When it comes to the topic of programming and coding, there are a lot of misconceptions coming from the non-IT people. It’s no secret that being a programmer is high-paying job, which drives more people to talk about this topic.
So I’m going to clear some misconceptions. After reading this, hopefully you will have a better picture about what it actually means to be programmer/coder/developer.
Before Starting
I am a fan of geeky jokes where clients don’t really know what they want from the designer or programmer, but those jokes are true for the most part.
Here are some statements and questions I encountered by the non-IT people and clients:
• Yeah cool, but I don’t like the look of it.
• Hey, I’m paying a lot of money! Don’t leave all that white space on our website!
• I want a lot of changes and new features, can’t you just type it out really fast?
If you don’t see these statements from the developer/designer perspective, you might even find them somewhat okay.
When you make website or software, it’s okay for your clients to not like the initial look. But we need the specifics to know what to change. We can’t read minds!
Clients generally don’t get the part that the simpler the frontend, the better experience for readers and users. Jammed front page doesn’t mean better front page. This disagreement usually affects designers, but also frontend developers.
Next misconception, the big one, is that you “just type” something and it magically happens.
Programming is thinking for the most part. You have to have the solution in your head, and coding is translating your thoughts into the language the computer understands. Code depends on other code, so writing it might require time and dedication. One of the things I hate the most are the insane deadlines – and believe me, they are common.
So, how DO you start?
When I was in the 7th grade, I liked games and I had billion ideas of my own. I was interested how they worked. How do you magically make a game that others can play and enjoy?
So that’s what I did, I googled “How to make games?” and a whole new world opened up for me.
I learned that there are programming languages – codes that you write and the computer understands them! So I started learning C#. It might not be the best for starters, but that’s what I found after googling “Best programming language for making games”. I remember my first program, you would type your favourite color, and the program would show “Your favourite color is: ” and the thing you typed. I was so happy to make something like that function!
My point is that googling and asking is your bet if you’re beginner. There are tons of content about programming, and you should just google whatever you want to know.
Youtube tutorials are also one of the best ways to learn at the beginning. For example, search for “c tutorial” or “web design” or whatever you want to learn, and you will get playlists of different tutorials. Just start any of them and learn!
What should you choose?
There are plenty of different types of developers. You should experiment with different things and technologies, but if you are already sure about what you want to do, here are some guidelines!
Game Development
You can search the tutorials for these:
• Unity3d/ Uneral Engine/ Game Maker – these are game engines. Based on what you choose, they can help you learn C# or C++ programming through making games!
Web Development
You can just search for web development tutorials to learn basics, or focus on these:
- HTML + CSS + JavaScript – they are the frontend of the website(the look of the website and the functionality)
- PHP – most common language of backend for beginners(connecting servers with clinets)
Desktop Apps
Here you can search for C#, C++, Python or Java.
Conclusion:
Just start with something, and later or sooner you will realize what path you want to follow!
Hope you enjoyed reading!