Interested in programming or better said, wanting to become a programmer for the first time can be a bit overwhelming at the initial stage especially is you do not have any prior knowledge of it. Programming has a lot of angles to it. Just like everything in computer science, it is highly cumulative.
When you have made up your mind to start, now you don’t know where to start. Questions like:
- which language should I learn if I’m new?
- Which programming language is most in-demand for jobs?
- What is the most popular programming language?
- How long do I have to learn the language?
The truth is that you do not have to resolve all this what ifs before you start. Just begin you will figure out lots of them along the way.
Nonetheless, there are lots of programming languages, each used for various things at different times. However, picking the language to begin with is not to be a problem for a beginner like me and you.
Like I said earlier, just like computer science, programming languages are cumulative in nature. You need to climb stage one before you can proceed to stage two. As a result, you need to be ready to go through the whole process without trying to seek out short cuts.
Just in case you have tried your hand on programming but didn’t record much success, well that is highly expected. Do not think that once you start you will grab everything at the first instance. Time and time again, you will find yourself watching a single video on a single topic over and over again without understanding.
Do not give up. If you find anything too tasking, try specific searches on YouTube using the topic title or you could source other programming books that dealt with the topic better.
The goal is to be conscious of your comprehension as you’re learning. As you progress through the learning path, you need to self-reflect. For each topic you cover, ask yourself questions such as:
- “Does this topic make sense to me?”
- “Was there any new terminology? If so, was a formal definition provided for each new term?”
- “Were there any new skills? Do I understand how each new skill is used in application? Can I demonstrate my understanding of this skill by solving practice problems?”
- “Will I remember what I just learned tomorrow? And the day after? If not, how am I going to commit it to memory?”
One last thing, do not neglect the power of memorization. Understanding the topics are important but committing the stages are required tricks to memory is also necessary.
So, if you are still contemplating on where to start, you can begin now, and take it one step at a time. Start from the foundation and basics and climb gently. Bear in mind you will give up more times than you felt motivated. But just like everything in life, if you really want it, go for it. It will only take time and brain.
