Beginners Guide to Programming

Learning to code is incredibly useful in today's information age. So much of our world is digital nowadays that even if you aren't interested in a tech career, it can still be beneficial to have even a beginner's grasp of programming. This understanding will inform your views and give you a baseline knowledge to understand things like generative AI or the blockchain, often discussed in the media.

Understand Why You Want to Learn Programming

Before diving into the programming world, it's crucial to identify your motivation. Whether it's for career advancement, personal projects, or simply out of curiosity, knowing why will help keep you motivated. Another common motivation people have is to make money. Some folks think this won't be a good motivator, but as long as it gives you the drive, it doesn't matter.

Choose the Right Programming Language

Many programming languages exist; some are designed for specific purposes, while others are general-purpose. For beginners, languages like Python are often recommended for simplicity and readability. However, your choice should also reflect your end goals:

• Web development: Consider starting with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Mobile app development: Swift (for iOS), Kotlin (for Android), or even something like Flutter (able to build on both iOS and Android).
• Data science: Python is the gold standard in this world.
• Game Development: Unity and Godot are two common choices.

Find High-Quality Learning Resources

There is an abundance of learning resources available online, from free tutorials to paid courses. Here are a few that we recommend:

• codesupport.dev/resources
• freecodecamp.org
• roadmap.sh
  • Please avoid the AI-generated roadmaps. I've tested and am not impressed, but the official roadmaps are well-written!
• codecademy.com

Documentation is extremely valuable once you start diving deeper into a language.

Build Projects

Applying what you've learned in real-world projects is invaluable. Not only does it reinforce your knowledge, but it also gives you something tangible to show for your efforts. Start with simple projects (FreeCodeCamp has some you can do!) and gradually take on more challenging ones. Your projects can also serve as a portfolio if you're looking to pursue a career in programming.

Contributing to open-source projects can be an excellent way to learn if you're trying to bridge the gap from doing simple projects to working on larger projects. If you're interested in doing so but don't know where to start, we have a few projects. Feel free to check them out!

Keep Learning

The tech field constantly evolves, and there's always something new to learn. Stay curious and keep exploring new languages, tools, and technologies. Attending workshops, conferences, and webinars can also help you stay updated.