Probably there’s not any single best way to learn coding – every method comes with its own pros and cons. When it comes to learning code, you should pick your preferred way that works the best for you. In this article, we’re going to present a breakdown of 5 different ways among which any single can help you accomplish your goal of learning code. But before we delve deeper, here’s the fundamental thing.

1- Why should you care for learning code?

Put simply, coding is an exciting field that can open up a new world of opportunities for you if you’re willing to learn. Despite the facts you may have already heard, learning code isn’t that much difficult, especially when you consider other skills that are mandatory to get high-end skilled jobs. If you can work hard, a few months time should make you prepared enough to get a job as a coder. Here’re the key reasons why you should focus on learning code.

• It’ll give you valuable job skills. Once you’ve completed your journey of learning code, you’ll be able to pursue a career as a programmer or coder.
• You’ll be able to do a lot of interesting things – from building responsive mobile games to developing your own website(s) from scratch, and much more.
• You’ll be able to enjoy continuous job security as programmers and coders are in high demand across industries.

So, it’s evident that there’re a significant number of reasons why you should start learning code. Let’s dig in.

2- Different ways to learn coding

Although learning code is relatively easy compared to learning many other technical skills, it’s still something that can scare people, especially beginners. Initially, it may seem confusing and very difficult to master. Here’s the way out, just follow one of these methods of learning code that we’re going to discuss and try to keep in mind the tips we’ve shared here.

2.1- Take a course from a reputed institute

One of the best ways of learning code is to take a coding course from an institute with a proven track record. In general, these courses offer a complete educational experience compared to resources that focus on one language. These courses are thoughtfully designed to teach you the fundamental skills in a relatively short period of time. There’re lots of courses available, both online and offline, which can provide you with a good knowledge of coding. Do some research online and you’ll surely end up with a good list of institutes. However, if you’re doing a full-time job, then scheduling may be a little bit of problem for you.

2.2- Try the old school method out – books

Some people may think that textbooks on coding have become outdated, but in reality, some valuable ones are still being published these days, and they’re actually useful ones. Again make use of the web to help you out. A thorough search on the internet will leave you with some good books that can greatly help you in your effort of learning code. You can either purchase them in e-book form or have them delivered at your doorstep in physical forms.

While this method of learning code can ensure that you’re getting the information from an authentic source, they’re not going to update themselves when their information modifies. In that scenario, you’ll likely need to purchase the updated editions.

2.3- Check out free online training websites

The third method in this list of different ways of learning code is using free online training sites. There’re some good websites that can help you write your first code for free. You can find a wide range of tutorials on these sites that can introduce you to the fundamentals of coding in easily digestive ways like building a new project, site or game.

While these sites are good starting points, you’ll need to take the complete initiative to continue or further your journey of learning code after those introductions. In addition, it’s not possible to understand every concept on your own, especially if you’re a beginner. So, this method can get quite frustrating sometimes.

2.4- Try out coding tutorials

When it comes to learning code from tutorials, there’re two types of resources – video tutorials and text-based tutorials. Video tutorials usually come in two formats – screen recording with teacher’s narration explaining codes and a combination of face-to-face video with screen recording.

One key advantage of the second format is you get a human connection that greatly helps in staying motivated and interested. Text-based tutorials are often step-by-step tutorials in nature. While these tutorials are abundant on the web, there’re a lot of outdated and sub-standard ones that can lead you to wrong or obsolete concepts and information. Another disadvantage of this method of learning code is that the tutorials don’t always accompany a test to help you check if you’ve got those concepts right.

2.5- Join a coding community

If any of the above methods doesn’t help you in your journey of learning code, another useful way to accomplish your goal is joining a coding community. There’re lots of coding communities available and almost all of them are full of experienced people who’re willing to help aspiring coders like you. Try to find out a mentor and follow his/her advice, and you should be doing good. However, this way of learning code needs you to put a substantial amount of effort in, so you need to be motivated enough to stick to learning.

3- Tips to ease the process of learning code

The process of learning code isn’t something that can be done overnight, but it doesn’t need to take months after months either. There’re some key things you can follow to make the process of learning code easier on you. Let’s have a look at them.

3.1- Run the sample code

This is particularly important if the way of learning code you’re following involves tutorials and books. It often happens that you look at some sample code and get a feeling like you’ve understood the concept clearly. Of course, you may have learned it, but you may haven’t learned it, and you cannot ensure either.

So, here’s our suggestion – do something with that sample code. Get a compiler set up. Type the sample code into it, compile it and run it, and finally experiment with it. Remember that the best way of learning code is to experiment with it by trying new things.

3.2- Try coding games

You can consider coding games as some different types of tutorials that are abundant on the web. These are a good way of making the process of learning code a bit more fun. One of the biggest advantages of this approach is there’re other coders who’re writing the same code, so you get to see different perspectives and methods. While they’ve the ability to critique your code, you can also evaluate theirs to learn how they did things.

3.3- Feel free to seek help

As we’ve already discussed that process of learning code may not be a smooth one and you’re likely to face difficulties along the way. If you don’t understand a concept, there’s a possibility that the way it’s explained just didn’t click for you. In that case, you can search the web for alternative explanations that may work better for you. If that also doesn’t work, probably the best and easiest way is to ask someone else to figure out where you’re getting it wrong.

There’re lots of ways you can use to ask questions. You can post your question on the message board of a coding community, ask an expert you already know, discuss it with your fellow learners etc. Remember that every coder, at least some point of time in his/her journey of learning code, has been in your shoes, so feel free to ask for help. It’s a fact that a new interpretation of a topic or a fresh pair of eyes can quickly resolve what may seem like an unlearnable topic or an immovable bug.

Final takeaway

When done right, learning code can be super interesting, exciting and fun. However, it’s important to maintain regular practicing if want to become a master of them. It’s also advisable to try not to use the same coding patterns for everything you do. Instead, you should keep on learning new ways to improve your coding ability. Try to make learning a habit by trying a new piece of syntax, a different way of debugging a program, among others.

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To learn more about data science, click here and read our another article.

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1- Why learning code is imperative today?

If you’re still on the fence about whether you should focus on learning code, have a look at these reasons that would help you decide.

1.1- You’ll become preferred to recruiters

Constant job hunting is a harsh reality for many people, especially if they’re absolute beginners. Imagine if you never had to land in that situation. Once you’ve finalized your decision of learning code and become established as a coder, recruiters will keep looking for you. This not only alleviates the stress of constant job hunt but also makes you more competitive. Having more job offers means more leverage for better and higher paying job opportunities over time.

1.2- It’ll help you think differently

When you’re trying to accomplish your goal of learning code, you become able to do better in other subjects which you’re learning or studying. Within coding, you learn ways to break down problems into individual steps and how to use a language understandable by the computer in order to logically develop a working program.

This helps you to develop a specific mindset for dealing with problems and processing huge amounts of information. Put simply, you learn to look at problems with a different mindset and adapt to working through difficulties to solve issues. So, learning code is much more than just learning a language – it’s about developing a productive and effective mindset toward problem-solving that affects any intellectual endeavor you consider to a great extent.

1.3- You’ll be able to earn more money

Financial success is a crucial part of life and learning code can leave a significant impact on that. Regardless of what your profession, career, or background is, coding skills are greatly useful. Once you succeed in your endeavor of learning code, career opportunities will become almost endless, which you’ll be able to financially capitalize on.

Apart from getting you ahead in the job market, coding skills can also help you greatly if you want to do something on your own. There’re lots of developers who apply their coding expertise to create websites for others, start their own business etc.

1.4- You’ll become more self-confident

One of the greatest feelings is knowing that you’ve got the ability to perform something really complex or that you’ve accomplished something great. Once you complete your journey toward learning code, you’ll get to enjoy that empowerment and excitement. It’ll offer you a lot of satisfaction and self-confidence if you don’t need to wait for someone else to develop a program in order to improve your workflow at your job.

1.5- You’ll be able to work remotely

When you work in the tech domain, there’re lots of opportunities to work remotely, or online, which means it doesn’t matter where you’re – at home or on vacation – as long as you’re completing your assignments. This is probably the biggest advantage of learning code if you don’t want to take up regular jobs.

In addition, when you’ve learned how to code and obtained a couple of years of experience, you’ll be in a position to increase your contractual hourly rate and end up earning more, even if you work less. This freedom and flexibility are hard to find in any other tech-related domain other than coding.

1.6- You’ll be able to learn machine learning

Probably you’re already aware of the fact that machine learning – the highly successful approach to the wider field of artificial intelligence, is one of the buzzwords that are taking the tech domain by storm. Learning code is essential to perform machine learning-related tasks.

For example, Python and R are the two most widely used programming languages presently for this purpose. Both of these languages come with robust resources and support to help learners accomplish their goal of learning code easily. Other languages that are considered good choices for artificial intelligence development include Lisp, Java, and Prolog, among others.

1.7- You’ll be able to compete for the top job

You’re probably aware that the role of a data scientist is the top and one of the highest paying jobs in the tech domain. Learning code is imperative to become one of those elite professionals.

A good data scientist has to be a good coder to succeed. Learning code and becoming a master of that is one of the central skills that you’d need to focus on to step into the field of data science.

2- Key things to keep in mind when you’re learning code

Though some schools may try to push aspiring people into coding by citing learning code is easy, in reality, it’s one of the most difficult skills to achieve and excel in. Here’re some crucial things that you must keep in mind even before you start your journey of learning code.

2.1- Make sure it’s for you

If coding is something you don’t want to do, you should leave it to the people who do. The first step toward learning code is to understand why you’re doing this. When code gets trapped in knots and nothing seems to be right, it’s only remembering your key purpose for learning code that can help you get through.

Of course, you don’t need to be highly passionate about coding from the very beginning because this thing doesn’t happen overnight, but the motivation has to be there to help you move forward.

2.2- Start small

Though learning code can surely be an uphill task, one of the most useful ways to attain is to start small. Consider learning things one at a time to stay focused and master the individual concepts. As you get a solid understanding of the building blocks, you can go ahead and focus on bigger aspects of coding.

2.3- Get a mentor

Having a good mentor by your side can greatly help you throughout your journey of learning code. Having a mentor makes you able to avoid common mistakes that can slow your learning process down.

These people can offer you invaluable guidance that they’ve gained from real-world experience. You can do a lot of things with your mentor like mock interviews, pair-programming etc.

2.4- Keep on doing projects

Projects not only help you understand your limitations but also improve your problem-solving and analytical skills. You should understand that learning code isn’t all about learning syntax; rather, it’s about learning how to solve problems.

If you’re a beginner, it may become difficult to get project ideas. In that case, your mentor and/or online research can help you to a good extent.

2.5- Maintain a portfolio

Once you’ve done some projects, remember to keep a collection of all your work. It would pay you off significantly well, especially when you feel a lack of motivation.

Your portfolio is something you should refer to during hard times to see how far you’ve come. It’ll also help you in getting a job once you’ve completed learning code.

2.6- Master the tools of the trade

Just like any other learning path, a good understanding of tools can help you in learning code. Regardless of the programming language or framework you’re learning, you should always try to take advantage of the tools available. You can also use tools to automate most of your manual works to keep yourself free to focus on the key problem.

2.7- Balance your learning

When you’re fully engaged with learning code, it’s easy to forget about the world outside. It’s important to make sure that you’re taking breaks consistently.

Spending an excessive amount of time without having positive results can easily lead to stress, frustration, and eventually, a burnout. So, spending some quality time on things apart from putting effort for learning code is crucial to rejuvenate your brain.

2.8- Be a part of a useful community

We’ve already discussed that the journey toward learning code isn’t an easy one. Coding communities can play a crucial role in helping you sail through difficult times.

Just perform a quick search on the internet and you should be able to find lots of coding communities for developers, including some for beginners.

Conclusion

Learning code can be one of the best decisions of your life, if you do it right and try to follow the above steps. Once you’re comfortable with the skills, you should try to do real-life projects to test your expertise as well as earn some money.

There’re some online platforms where you can find freelance projects for coders. Doing them will not only help you learn things but will also let you build your portfolio. Alternatively, you can also look for work opportunities within your community or peer group and help people out with their projects to establish yourself as a good coder.

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To learn more about Python, click here and read our another article.

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