Whether you are thinking to become a software developer, an e-commerce website developer or simply a crazy gaming application maker, coding is prime to all. With the abundance of self-learning tools on the internet, coding has become easier than one would imagine some years ago. Programming is one of the highly paid jobs but programmers often lose patience if they aren’t confident in their skills. The internet is full of coding sites, but this ease brings confusion for starters.
There is excitement in the beginning but the constant practice and logical thinking required to is a time-taking process which often makes students feel clueless and frustrated. They lose their interest, direction and leave in the middle. If you are one of them, having no idea how to learn coding in a short time, we have some simple tips for you. Just follow these handy tips and you will find yourself in a better situation.
Define your purpose
Coding is learnt for various purposes. As a starter, you must keep your goals clear and definite. Know what you wish to learn and for what reason, be it JavaScript or HTML, CSS, data analysis or an iPhone game. HTML and CSS are learnt to create static websites and web applications. For the iOS app, you can learn Swift and for Android lovers, Java is the key learning. Having clarity on the purpose will allow you to learn coding in a short time, with the right approach and take you deeper into your area of interest to master this skill.
Make a timeline
After setting your goals, you should aim to define a timeline for your learning journey. Although learning is an ongoing process, you must set some targets for yourself with respect to time so that you don’t waste time unnecessarily and keep yourself focused. Give yourself a goal that you will make a website in 4 months or in 6 months you will be able to learn to make an iPhone application.
Know your method
Different students learn in different ways. Some understand through reading, some write to retain while many need audio/visual aids to understand any concept. As a student, you must identify what is your best way to learn. You can watch tutorial videos on YouTube, sit in a library to learn concepts, take online courses and tests to keep evaluating your performance or attend coding bootcamps; all methods are useful to learn coding in a short time.
Enrol in an online course
Apart from reading books on coding, if you want to learn coding in a short time, you can also enrol in some online courses. On the internet, you will find free as well as paid courses with certifications that will add value to your credentials. Online courses from websites such as Udacity, Coursera, Treehouse etc are authentic, useful and formatted to help learners of all stages. These websites also have online tutors who are there to help you solve your coding problems. Additionally, some of these courses are self-paced so you can learn following your own schedule.
Learn by practising
Coding is experimental learning which requires constant practice. You can’t learn coding by simply reading books or memorizing codes and variables. Actual programming requires you to practice and play with the codes so that you can make changes in it. Practising will also enhance your logical thinking which is very crucial to coding. As a beginner, you must practice a code again and again till you don’t need to take help from the actual resource. To get command over coding, you can make your own codes and also take part in coding games and challenges.
Code by hand
This may seem old-school but coding by hand is still one of the most critical and effective ways to learn to code. Coding by hand is a time-consuming process but preserves in the mind for a longer time and makes one a proficient and thorough programmer. It also helps you prepare for the interviews as the evaluation process for jobs in programming requires you to code by hand.
Assign a mentor
You can’t learn coding all by yourself, you will get stuck endless times, you will feel agitated and that’s when you would need help. To learn coding in a short time, take help from peer programmers when needed or better assign a mentor to yourself. A mentor will not only share experiences, give you extra knowledge but also provide you with feedback on your performance. However, having a mentor doesn’t mean you look up to them all the time. Use the 20-minute rule; if you are stuck in a problem, give yourself 20 minutes to find out the solution if you aren’t successful, head over to your mentor.
Take a break from practice
Continuous hours on the screen practising and learning can be stressful and stop your mind from thinking creatively. At the time of debugging, give yourself a break for a few hours; freshen up your mind and look away from the codes. Coming back after some time will give you positive energy and divergent thinking to solve the problem in a quickly and correctly.
Conclusion:
Programming is a very rewarding job. Despite having a plan, a defined goal, assigning a mentor and doing unlimited practice, you will get stuck into problems and fail miserably. But failure at that time doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of proceeding with coding. Stay persistent and keep working hard and you will very soon be a sound programmer.