Current trends show that more and more people are becoming interested in learning one type of programming language or another. Newbies will usually tinker around for a bit, exploring various programming languages, and opt for the one that suits them best. Many people attend boot camps while others teach themselves with the aid of online and offline resources. This article reveals the best ways you can teach yourself programming. 

Top Reasons to Learn Programming 

Many benefits come with learning how to code. Companies across several industries utilize Information Technology, and coding dominates a huge chunk of this space. The demand for programmers is at an all-time high, so tapping into this demand can be a lucrative career move. 

Some top reasons to learn programming include the following: 

Software Development Job Opportunities 

If you are interested in a software development job, it is essential to have coding experience as coding is a fundamental skill for software development. Since there is a global shortage of software developers, this skill will help you fill that gap. 

Boosts Your Resume 

Learning programming can make your resume stand out and take you a step closer to landing your dream job.  

Broadens Your Tech Knowledge 

Knowledge of programming opens you up to learning other IT-related skills more easily. This is quite beneficial as the IT department is a critical element of any organization. 

Freelancing  

With the rise of the “gig economy” and remote work, many people are turning to freelancing. Due to its cost-effectiveness, businesses are outsourcing jobs to freelancers more frequently. As a software programmer, you can benefit from freelancing opportunities and charge market rates. 

Improves Interpersonal Skills  

Larger projects depend strongly on collaboration between employees, meaning that you will be part of a team. Interacting with other programmers, designers, project managers, etc., will improve your communication and interpersonal skills. 

Problem-Solving Skills 

Developing programming skills can help hone your problem-solving skills. Knowing that you can solve problems and learn new things as you go can empower you as a programmer. 

Self-Taught vs Other Options 

You might be wondering if teaching yourself how to code is the best option. Making this decision largely depends on the kind of your person you are. For example, when you get a new appliance and you need to set it up, do you go through the user manual, do you try to figure it out without the manual, or do seek the help of a professional?  

Reading the manual shows that you are interested in knowing the theory behind how things work, trying to set it up without a manual may imply that you are more inclined to be self-taught while seeking the help of a professional implies that being self-taught may not be your best option.  

Some advantages and disadvantages of being self-taught are: 

Advantages 

• Low to zero cost of learning (low barrier to entry) 
• Self-paced learning 
• You can combine learning with other engagements, and 
• You can dedicate more time to learning those concepts that interest you most 

Disadvantages 

• No particular learning structure 
• You can lose focus and motivation 
• You may end up feeling isolated socially, and  
• The possibility of omitting to learn some important concepts  

Choosing a Niche 

It is essential to have an area of specialization or focus when starting your self-education journey.  This will help you to avoid being overwhelmed by the many programming options.  

To begin, you can get a general overview of programming, after which you can answer salient questions on what you hope to achieve with the skill, whether you want to be a freelancer or an employee of a start-up or big tech company, what technologies you hope to develop or whether you want to be a web developer, mobile app developer or a data scientist. Getting pragmatic answers to those questions will allow you to make an informed decision on where to start. 

Getting Started 

To start your journey in programming, you must first learn the syntax of your preferred programming language. Some of the top programming languages that you might be interested in include JavaScript, Swift, Scala, Go, Python, Elm, Ruby, C#, and Rust. You can learn them with online tutorials and MOOCs like Udacity, Coursera, edX, Khan Academy, Udemy, Codecademy, and YouTube. While utilizing these resources, consider the following tips for a problem-free learning experience.  

Starting Small 

Get right into it. Start writing lines of code almost as soon as you learn. It is a better learning strategy than simply accumulating knowledge. In addition, trying to compile and debug code will give you a better hands-on experience. However, you must start small so as not to get overwhelmed. Instead of diving right into implementing big data structures or algorithms, you can first master the easier concepts. For example, if you are learning JavaScript, you can start with simple JS Variables exercises or Python exercises. After mastering the basic concepts in your chosen programming language, you can then advance to more complicated exercises best suited to your level of experience. 

Read books 

Reading books is not one of the most common ways to learn how to code. However, its importance remains timeless. If you are willing to put in the effort, it can help you learn most programming languages. It is strongly recommended to make it a habit to read books regularly, as they can also serve as a future reference. Below are some books on programming you may want to check out: 

• Eric Matthes‘ Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming 
• Code Quickly‘s Learn JavaScript Quickly (Crash Course With Hands-On Project) 
• The Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt, and 
• Donald Knuth’s The Art of Computer Programming  

Celebrate Wins 

Celebrating accomplishments like successfully compiling and debugging your code, finishing a particular online course, or a book on programming can be a tremendous source of motivation to achieve more in your career. It also plays a crucial role in re-energizing your commitment as a self-taught coder. These benefits emphasize the need for recognizing and celebrating these victories. 

Practice with Other Programmers’ Projects 

Watching tutorials is a great way to learn coding. However, without hands-on experience, you may find it difficult to build the confidence you need. As a web developer, you can replicate other developers’ websites. Doing this can solidify your web development knowledge. You may also change some of the website’s elements or upgrade the cloned website to a better version entirely. A great place to start is GitHub, a repository with invaluable resources for programmers. The website gives new programmers access to projects completed and published by more experienced programmers. It also allows you to collaborate with other programmers on a project of interest. Other GitHub alternatives include GitLab, BitBucket, Kiln, Codeplane, and Amazon Web Services.

Upload Your Projects to Online Forums 

In addition to gaining access to source code, GitHub and its alternatives are great places to share your projects. You might feel insecure about sharing your amateur work with more experienced programmers; however, it is highly recommended to share. Doing this creates room for both positive and constructive feedback which are necessary to make you a better programmer. You can also get a more experienced programmer to run a code review on an uploaded project, which can be intimidating. However, a reviewer can point you to logical errors in the code, ascertain whether your code achieves its objective, and suggest more efficient and effective ways of writing your code.

Write a Lot of Code 

Writing a lot of code by working on many projects is one way you can hone your programming skills. Initial projects may not be perfect, unique or make you money, however, work on them anyway. You can subsequently revisit them to make them better as your level of experience increases. It is widely accepted that quantity beats quality, but this only applies to newbies. As you become more experienced, you will naturally create better projects. A few key reasons to code often include the following: 

• Practice always trumps theory. You may know a lot about programming concepts and theories, but they are useless if you don’t put them into practice. 
• Give yourself room for mistakes and learn from them quickly, and 
• You improve when you are mentally committed to consistently coding. 

Dealing with Coding Challenges 

The journey to becoming a successful programmer is not a walk in the park, it may be filled with challenges. Sometimes, you may get stuck while building a project. So, what do you do if you get stuck? You may want to consider the following tips: 

• Acknowledge the fact that you can be bad at first, but you will eventually become better. 
• Do not get discouraged, instead, hone your problem-solving skills. 
• Do not underestimate the usefulness of search engines such as Google and Bing. Doing a search on the internet can help you figure out almost anything. 
• Get a mentor with the requisite technical background to guide you. A mentor’s wealth of knowledge and expertise can be invaluable to your programming career. 
• Make the most of online forums designed for programmers, e.g., Stack Overflow, to find answers to questions related to coding errors or bugs or ideas on handling coding issues. 
• It is good practice to sometimes take a break from programming. However short it is, the benefits of taking some time off to rest and recharge are evident. 

In Conclusion 

It is possible to become a talented self-taught programmer and rise to the peak of your career in any industry. Getting started might be challenging initially, but you can achieve it if you put in the required effort, stay consistent, and apply the tips in this article.