How to Learn Coding

Ways to Learn Coding

• Your Reasoning

  The first step should be to ask yourself why you want to learn the art of coding. Are you eager to start a new career? Are you looking to further your current standing in your current position? Do you want to pick up a new hobby? Do you have a desire to be a tech trailblazer and make an innovation no one has ever seen before?

  At this stage, you need to be open and honest with your purpose. Knowing this allows you to clear your path and begin to construct a game plan. Without a solid understanding of your aspirations, you’re destined to spin your wheels and struggle to find direction.

• Set Goals

  As with learning any new skill, setting goals is a paramount part of your checklist. Do things like set tentative timelines, prepare the finances needed for education, manage your schedule to ensure you’re allocating enough time to learning the ropes, etc. This will help you determine what programming language to begin learning first.

  Think about what will set the stage for your success, the job you want or the type of project to start, and so on. Instead of learning for the sake of it, make solid, attainable goals to keep you moving forward.

• Learn the Basics

  Coding is all around us. You interact with it every day whether you know it or not. To get a foothold in the industry, familiarize yourself with the basics. Check out some of our other blogs that cover topics such as “What Exactly Is a Programming Language?” as well as which job does what and the differences between popular coding languages. Pairing these educational articles with watching videos, reading books, and joining coding communities can give you a base knowledge on what coding is and what to expect when writing and reading it.

• Pick Your Programming Language

  At this point, you may have a good idea of what area of expertise you’d like to pursue. But, if you still are unsure, check out our “What Programming Language Should I Learn?” article to get direction. While there isn’t necessarily a “best” language, there are those that are more user-friendly to learn than others when you’re just beginning to learn to code. We recommend first learning HTML and CSS as they are both cornerstones of the coding world. They will allow you to get comfortable creating content and adjusting its appearance.

  Next, we recommend exploring a program language that is easy to learn and best meets your long-term goals. Python, JavaScript, Java, and Ruby are a few of the easier ones to learn and offer the most career flexibility. Learning just one language provides you with fundamentals and allows you to learn the next language at a quicker, more efficient pace.

• Choosing Your Education

  Determining how you want to go about learning to code and to what extent is entirely your choice. It’s common for many aspiring coders, developers, and engineers to take it upon themselves to learn how to write code. Being self-taught gives you the freedom to put as much time and effort in as you wish — whenever you want.

  The issue with self-teaching is that accountability is everything. Missing one day can turn into two, which can turn into a week, and before you know it your schedule is broken, goals are pushed back, and you aren’t making headway. Teaching yourself, in the beginning, is an excellent way to dip your toes in the pool. But the way forward without any structure is a difficult path to take.

  What makes for the best method of learning is to take classes or sign up for a program that best suits your ideal end goal. At Kenzie Academy, you can find tech programs that have the curriculum and guidance of field experts to foster your success. The benefit of opting for a tech school like Kenzie Academy is that programs are 100% online. Additionally, you’ll be paired with an advisor who helps configure a schedule that is completely planned around prior obligations, jobs, family, finances, etc. Your goals are our goals.

• Start a Project

  Learning isn’t all homework and exams — have fun with it and get creative. After all, this is all about you. You can arm yourself with certifications or fill your coding toolbox with a number of programming languages, but any coder will tell you that reaching veteran status won’t happen without putting your skills to the test. And one of the best ways to do that is to start your own project.

  While your project doesn’t have to be super complex, it should be something you enjoy working on — and want to work on it often. Start with something simple, but with room to make it as big and detailed as you want. Your project should involve the skills you’ve learned as well as those you’re still honing. As you continue to learn and get better in certain aspects, apply them to add something new or enhance what you’ve already created. Have a vision and manifest it into existence.

• Practice

  And practice some more — whenever you can, and as much as your schedule will allow.