HOW TO LEARN PROGRAMMING FAST.
Learning to code is not easy, and doing so given a limited time is even harder. In this post, I will be sharing with you some useful tips to help you learn to code faster and learn to code effectively.
I will go straight to the point in this article, and be as precise as possible. I hope you learn a lot from this post.
Understanding How You Learn Best.
This is the first step to learning to program really quick, or even learning anything real quick. You should first identify how best you learn. If you can identify this correctly, then you are good to go.
There is no superior way to learning, every learning method is as efficient as the other if applied appropriately, deliberately and diligently.
Here are some of the ways people learn best:
- Some people learn best by Having a PHYSICAL mentor/tutor to guide them through the learning process.
- Some people learn best by watching video tutorials of others doing what they intend to learn.
- Some people learn best by reading books covering what they wish to learn.
- Some people learn best by having hands on practical. These people learn faster when they actually try to do what they want to learn.
These are the major ways most people have learnt to code over time, and at this point you should be able to identify which best describes you, as it will enhance and rapidly increase your chances of learning faster and focusing on your strength. It is also possible to be flexible enough and can learn very fast with any method, but at this stage, it is essential to highlight your strength and work with it. If you learn faster by watching tutorials, then youtube should be your companion. If you learn better by studying a book, then you should seek for PDF’s and other documentations to help foster your learning. If you learn faster by practicing, then you should pick up a very simple task and learn as you try to attempt it. What I am saying is, whatever system best suits you, never stop learning.
Practice Deliberately.
Learning to code is not enough, I mean, having the knowledge about something is not enough until you can apply it as a skill. To scale well and fast in programming, it is advisable to practice programming intentionally. Learning a new concept is very exciting, but that is not what I am insinuating by deliberate practice. By saying deliberate practice I mean, taking up a challenging or hard concept that you do not understand, sit down with it and study it intentionally with the sole purpose of understanding it and being able to apply it. If you pick up new hard concepts daily and try to assimilate them daily, you will be amazed at your own progress.
Practice Consistently
I am not the best developer out there, but to grow and learn quick, you must practice coding consistently, and by consistently I mean daily. You can take out an hour or two from your busy schedule to practice to code. The power to learning programming quick is not in the learning, it is in the consistency of practice. Make programming a daily habit, just like you eat and take water everyday, also make sure to learn and practice programming daily.
Ask Questions Always
Programmers are curious people. Curiosity is the mother of innovation. As a newbie, you must be very inquisitive and ask a lot of questions. We expect you to always ask questions. If you have the slightest of doubts, ask to seek answers immediately. The truth is this, the quicker your questions get answered, the better for you because then you can move on to learning newer things. Maximize the power of google. One of the best qualities of programmers is the ability to seek answers. Search on google for anything, ask other people who started this journey before you questions. If you have no question, that means you are not learning efficiently enough.
Learn The Basics First
The problem with learning to code is, you want to start doing great things almost immediately. You must understand that learning to program is done incrementally. Start with the basics, understand the fundamentals before moving to advanced topics. Just like the Elementary education, the basics in any given programming language is essential.
Teach Someone
This is what I tell everyone. The best way to learn is by teaching. Record tutorials and try explaining the concepts to other people. Look for someone else to teach as you learn. By doing this, you learn more, and have an in-depth understanding of what you are trying to explain.
Do Not Doubt Yourself
This is a feeling among even the best coder. Most times we all feel like frauds, like we are the worst. Trust me it’s a feeling that everyone is conversant with. My advise to you is, never doubt yourself. The doubt will creep in no doubt, but never give in. Keep at what you are doing and believe me when I say this, YOU ARE DOING ALRIGHT. Have fun while learning and don’t give room for self doubt.
One last piece of advise. When you start learning to code initially, you might feel like its not coming together, like you are not learning enough, remember Steve Jobs once said “We can only connect the dots looking back”. So, do not be bothered about not being sure if you grab what you are learning. Just keep practicing and keep learning. The dots will definitely connect.
I really hope this article helps someone out there. Welcome to the world of programming. I will try as much as possible to keep writing useful tips to help you scale from a complete beginner to becoming an intern, and then a finalist. Stay tuned as I will drop posts frequently.
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Once again, welcome to the world of programming, do have a wonderful time.
