How to approach coding as a Beginner? How to learn coding? How to learn coding as a fresher?

How to learn coding as a Beginner?

        Coding is one of the in-demand skills in the modern world. Everything is going digital hence the demand for coders and computer programmers is rising day by day. Coding is a skill one can learn at any age. It boosts your logic and reasoning skills. It has many benefits which you will come across below. 

        You want to learn coding you knocked on the right door. Coding Demons has made a helpful and step by step guide for a coding beginner so fasten your seat belts and get ready! 

What is Coding?

        "The process of writing lines of instructions in a particular language to make the computer behave the way a user wants."

        This can be a general definition of coding. But in reality, what we code is the actual meaning of coding for us. Look at the following cases for an application developer creating an app is coding, for a web developer creating a website is coding, and for a student solving a given problem is coding.

        Hence before starting your journey as a coder, before stepping into the world of coding. Identify your meaning of coding that is what type of coding you want to do. Once selected the coding type you can move ahead to the step by step guide.

Why learn Coding?

        Coding is Fun. Yeah! You read it right coding is fun. Remember when you tried hours to complete your GTA mission, took hours to choose the right dress for a party, and when you get appreciated for those. that feeling, that pleasure coding gives you. You are the happiest person on earth when your code compiles and runs perfectly without any error.

        Coding gives you a career. In today's, modern world coders and programmers are in tremendous demand. There are a lot of job opportunities with job security available for you if you know how to code.

These are some good careers for coders and programmers

• Software Application Developer
• Web Developer
• Computer Systems Engineer
• Database Administrator
• Software Quality Assurance Engineer and many more

        Anyone at any point in time can start and learn to code. Within months, you can master coding.

        As we have now ample reasons to learn coding one can start learning to code with the below-given guide. But before that, you should figure out which coding you want to learn and why?

Why do you want to learn Coding?

        Before you start learning coding you must figure out what is your inspiration to learn coding. You want to do it for job opportunities, to develop your own app, to develop a website or you just want to add an arrow to your quiver or any other reason.

        Figure out how much time you can invest weekly. Write down all the goals you want to achieve as a coder. These goals will inspire and motivate you to become a master coder.

        Now all the prerequisite is done, you can dive into the step by step guide to learn coding as a beginner. 

Step by step Guide :

Which language to choose?

        There are various programming languages you can learn. You can start learning any language. There is no sequence like you should first learn C and C++ then only you can learn java this is a myth! You can start with any language.

        Every language has its own pros and cons. Hence you can start with any language. The only thing that matters is to master the language. But if you are selecting C then I will suggest you should go for C++ because it makes coding easy when it comes to competitive programming.

        It never matters which programming language you select the only thing matter is you start learning.

        Here I would prefer to start with a simple language like C/C++. Master the language, once you master a language you can always switch to any other language of your choice.

Where to learn free or paid?

        Learning from free or paid course is just a matter of choice. A Free course has its own benefits and the paid course has its own. Here I will list a few points of a free course and a paid course you can choose the best one for you

Free Course: 

• Do not Cost Money
• May be certified maybe not
• You do not know about tutors qualification
• You can always switch to other tutor

Paid Course:

• Costs Money
• Mostly Certified
• You can always know about the tutor
• If you switch to other course costs more money

        You can go for free resources like YouTube and different websites. The free platform almost contains every topic which a paid course provides. If you go for a paid course the biggest question is  “Are you able to adapt the teaching technique?”. 

        It is not necessary you will learn better in a paid course or a free course. Please Never think that expensive means best. People often choose the most expensive course and end up learning nothing. 

These questions will help you choose the best option for you.

1. Do you want a certificate for the course?
2. What is the course duration?
3. How are the feedbacks for the course?
4. What is the availability of the course?
5. Are you ready to Invest?

I hope these questions will help you choose a better resource for you.

Which compiler is good online or offline?

        There are many good online as well as offline compilers. Before choosing the right one for you, you need to understand which environment you live in, What is your resource availability, and all.

        If you use an offline compiler as most people do, you will need to download and install it on your device. Then you can use it for coding purposes. 

        On the other hand, online compilers do not consume space you can directly use them from your browser.

Few points about offline and online compilers.

Offline Compilers:

• The offline compiler will consume your device space.
• It will not require internet connectivity.
• It will not show ads.
• You can save the file locally.
• You cannot access it anywhere.
• Large projects do not slow down

Online Compilers:

• Do not consume your device space.
• It requires Internet connectivity.
• Most of the online compiler show ads.
• You may need to sign in to save the file locally.
• Large projects may slow down.
• Compiles slowly when huge traffic is present.

        If you ask me, I will always say use an offline IDE. It is fast and better than an online IDE.

Start Writing Programs!

        As soon as you are done selecting a language and the right IDE(Compiler), you are ready to roll! Platforms like Hackerrank and CodeChef guide to practice a coding language by suggesting the right codes to beginners.

        If you are opting for Hackerrank, Coding Demons gives a new Hackerrank tutorial every Tuesday. Check Here!

        The secret to mastering any programming language is to practice, practice, and practice.

        Once you understand the concepts of coding and problem solving, try to solve a coding question in minimum time. Participate in different coding competitions for exposure to different problems. This will help you become a better coder.

Find Your Tribe!

        Connect with other students and coders on different social platforms. You can always use the discussions tab on coding platforms. You can join social groups of coders. A better coder will help you learn new things and to improve yourself. 

        You can help other peoples in the groups, which will ultimately increase your skills. You can always have a healthy competition with others, I know it sounds childish, but it will always make a huge difference.

        Also, the comments section can help you connect with people of your likes. Like you can comment on this blog and see which people are starting to learn to program like you.

Keep Learning!

        Constant learning and evolving your skills is an essential quality to get a hold of a language. You cannot stop by learning only the basics. If you are done with the basics like an array, strings, functions, start learning different algorithms. If you are done with it then learn data structures but never stop learning. Always Keep Learning.

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” – Thomas H. Huxley

Conclusion :

        I told you about the importance of coding in today's world. How you can opt for different careers and how you get job security if you know to program.

        Having the right reason to learn coding can motivate you to learn to code effectively. Choosing the right resources before starting the journey gives you a boost. Joining a community helps you achieve your goals quickly. Always Learning empowers you.

        With the above step by step guide, Coding Demons wishes you all the best to learn and master the art of coding. 

Happy Learning :)