Top 8 Ways to Teach Yourself to Code

Computer programming has been around for a while now, but it still makes people confused and afraid of giving it a try. However, the simple truth is that coding is everywhere around us, so you should definitely try to embrace it and learn the basics of programming.

It’s not only a matter of personal fulfillment but also a highly practical skill. After all, not too many businesses can rely on analog technologies only in the 21^st century. Everybody needs a few lines of code even for the simplest projects, so the most important benefits of becoming a programmer as these:

• Career opportunities: As a computer programmer, you can choose from a wide range of career options. You can be anything from software architect and coder to data engineer and security analyst. The list of positions in this field is almost endless. 
• A competitive salary: Professionals with coding skills can count on a highly competitive salary. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average computer programmer salary is more than $84 thousand a year, but it goes much higher for skilled and experienced professionals. And if you try really hard, you can certainly opt for a bigger paycheck.
• Career flexibility: Programmers don’t only have tons of job opportunities but they also get to enjoy career flexibility. What does it mean? Well, it means you can easily shift from one industry to another without spending months or years on adaptation. 

Now, the privileges of being a computer programmer are evident, but let’s go back to the beginning and see how you can become one. Keep reading to learn the top eight ways to teach yourself to code.

#1 Determine Your Goals

Before you start learning, you need to think about coding and your own dreams and hopes in this field. Why do you want to study programming? Are you in for a quick session of basic features or do you prefer becoming an expert? As soon as you answer these questions, it will be much easier to move on and find the learning rhythm. To put it simply, it will make things easier for you since you can figure out whether to take a two-week course or become a full-time computer programming student.

#2 Pick a Language to Study

A lot of beginner-level learners find it hard to believe there is no one most important programming language, but this is actually the truth. You need to choose from hundreds of different languages and be careful enough to select the one which perfectly aligns with your coding objectives.

Jake Gardner, a web developer at BestDissertation, said it was difficult to name the most useful programming language, but he helped us to narrow down the options:   

• Python: It is one of the commonly used languages that support a wide range of systems. 
• JavaScript: The platform is relatively simple and widespread. 
• R: It’s a perfect solution for developers who want to experiment and create new ideas. 
• C++: Another highly popular option, but it is not really an amateur-level programming language.

#3 Start from Scratch and Be Patient

The next advice is to take things seriously and start from scratch. When you choose a programming language, make sure to find enough learning sources that are both comprehensive and simple enough for beginners. Don’t miss a single lesson and don’t move on to the next chapter if you haven’t figured out the previous one – it will only make your job more difficult later on.

#4 Use Programming Apps for Children

When it comes to coding, most people are similar to children – they know nothing or almost nothing about it. This is exactly why you should not be embarrassed about playing coding games for kids. Such apps are designed for programming analphabets who are yet about to learn the fundamentals of coding in a targeted language. Of course, the Internet is full of interesting platforms and your only task is to find the right one. And when you do find it, you will realize that coding might not be so boring after all!

#5 Learn from Computer Programming Books

The whole world is going online these days, but it doesn’t change the fact that good old textbooks remain the best learning source even for fresh developers. It can be a traditional paper book, but you can also find hundreds of studying materials in PDF or other digital formats. 

GitHub is one of the most precious sources of coding books because it allows you to download over 500 items free of charge. You can find it all there – from popular languages like Python and JavaScript all the way to less familiar fields such as graphics and genetic programming.

#6 Join a Coding Course

The next step in this process is to join a full-time coding course with expert lecturers. It can be a practical course held in a traditional classroom environment or a modern version that comes in the digital format. In each case, your goal is to start learning from people who have enough coding experience. If you don’t know where to begin, we recommend you to try Coursera because it offers almost 100 coding-related courses. 

#7 Find a Mentor

When you learn a thing or two about coding, you can consider finding a mentor to introduce you to complex programming functions. You could probably figure them out on your own, too, but a real-life instructor would definitely simplify the learning process and make it much faster.

#8 Practice Makes Perfect

The last thing you have to do is to begin exercising and putting your newly-acquired knowledge and ideas into practice. You can do it quite simply since there are lots of free training platforms such as Code Academy. 

This website gathers millions of coding students from all over the world and they all want to learn through real-life projects. For instance, you can use the platform to develop a new website or launch your own game. Practice makes perfect, so do your best to train diligently and consistently.

Conclusion

Coding is a popular profession that gives young talents a lot of career possibilities. It’s hard to imagine a business that doesn’t need a whole team of computer programmers, so it’s easy to conclude that you should seize the opportunity to gain some coding skills and capitalize on it.

In this post, we explained to you the top eight ways to teach yourself to code. The process of self-learning is not simple, but you can go through it much quicker if you follow our suggestions. Make sure to remember the hacks described above and good luck!