Coding is in demand. It seems that every part of our communication is run by a few lines of code. That gives you a lot of power if you decide to learn some programming skills.
The best thing about learning coding basics is that you can apply them in a number of ways. You can use what you learn to get a new job, start a hobby, or improve your marketing skills. A job as a programmer pays on average more than $80,000 a year.
Learning to code isn’t easy if you’re starting from scratch. How can you master the basics of coding to become a master of the craft?
Keep reading to learn the top coding tips, so you can learn and grow into your new hobby or career.
- Map Your Learning Path
It’s a good idea to start learning to code by aligning the programming languages with your goals.
You need to be strategic about learning to code. You have to have a good reason why you want to learn to code. If you want to be able to customize your website yourself, you’ll need to learn JavaScript and PHP.
Aspiring coders that want to get a job should focus on programming languages that are in demand, like Ruby on Rails, Go, and C#.
You should also map out which programming language to learn first, then plan your next programming language. Is it possible to learn two programming languages at the same time? It is, but you may confuse the commands and syntax of the two.
Instead, you might be better served if you choose a simple programming language to learn the basics, then move on to a more complicated language.
- Basic Programming Terms
No matter what language you learn, there are basic terms that you should be familiar with.
The source code is the main file that contains the commands and text of the program you’re building.
A conditional is necessary to know if you want a function to run under certain conditions. For example, if a user performs a certain action, a specific command is executed.
Compilers take your source code and turn it into something that computers can work with. This is often used to test and debug your source code.
Data types are used to distinguish between certain forms of data. A person’s age or birthdate are good examples of data types.
- Rely on Text Editors
Text editors are your best friend. You’ll be able to see your code clearly and spot any issues with it.
One of the most popular text editors that developers use is Notepad ++. It has a source code editor, which makes writing and editing code easy.
You don’t want to write in a word processor because it adds a lot of code to your work. Plus, this is a lightweight program that doesn’t take up much room on your computer.
You can download notepad++ for Mac, and there’s a Windows version available.
- Algorithms Are Everything
Do you know how much of our daily lives run on algorithms? What shows up in your inbox, in search results, and on social media are based on algorithms.
In programming, an algorithm is a step-by-step process to perform a specific task. You want to learn these steps in your chosen language.
- Learn to Be a Manager
You may not want to be a programmer forever. In that case, you’ll want to plan your career. It’s common for software developers to become project managers, then step up to become a business analyst or an engineer.
You might decide that you want to move deeper into the business and become an enterprise architect and be in the line of succession for the CTO position.
If you want to grow your career, you have to know the main soft skills of programming. These are skills that you won’t learn in a book or a video tutorial.
You have to be a good communicator. You need to be able to explain your work to people who aren’t programmers. You should be able to talk about your work objectively and be able to communicate challenges without blaming others.
Approaching your work as a problem-solver is beneficial to your career. A programming job has a lot of challenges. You are under pressure to produce perfect code.
- Try, Fail, Try Again
You may think of it as a logical or analytical hobby, but there’s so much more to it than that. Mastering a programming language is really a creative pursuit.
Don’t be afraid to try something new and fail. That’s how you learn and become a better programmer.
- Always Look for Improvements
Not only do you have to approach programming like a problem-solver, but you have to learn to see potential problems before they arise.
This comes from constantly analyzing your code and seeing how you can make improvements. You have to remember that what you create is dynamic. It can change or break as technology evolves.
Think about how many times you have to update software apps. That’s because the user environments change and there are security vulnerabilities that need to be resolved.
Start Learning the Coding Basics
Learning to code isn’t that different from learning a spoken language. You have to have a plan of attack for learning coding basics.
Understand your reason why you want to learn to code. Then figure out what programming languages you want to learn first and how you’ll learn them. You’ll then have to stick to your study plan.
You’ll be ready to show off your new hobby or get a high paying job. Are you ready to learn a new skill? Head over to the Education section of this site.
