Introduction
Hey! First of all, congratulations on making a professional move that is pretty awesome. I'm confident, your programming skills will undoubtedly serve you well for a very long time. But are you one of those individuals who are passionate about programming but have no idea where to begin🤨 ?
You've come to the right destination, so don't worry 😃. I'll be addressing all of your queries in this blog, including how to begin. Which resources should you use? How can you write programs with the correct mindset? And what else?
Here is the complete answer to everything. But before that, you might be wondering who's Shivank.
Currently, I am a Computer Science & Engineering student who ❤️ to write code 🧑💻 and drink coffee ☕️ . I've written a research paper and have hands-on experience in Web Development. I've also worked with languages like Python, C, etc, and I have a keen interest in contributing to Open-Source. In conclusion, you can think of me as a reliable individual.
Why Do You Need A Guide To Start?
While writing this blog I questioned the need for a starter guide. The simple reason is that one gets a comprehensive solution to all the problems. Because after you learn a decent level of coding you are able to figure out where your interest lies 🧐. Is it app development, the nascent Web 3 technologies, etc., that excites me, or something else 🤔?
Another reason, in my opinion, is the clutter that numerous content creators and YouTubers have produced in an effort to market their courses. On YouTube, there are hundreds of roadmap videos created by individuals who haven't even coded once. (I brought up YouTube because it's where most people go.)
Overview
Talk to as many programmers and developers as you can before beginning any programming language because it's crucial to understand what we're even stepping into. You can even refer to some YouTube videos about various languages. You can use all of this information to determine which programming languages are popular at the moment.
For instance, Python is used to learn AI and machine learning, R is used to learn data science, Java can be used to develop Android apps, Javascript can be used to develop websites, and the list is endless.
Phewww...😰
Not to worry! I know that hearing names like that can be somewhat baffling at first, but as you go along, you'll become accustomed to them. You can begin by learning whatever language you like; don't worry too much about the future; Switching between languages is not difficult; what matters most is to START and build your logical and analytical skills in one language. You can even google some easy-to-go questions like:
What is the language's potential future use?
What can I accomplish with this language once I've learned it? Can I or cannot enter development?
Is this programming language still used by many people or not, as some languages are quite outdated?
There are some roadmaps available on the internet, for each language, which will explain to you how you can start and advance in a programming language.
How To Get A Good Video On YouTube Which Will Help You To Grow More?!
This is the most vital question because thousands of students are falling into the traps of Ed-Tech startups who are selling their courses in the name of GUARANTEED PLACEMENT COURSES. So, what to do?
Whenever you encounter a video/roadmap of any creator. First of all, go to his/her YouTube profile and check how many subscribers they have, and read the comment section to know what are people's views about that creator. If the comment section is disabled you're smart enough to know what to do 😉.
Following that, find out how many videos that person has uploaded and how consistent they are. This is a great way to check the legitimacy of any creator 😎.
You can also ask some of your fellow mates or programmers about what are their views on that particular creator.
Another really important method that I use a lot is to go on Linkedin and search for that person's profile. In which company has he or she worked/working? How many opportunities—including internships—has that person landed? What kind of expertise does he/she possess? What are the various Projects he/she has worked on? Do others endorse him or her? How many connections do they have? Seeing the number of connections helps us to know whether that person has a strong network or not.
These are some basic questions using which you can filter out which creators you should follow and which not.
Mental Barrier
Coming up to another point. Can you learn to code if you aren't from a Computer Science background?
YEAH, without a doubt!
It literally doesn't matter if you are from any other engineering branch or even from liberal studies. You might find learning programming challenging at first, but I assure you that it is not impossible 🤩 .
I know some really amazing people from non-tech backgrounds who are crushing it in the industry.
So don't even listen to the nonsense of people who say non-tech students can't learn to code.
Is Note-Taking Worth It?
The importance of taking notes while you are learning to program cannot be emphasized, in my opinion. Writing every point, initially, can take your programming skills to the next level. The simple explanation is that we tend to forget a few things after watching a tutorial, which is where taking notes comes in. The notes you've taken can be revised.
Additionally, it gives you a confidence boost in some way.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, AND PRACTICE!!!
You've heard this quote many times, right? Maybe from your math teacher or someone else. Surprisingly, this is true.
The more you practice programming, the more proficient you get at it. Quite simple. Practicing various levels of questions gives you exposure to some practical stuff and broadens your mind. And trust me it's really fun. For practicing questions you can visit some websites like:
Initially, you can try some easy-level problems and then jump on to medium ones and then hard ones. But just be consistent 👍 . Keep a daily target of a few problems, let's say 5, as this would give you more confidence and you won't lose touch with programming.
To wrap up I'd say that when you decide to start your programming journey you've already invited a lot of bugs and issues in your life. But believe me, the satisfaction you get after developing a project or fixing an error is the best feeling one can experience.
So, just go with the flow and don't stress too much...
I hope that you must have found this article quite helpful. If yes, then do give a read to some of my other articles!
Who knows you might become a great programmer 🤔!