarize yourself with the application development environment. Go through tutorials to learn about the programming language’s environment and explore menu options and window panes. These tutorials will help you understand each menu option and discover shortcuts. When you’re familiar with the programming platform, you can easily start coding without a glitch.
5. Do Hands-on Exercises Instantly After Learning a New Concept
Whether you’re following a book, taking an online course, or simply going through online video tutorials, it’s essential to have hands-on experience with any new programming concept right after you learn it.
After each online class or video tutorial, make sure to apply the new concept to at least two to three different programs. This will help you learn the programming concept through practical application and have a deeper level of understanding that is less likely to be forgotten. Moreover, once you work on various exercises related to the new concept, you are better able to identify bugs and errors.
6. Start Building Small Apps
Real-world projects are an excellent way to practice your programming skills and understand the application of coding concepts. Work on your own projects and develop small, single-functionality apps to polish your software development skills. Create executables and perform rigorous software testing to identify any loopholes in the programming. This will further help you master your debugging skills.
You can take inspiration from the internet for your project or work on your own innovative idea. That could be anything fromutility software to an anti-virus system, a game, or a website. You can later use these projects to create a complete portfolio and showcase your programming skills to apotential employer.
7. Take Help From Online Resources
Remote learning and online resources like bootcamps, free code libraries, and YouTube videos have made learning a whole lot easier. You can find a plethora of free-to-access online resources over the internet in the form of written code, discussions, and videos that are extremely useful while learning how to code. Using these resources, you can get instant answers to any of your queries.
Whether you feel stuck trying to find a solution or need help debugging a code snippet, you can find a variety of solutions for a single problem through online discussion forums, groups, and tutorials in a matter of minutes. Even if one solution doesn’t help, you can always discover another one elsewhere.
Wrapping Up
Knowledge and hands-on experience are the two prerequisites to becoming an exceptional programmer. Remember that every challenge you encounter during the learning process is an opportunity to improve and grow. Through loads of practice and genuine passion, you can not only learn how to program efficiently but also excel in the world of software development.
