Sandra Patel
18th July 2019
Article by Abbie Martland, Recruitment resourcer
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beginners-guide-coding-from-beginner-coder-abbie-martland/
I’ve put together a small guide of useful tips and pointers that have helped me as I began my development journey, hopefully they help you, and other beginner coders!
I have always been someone that is intrigued with how things work and how to create/adapt those ‘things’, this usually was music or gadgets but since working and speaking with developers…I became curious. I am not yet an expert, but I have a few great tips from my own learning journey (for example, it’s not always easy!).
I have listed below some tips and points to remember if you are new to the world of coding/programming, and like me, are struggling through.
1) Be Open Minded
It’s not always going to make sense straight away! Trust that through practice and further reading/listening/whatever medium you are using, you will understand the topic, it just takes time and practice.
2) Try Different Resources
No one guide will have all the answers and everyone learns in different ways. I am currently using an app, SoloLearn, a variety of books on audible and the odd YouTube tutorial to expand my knowledge. Sometimes I can go through topics with ease and other times I am stuck for 2-5 days at a time! By looking at different sources I am able to use the guide that resonates with me as I work through them. Do not limit yourself to one source, be open and explore.
3) Practice, Practice, PRACTICE!
Nothing comes overnight, or without trial and error (and trust me, there will be errors). It’s like learning a musical instrument, the more you practice the better you get.
4) Ask for help
If you are reading this, then you are currently on THE BEST resource you have to ask for help; LinkedIn! There are PLENTY of developers, engineers, and programmers at your fingertips.
Send connection requests, post a question you are struggling with, join a group and attend forums/tech meetups. There is a world of people out there that have been in your situation, just ask and you shall receive.
Also, enter the world of GitHub and Stack Overflow. There are plenty of online forums, chat rooms, groups and Reddit chains to get involved in, so explore and find the ones that work for you.
5) Learn from Entrepreneurs – Fail fast
When you approach any task, embrace the fact that you may fail. Failure isn’t fun and makes things harder, but it shows you where to develop and learn and push yourself. When working in test-driven development, you will often see more failures then success, but that means you are heading in the right direction!
Failure today = Success tomorrow!
These tips have helped me as I have started my journey and don’t get me wrong, I’m no Bill Gates or Tim Berners-Lee, but I am keen to explore more languages and push my skills as a developer.
I’m also keen to see what tips my network can share that helped them as they started their journey. What tips would you give me to help my journey progress?
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Liked this? I am a Recruitment Resourcer at #TransitionPartners. I am always interested in connecting with other developers, C# and Java pioneers and IT professionals. Call me on 0113 457 3055 or email me at abbie.martland@transition-partners.co.uk