Are you looking for a direction to start learning programming?
Do you need a helping hand to guide you with the right steps to begin your coding journey?
You want to be aware of the basic steps in learning programming?
This article will teach you the key steps you should take to start learning programming. You will be provided with a clear path to follow based on my 14 years of real-world experience in coding and programming. You will be more confident and more focused on your next steps. You will be well informed and prepared to begin your programming journey.
STEP 1: Change your mindset before you start
In this section, you will learn step one of your action plan to start learning programming: Change your mindset before you start.
First, don’t get overloaded
I understand that there are many programming languages out there which you as a beginner will be interested to learn at the same time. You just need to understand that each programming language takes a long time to learn and master. Don’t try to learn everything at the same time. I recommend that you take it slow; take it one programming language at a time.
Contrary to what you believe, experienced programmers who are successful are expertise in a specific programming language. You as a beginner should try to focus on one particular language as per your situation and then try to become an expert at that. At least in the beginning stage, concentrate on one language and then try to expand over a period of time.
It takes time to master one programming language
Knowing the language syntax and the basic programming constructs is one side whereas understanding the complex concepts on the particular programming language is on the other side. If you try to combine everything at one go and want to learn at everything in a shorter time, then you’re going to miss key things. So my recommended approach is to take one language and try to become an expert at that. Don’t try to rush into trying to complete more programming languages at the same time.
STEP 2: Know your purpose of learning programming
In this section, you will learn step two of your action plan to start learning to program: Know your purpose of learning.
Knowing specific reasons for which you have started learning programming makes it clear for you to take your next set of actions.
Brainstorm yourself and know what is your goal
A clear definition of your goal sets the next set of actions you need to take. For example, if you are in the last semester of your degree then your goal can be like:
Preparing for my first job as a software engineer or after my day.
This statement makes it very clear about what you’re going to do. These goal statements can be used to derive a set of actions you need to take next.
For example, some of your actions can be like:
- Learning the basics of programming language.
- Being passionate about learning the new stuff.
- Trying to be prepared mentally for the new job
- Learning the new programming language in your first company.
As another example, say you are a non-IT professional and are looking for a career change as a software engineer. In this case, your goal can be like:
Preparing for a career change as a software engineer.
Now, this statement again makes it very clear about your goal and what you want to take as your next action step.
Some of your action steps can be like:
- Learning the programming basics for a programming career.
- Understanding what are the requirements required as a software engineer in an IT field.
- Looking for the internal opportunities present in your company so that you can do a carrier switch a lot easier.
- Knowing the responsibilities of the new stuff you need to learn in a company in order to get started with programming.
So as Step 2, know your purpose of learning programming. Having this clear goal makes it easier for you to take a set of actions that should be helpful to carry forward in the next steps.
STEP 3: Pick a Mentor
First, who is a mentor? A mentor assists a person to develop their skill-set and reached their personal goal through his expertise.
Now you will have one question in your mind that why do you require a mentor to teach you programming. Why not you learn yourself?
Advantages of having a mentor
There are many advantages of having a mentor especially in the beginning stage of your programming career. First, you would learn a lot faster if you have a mentor to assist you in each step of your learning process. If you’re going to learn on your own, then it’s going to take a lot more time as you’ll go with trial and error of learning through various means. Having a mentor can guide you at the right time at the right place so that you can learn the same language at a faster rate.
The second main benefit being you can feel more confident in yourself. Because whenever you get stuck or want some helping hand then there’s always a mentor at your back to help. So make it a practice that you pick a mentor in the beginning stage of your programming career.
Types of Mentors
A mentor can be either physically available or completely online.
Some of the physically available mentors are:
- Your teacher or a computer science instructor at your college.
- Some of your friends in your college who knows programming a lot better.
- And if you’re working in a company then you can look for colleagues in your development team.
- And finally, there are some mentorship programs in certain companies where you can enroll and get started with your learning programming.
Regarding online mentors, as the name tells, these are the people who are present completely online. In case you need any assistance with them then you need to reach out to them completely online.
Some of these online mentors are:
- Online course creators. These people create courses on a specific programming topic or a programming language.
- The second set of people are YouTubers, who just like online course creators pick one programming topic or a language and create various videos on top of it.
- The third set is Online Mentor websites, where they give one mentorship program but at a hefty price.
Among all these options available for a mentor I personally recommend online course instructors as your Mentor. There are many reasons for it:
- First, the course creation is completely organized with each section catering to one specific topic of a programming language.
- Second, you’re not distracted like many other options like YouTube with ads and other irrelevant content. So you stay focused on your learning path and in this manner, you will be able to learn at a faster rate.
- Also, you have fellow students along with you who are learning in the same similar programming language or programming topic. So you don’t feel alone. You have the assistance of others along with you.
To recap, as Step 3, pick a mentor and start learning programming. A mentor can help you in various means especially in your initial stage of programming. Choose a mentor as per your preference and get started with learning programming.
STEP 4: Learn the Fundamentals of Programming Languages
Understanding the basics of programming languages should be your first priority.
As a beginner, you will be tempted to learn multiple programming languages at the same time. However, I personally recommend that you know the programming concepts first. Think for a moment. If you are learning multiple programming languages at the same time, then it is going to take a lot longer to master them. There are literally many programming languages available in the market. Every company takes its own preference for a language as per the requirement and does the development on top of it. So if you are going to master all languages at the same time, then he’s going to take forever. So I personally recommend you start concentrating on learning the programming concepts first.
One interesting thing about all these programming languages is that the core programming concepts are the same across all the languages. You take either C, Python, C++, C#, Java or any language, the fundamental concepts of programming remains the same. The programming concepts I’m referring to are the conditional statements, the functions, the loops, etc. So all these are quite standard in all the languages. The only difference is the syntax differs in each of these languages, whereas the basic functioning of the programming is the same across all these languages.
Once you learn the programming concepts fast, then it becomes a lot easier to learn any programming language. So if you even master say for example C language, then when you go for Java learning then it becomes a lot easier because the concept is the same; only the syntax is going to differ. Of course, there are certain specific topics that are more specifically designed for certain languages, that you will learn. But you’ll find it a lot easier if you know the concepts well.
Your action plan after completion of this course should be to learn the programming concepts first. Stop trying to think about learning a programming language or say a multiple programming language initially. You first learn the programming concepts first and then start concentrating to learn a programming language of your choice.
STEP 5: Choose a Programming Language to Learn
There are many programming languages for a beginner to choose from. Each programming language has its own pros and cons, or they are having certain specific characteristics that make them special. As a beginner, you might be feeling confused about which language to start.
Before you start learning a programming language, don’t skip learning the programming concepts as explained in the previous step 4.
Beginners typically pick either C or Python to start learning in their career. The reason being, either of these programming languages is very simple to learn and they form as a base for various programming languages in the future. For example, if you know the basics of C programming well, then it becomes easier for you to learn C++ and C# as well.
My recommended approach to you as a beginner is: Do not stress too much in choosing a language. You need to choose a language as per your situation. Say, for example, if you’ve just joined a new company and the company doing the development in Java, then you start with Java. If your company is working on C#, then either you can start with C# or even C. It doesn’t mean that if you know only Java then you cannot work in C#. As I said before, the programming concepts are the same across all the languages. So don’t spend too much time trying to decide which language to start first.
If you have a preference for a specific language, you pick it and start learning.
One final point which I would like to make is: You should be open to learn any programming language as per the situation. Say, for example, you already know Java programming, and you got a job offer that is based on C#. Then you should not become like you skip the offer because you don’t know C# programming. We just start learning the C# and then pick up later other languages.
So, make it a point that you start learning the language as per your situation.
Where do I go from here?
The above steps are part of the FREE course “How to Start Learning Programming”. This course has bonus contents on:
- How I started programming
- Where to learn programming
- Student Q&A’s
- What you can do next, and so on.
Click the below link NOW to enroll in this course for FREE: