How to Learn Programming Faster – 5 Tips To Guide You

The salaries of coding jobs are very attractive; in fact, the job of coding is itself a very attractive one. If you are a rookie in the programming world and are looking to make a jump into it just because you are enticed by the multitude of job opportunities from cool companies with cool culture, you need to know that you have to be very dedicated. Though the tech space is one of the best for job seekers in this age of technology, learning to code is one tough job. It needs a lot of patience, determination, and perseverance. If you are someone who doesn’t like to face failure, then programming is not for you as you should be ready to face a lot of failures at the start.

Are you learning to code for the first time or struggling to get into the reputed world of skilled coders? Here are some ways that will help you to learn programming faster:

1. Practice, practice, and practice

Whether you are a computer science student or someone who wants to go into programming, get ready to make friends with the coffee mug. You will spend some sleepless nights in front of your computer, practicing codes. Don’t learn to code just by reading a programming book or understanding the syntax. You will have to practice a lot.

Learning to code is like learning a new language. You do not get the hang of it just by understanding its rules. You need to go through the samples first, and then learn to practically implement it and see if it works.

2. Play with the sample codes and try on your own

Once you have a basic understanding of the programming language, you can start coding on your own. Buy some good books and try the help of online tutorials to get going at first. These books and online tutorials offer good samples you can work on. Just compiling the samples won’t help. Tweak these sample codes. This way you can learn how the output changes with the change in the code.  Later on, as you get to understand the basics of the programming language, you can start writing codes from scratch.

3. Take time to understand the bugs

There will be bugs and errors, a lot of them. It is common for beginners to face the problem of bugs and errors. You will find a lot of syntax errors and other errors that will be in your codes at the beginning. Do not let it deter you in your learning process. Use a good debugger and understand where you have made the mistakes and understand the impact it has on the output of the program. The best way to be a good programmer is to understand from mistakes – both the cause and effect.

4. Seek out help and communicate with other programmers

It becomes a lot easier when you have help. With a little help from fellow programmers and a mentor, you can just get ahead into coding faster that you can imagine. It is only fools or geniuses who think that they can do without any help. For an average learner, there is always a need for someone who can help you in the process. Stuck in a loop of not understanding what problems your codes have, take the help of a seasoned programmer. There are a lot of forums and discussion sites nowadays for programmers, where you can get nearly all the help you will need. If you happen to know someone who is good at programming, then it will help more.

5. Writes codes by hand

When you are a still budding programmer, ditch the application programming interface. Write your codes by hand on a notepad at first and then write on the computer to compile. This will help you to get a clear understanding of the syntax and programming language structures. If your basics are flawless, then you can easily understand the algorithms associated with programming.

Keep calm and keep coding

Do not get stressed out with any setbacks that you may suffer while learning programming. Clear your mind about any doubts that you may have about yourself. You should only focus on a single point of determination – i.e. to learn programming. Stay calm and code!

This article is written by Hasibuddin Ahmed. He is a professional writer working with the prominent job portal Naukrigulf.com. As a career coach, he helps professionals in making decisions related to career and job opportunities. He is an avid reader and lives for two things – football and food. If he is not involved in any of those, you can find him contemplating existential issues. Follow him: Twitter | Google+ | LinkedIn.