Tips to get into programming
Published: 2022-05-23 06:28:18

Getting into programming:
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## Disclaimer:
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I honestly cannot fully claim to be self-taught, but my understanding of coding and software comes from my computer science degree I couldn't finish, but I would love to share good resources, ideas & tools for getting into programming fundamentals that I have picked up in my growth and realized you can get without going for a degree.

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### Facts First:

![programming is solving problems not just fun only](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/e4shqdxrhdpf96wosezw.jpeg)
- This field needs you to learn a lot, and practice what you learned to master it - *this isn't theory only but practical*.

- Anybody can start programming and everyone can master a field or domain in programming.

- You cannot learn programming without a computer or laptop, & you cannot be a programmer if you have a computer but don't want to learn.

## Where to start ??:


![the importance of computer literacy before starting to learn programming](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/182bdu96meagkyska4p7.jpg) 
**note**: *these are only topics in programming that are important for you to grasp. Watching short video's explaining each is good for you.*
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### learning basics for beginning programming:

- If you know nothing about a computer just start with learning the basics of 
    - [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpUTsnZwd3Q) important !!
    - [wikipedia](https://erasmusintern.org/sites/default/files/traineeship/attachments/Computer%20Literacy%20Curriculum.pdf) important !!

- what is a program and programming language?
    - [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifo76VyrBYo)
    - [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programming)

- what is an operating system?:
    - [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26QPDBe-NB8) 
    - [operating system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system#:~:text=An%20operating%20system%20(OS)%20is,common%20services%20for%20computer%20programs.)

- what are the typical tools used to create a program?:
    - [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbPCtALcVdo)
    - [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_tool#:~:text=The%20most%20basic%20tools%20are,like%20a%20debugger%20or%20profiler.)

- What are the different types of programs?
    - [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx4NNTYb85c)
    - [wikipedia](http://www.cs.ucc.ie/~gavin/cs1001/Notes/chap01/ch01_9.html)

- what you could do as a job after learning programming?
    - [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5FySFg78cQI) 
    - [wikipedia](https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/types-of-programming-jobs)

## Getting Into It:

### Which language to learn first?:


![list of programming languages to learn first](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/95eqdnptnrv5b1adsd70.png)
It's important to understand that with regard to programming it's not about just grabbing any book/video with the title "beginner programming with..." but first we practice  [targeted learning](https://dev.to/nash4253/target-learning-1m1k) and then learn languages that are applied or relevant to that market or software domain.

#### - Example:
    - We choose to get into web development.
    - We look at resources that will help us to get the fundamentals, intermediate, and master level understanding of web dev.
    - We hang out in web dev communities for [Dev. to](www.devto.io) or [hashnode](www.hashnode.com/profile/nqubeko), and catch the latest trends.
    - start building a sub-portfolio from that which you will add to the main portfolio.

### Have fun with your skills:

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![create programming projects you will be proud of after learning programming](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/2erp2mdzqyhyq5zc6beu.jpeg)
One other thing i realized with most learning programmers is the trend / tradition of making learning not be fun in a way 

![javascript function for not having fun while programming](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/djptl7zhsbrl9pau1xul.png)
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but i really think this is something that we can change as a community, and most people have taken the initiative to like:
> - we have **[sololearn](www.sololearn.com)**, which is a learning and playing programming platform with a playground in it.
![sololearn programming platform logo](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ua8rqh4wwbar0edt26z0.jpg)

> - we have **[codesandbox](www.codesandbox.com)** which is an online editor where you can also enjoy writing and testing code remotely.
![codesandbox programming platform logo](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/cgxfhrs9hdx42c56p8i7.png)

> - We have places like **[codewars](www.codewars.com)** where you can try to solve problems and see some competitive programming.

![codewars programming platform logo](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/hmphymxvuoetewzufyqo.png)
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