by FuZyOn » 04 Dec 2016, 10:11
Starting out as a newbie coder I was very confused, took programming classes in high school but the pinaccle of those were learning a couple of algorithms and loops. The lessons were going slow, so I took it upon myself to learn how to code on my own. After some developer courses and professional experience, I would like to share with you what are the best things I've learned so far:
1.
Don't stop - I know that's hard, when you get stuck it's so much easier to just quit instead of trying to find the solution. Pushing forward even when you don't feel like you're making progress is important in your growth process, that's how you're going to break those "walls" down. If you're not challenging yourself everyday it means you're not trying hard enough, so always make sure to find something hard enough to do consistently.
2.
Let your subconcious do the thinking - after you'll code for a while you'll realize that your subconcious mind does a lot of background work. I've stepped away from some confusing algorithms many of times, coming back only to realize I know how to solve it finally. You know that saying "sleep on a problem"? It can be taken literally when it comes to programming, so always make sure you always leave what you're doing on a challenging problem to find the solution the next day.
3.
Comment, comment and comment - always add comments to your code, no matter how insignificant you think it might be. You'll need to come back to it sooner or later and comments will help you understand what you were trying to do. When you add them remember to not only describe what that piece of code does but also why you inserted it.
4.
Don't run in blindly - before you attempt to create a project start by "sketching out some ideas", don't just open up your code editor and think it'll come to you naturally. Going in with a clear-cut idea of what you're trying to accomplish will go a long way in helping you code much more productively rather than eating up half of that time to come up with things to do. I struggled with this a lot at the beginning but I got the hang of it after a while.
5.
Structure - one of my biggest pet peeves when I read other people's code is their lack of organization, they simply throw functions and scopes around without thinking of a structure. Organizing your code into well-written and tidied up chunks can improve readability a ton. Use descriptive names for your variables and functions, arrange them in a way it makes sense when you "scan through" and don't over-complicate things. If you can't understand what you've written then no one will.
Programming can be a fun and intriguing profession, but it also requires a lot of work to get to a level where you can be competent in a real-life job. Start off slow, be consistent and you'll start understanding how code works without even realizing. It's a really fun career if you want to get into it, and I've posted many other articles regarding it here on ForumCoin if you want to learn more.
[center][img]http://blog.edx.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Programming-Skills.jpg[/img][/center]Starting out as a newbie coder I was very confused, took programming classes in high school but the pinaccle of those were learning a couple of algorithms and loops. The lessons were going slow, so I took it upon myself to learn how to code on my own. After some developer courses and professional experience, I would like to share with you what are the best things I've learned so far:
1. [b]Don't stop[/b] - I know that's hard, when you get stuck it's so much easier to just quit instead of trying to find the solution. Pushing forward even when you don't feel like you're making progress is important in your growth process, that's how you're going to break those "walls" down. If you're not challenging yourself everyday it means you're not trying hard enough, so always make sure to find something hard enough to do consistently.
2. [b]Let your subconcious do the thinking[/b] - after you'll code for a while you'll realize that your subconcious mind does a lot of background work. I've stepped away from some confusing algorithms many of times, coming back only to realize I know how to solve it finally. You know that saying "sleep on a problem"? It can be taken literally when it comes to programming, so always make sure you always leave what you're doing on a challenging problem to find the solution the next day.
3. [b]Comment, comment and comment[/b] - always add comments to your code, no matter how insignificant you think it might be. You'll need to come back to it sooner or later and comments will help you understand what you were trying to do. When you add them remember to not only describe what that piece of code does but also why you inserted it.
4. [b]Don't run in blindly[/b] - before you attempt to create a project start by "sketching out some ideas", don't just open up your code editor and think it'll come to you naturally. Going in with a clear-cut idea of what you're trying to accomplish will go a long way in helping you code much more productively rather than eating up half of that time to come up with things to do. I struggled with this a lot at the beginning but I got the hang of it after a while.
5. [b]Structure[/b] - one of my biggest pet peeves when I read other people's code is their lack of organization, they simply throw functions and scopes around without thinking of a structure. Organizing your code into well-written and tidied up chunks can improve readability a ton. Use descriptive names for your variables and functions, arrange them in a way it makes sense when you "scan through" and don't over-complicate things. If you can't understand what you've written then no one will.
[center][img]http://www.hccs.edu/media/06132016_Computer_Programming_banner.jpg[/img][/center]
Programming can be a fun and intriguing profession, but it also requires a lot of work to get to a level where you can be competent in a real-life job. Start off slow, be consistent and you'll start understanding how code works without even realizing. It's a really fun career if you want to get into it, and I've posted many other articles regarding it here on ForumCoin if you want to learn more.
