Blogs

6 Tips to Understand Coding Better

By James Mellor posted 10-15-2019 00:34

  

Teaching yourself to code may seem intimidating. Whether you’re a student, an adult wanting to transition into the tech industry, or someone wanting to understand how software works, all you need is a computer and internet access to start your coding journey. Here are some tips to help you start in the right way.

  1. Choose the right programming language

Your reason for wanting to learn how to code can determine which programming language to tackle and what sort of time and money commitment this will require. Some languages are more user-friendly than others. HTML and CSS are easy but they are only useful for the most basic purposes.

If you want to create an interactive website with databases or payment systems, you need to know PHP, JavaScript, SQL and Python. If you want to develop video games or develop mobile apps, you’ll have to learn other languages.

Languages such as C#, JavaScript or Python are used a lot and offer career flexibility. Here is an infographic that compares some popular programming languages. Once you’re familiar with one programming language, it becomes easier to learn another.

  1. Try out online courses

Thanks to the internet, you don’t have to enroll in a college program to learn coding fundamentals. You can learn a programming language online and the only issue is figuring out which course is worth your time and money.

The Odin Project is a free option with a collection of open-source content to help you. This option is a good one for you if you prefer to work through the material on your own.

You can complete assignments for Harvard’s CS50x Introduction to Computer Science for free via edX and earn yourself a certificate.

Subscription certification courses, such as Udacity offer you the opportunity to get help from a tutor instead of trying to work through your coding mistakes on your own.

You can even get online programming assignment help from professional certified programmers and developers.

  1. Learn computational thinking

Learning certain problem-solving skills and lingo can help because they are likely to pop up in whichever language you choose to learn. Understand concepts such as algorithms, abstractions and pattern recognition. The more understanding you have of the principles, the easier it becomes to learn programming languages.

  1. Try interactive tutorials and coding games

Read lines of code in a book or on a screen and they may be incomprehensible but seeing an example in action can help an abstract concept to make sense.

FreeCodeCamp breaks down coding concepts and pairs each one with an exercise you must solve before you move on to the next topic. Give Hour of Code games a try if you have some time to spare.

  1. Watch videos about coding

It may help you to watch someone else coding. On YouTube, you can see seasoned programmers showing you how to troubleshoot specific errors in various languages. It’s possible to find a video about nearly every topic related to coding.

  1. Practice with personal projects

No matter how many workshops you do or certificates you receive, the proof of your coding skills lies in your programming projects. You don’t have to begin with something too ambitious and it should involve skills you already have.

Start small but think big. Have a plan for what skills you need to learn next to turn some of your ideas into reality. One project to tackle could be to use your coding skills to build a setup for game night.

Unless you start planning and practicing, you will never be able to really understand coding and use your skills professionally.

0 comments
2 views

Permalink