Many people want to connect their lives with programming. This profession is progressive and interesting, it is in demand and well paid. You can master programming skills from scratch on your own, but training can take a lot of time and require some effort.
Choice of language and direction
Becoming a programmer from scratch at home is quite difficult. First you’ll have to choose a narrower field of specialty, because a programmer can make applications, sites and much more. Then you should decide on the programming language. This is not easy, you have to delve into the field and spend a lot of time on a detailed study.
The learning process itself can be completely independent and take place with the help of available literature and software, services. Some find themselves mentors or go to specialized schools for a certificate or diploma. All options can be equally effective.
Consider the main areas and programming languages.
- Web development. Languages such as Python, Ruby, JavaScript, and PHP are used here.
- Development for mobile devices. For gadgets running iOS, you need to know Objective-C, and if you need to write for Android, then you use the Java language. Swift is also used in this direction.
- Development of programs and games for PC. You should know such languages: C ++, C #, C.
- Machine Learning and AI. To work in this direction, Python, R, Scala are used.
Where to begin?
Learning programming at home is quite difficult, but such a choice will surely pay off over time. In the public domain there are many manuals and books for learning new things.It should be understood that there are many programming languages, and each is created for a certain range of tasks. There is other information that will have to be studied.
To facilitate, you can start learning programming with courses. So, a person with practical experience can help determine the vector of learning. Moreover, it is a great way to reduce time costs. Lessons and assignments from professionals will allow you to quickly navigate a lot of information.
If you still want to learn the codes yourself, it is recommended to work with official documentation in the original language.
Advantages of self-mastering the profession:
- a large number of practices that you will definitely need during the study of languages and libraries;
- the ability to quickly start earning, applying new skills;
- more responsible approach and attitude;
- minimal financial expenses or their complete absence.
It is worth noting that Becoming a professional in a short period of time will not work. No one to ask for advice, therefore in learning will have to face many difficulties. The search for information and its analysis takes longer than the training itself. But in any case, it is worth deciding on the type of activity at the very beginning.
Often, beginners begin with the development of complex and prestigious languages. At first, interest is strong, but a large load leads to its loss.
When choosing the first language, you should focus on the following criteria:
- the possibility of future employment;
- low level of entry;
- direction of activity.
The level of entry implies the complexity of the language, which does not make you refuse to study it.
The most accessible are considered PHP, Python, Ruby.
It is important to clearly understand whether the programming language is suitable for solving those problems that are of interest. So, for writing sites and games you need to get different knowledge and skills.
Understand HTML and CSS
At the very beginning of the journey, you should get basic skills. HTML is a hypertext markup language. With it, a web page is created. Learning is quite simple, because the language consists of clear tags. CSS allows you to style a previously created element so that it is visually beautiful.
Finding suitable literature in the public domain is easy, but in the original it is in English.
Many experts recommend not to turn to translations, but to study programs in the form in which they are originally.
Mastering HTML and CSS makes it possible to work as a typesetter. If you want, you should stop at this stage, give him a little more time.
Get to know jQuery
The JavaScript library has a simple and clear syntax. There is quite a lot of literature that will help in learning. The jQuery feature set has been around for a long time and allows us to improve the page after using HTML and CSS. Using this library you can:
- remove differences in document displays that exist between browsers;
- abstract the interface;
- fix most of the problems that may occur when viewing a page.
If the study became interesting, then you can continue to master JavaScript, and then there will be enough skills to work as a front-end programmer.
This information is needed for anyone who decides to go into web development. In other cases, just familiarize yourself with the library, understand the principle of action and move on.
Learn server programming language
Here the future specialist has to make a choice. Server languages are needed in order to describe possible scenarios of user interaction with the application or site. Before training, you should carefully consider the strategy. There are quite a few languages of this kind: PHP, Ruby, Java, C, Python and others. Usually, the project uses the one with more specialists.
The most common server-side programming language is PHP The cost of working with its use is low, because the threshold for entering a niche will be low.
In the case of Java, Ruby, Python, things are much better. It is not necessary to know everything, you need to choose one thing and master it perfectly. At the same time, Python is considered the easiest to learn.
Basic knowledge
A programmer of any level and direction should know the math. Moreover, the key role is the understanding of logic, and not work with numbers. It is considered that This is especially important for laborious tasks.
Everyone who decides to start training should know English at that level in order to understand the official documentation.
Most educational literature becomes obsolete by the time it is translated into Russian. Moreover, programming is popular in any country, and knowledge of English will expand the horizons of a novice specialist.
A programmer must know:
- HTML markup language and CSS design;
- JavaScript
- Android, iOS, Windows systems for PC and its mobile version;
- Algorithms
Where to get experience?
It is impossible to master a profession with the help of independent tasks alone, you need to deal with real projects. Gradually, knowledge will make good money. You can write your first code when creating your own project, site or program. This is what happens when you study programming courses. However, this is not the only way.
Many novice professionals begin to freelance. Remote work is quite convenient, because you can simultaneously receive the missing knowledge.
First you can look for orders on freelance exchanges. You will have to deal with small and inexpensive tasks in order to earn a certain rating and trust from employers.
It is more interesting and promising to work on English-speaking exchanges. There is more payment, but more diverse tasks. Such experience is useful for creating a portfolio. After working on the Internet, you can find a company and build a career in it. Many programmers continue to work remotely for their own pleasure and a sense of independence.
A rather interesting option would be to search for a project that is being developed by the same novice experts. You can ask for help from familiar programmers who can share a certain range of tasks. Much depends on the direction that was originally chosen for training. So, when writing programs it is much better to make your own project.
Recommendations
Professionals assure that the first language, which the beginner begins to master, is of great importance. It is this knowledge that will become the basis for all subsequent ones. The first language allows you to understand the logic of writing code, so it is better if it is simple and understandable. You should also begin to put knowledge into practice as early as possible.
Python is considered the easiest to learn. The simple syntax does not cause difficulties in understanding logic, and knowledge of this language saves time. Moreover, after development it is already possible to perform paid tasks. Existing library databases will make working with Python as simple as possible.
The next challenger to learn is Java. The language is popular, it is used in solving many problems. True, mastering it will be more difficult than the previous one. An interesting option would be PHP. The peculiarity of the language is that there are many options for solving one problem.
You should not start with the languages C, C ++ and C #. They offer prospects, but are highly complex.
All experts agree that this is the worst start to immersion in the profession. Wherein It is important that the first language allows solving problems in the chosen field of activity.