First thing is first, why should you even care
about coding? Well...
Did you know that coding
can boost problem-solving and logic skills?
Outside of the
implications of coding which look good on a resume, coding does
boost skills that are useful to most jobs. Problem solving and logic are
the main two. Learning to code is like an exercise session for the left side of
the brain. Going back to the resume, having coding experience listed on your
resume also says "Hey, I can solve difficult problems."
Coding can allow you to
pursue passion projects. Ever wanted to create something, but didn't know how?
Coding is a fantastic skill
for you if you’re the sort of person who has tons of ideas and wants to get
started on everything yesterday. Not having to look elsewhere for a coder saves
both time and money, plus it means you can keep changing and redesigning as
your idea develops. Additionally, no one will ever care about your project as
much as you. Take matters into your own hands.
Improve your
interpersonal skills.
Once you get past the
learning stage and the first few small individual projects, you will more than
likely find yourself working as part of a larger team. Coding for most big
projects tends to be a collaborative effort. This means having to work as one
cog as part of a greater team. Learning how to best interact with bosses and
co-workers is an essential work skill, and it can often be developed through
coding.
Build confidence.
On a personal level, we
enjoy doing the things we are good at most. This means the more you learn the
more confidence you will feel and the more you will want to learn. Sometimes
our learning process is affected by our fear of being perceived as "not
knowing" in a public setting. This is why when we are in a public setting
and the presenter, speaker, teacher, etc., asks if anyone has any questions.
Few people dare to ask, because they don't want to feel silly.
With coding, you don't
have to worry about that, because you can learn it all on your own. The amount
of resources available today allows those interested to sit in front of their
computer and go from 0 to competent without any peer pressure.
Once you can hold your
own in the coding space you will gain incredible confidence from all the
attention that you will receive from having a desirable skill in a competitive
job market that can help you become more confident in your abilities. It’s also
quite an addictive process – the more you learn, the more you’ll want to learn.
Knowing that any problem which could stump most people is easily solved by you
is empowering.
Anyone can do it.
Unlike a lot of items on
a position’s person specification, like a university degree, pretty much anyone
can learn to code. It doesn’t take several years or cost thousands. As stated
before, coding learning can pretty much be done online and from the comfort of
your own home and can be learned flexibly around your other commitments.
"Ok, I am in, but
there are so many languages to choose from..."
That is true, and part
of being successful in anything is picking your targets.
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| source - https://statisticstimes.com/ |
After some searching around on the world wide web (the internet), Java and Python keep coming up as two of the most widely used languages around the world. Therefore, we will focus on those two.
There will be those who
disagree with these choices. Java for example is a very old language, and some
will say that it is being replaced by other easier-to-learn languages in many
scenarios and that in the future, no one will use Java.
Python, on the other
hand, is very much in demand, but some will argue that is not being used by many
enterprise organizations, or that there are better choices, or again that it
will not be the language of the future.
From my personal
experience, Java is still widely used both in enterprise and consumer projects
including mobile. On Android, for example, Google has begun to shift from Java
to Kotlin as their primary language of choice, however, when searching online
to answers for common coding problems, for every Kotlin article, there are
several Java articles.
When it comes to Python,
most people associate the language with data science, and yes I think that
eventually, Python will replace R as the language of choice in this space. R is
great for mathematical calculations but is a rigid language. Python is more
fluid and a lot easier to understand. The reality is that Python has so many
more applications beyond data science. It is particularly good for making
integrations between applications that are not designed to natively talk to
each other.
Finally, I would add
that if you are trying to enhance your skills today and perhaps make yourself a
more attractive candidate in a very competitive market, then the logical choice
is to learn the languages that are being used today. Once you land a job in the
industry, you will more than likely get exposure to future languages in the
future. By that time you will be considered an equal amongst your peers and on
equal footing to enhance your knowledge and learn new and exciting
things.
Let's talk about
resources.
#1 Online Learning
As discussed earlier,
online learning has become increasingly popular because of its flexibility and
"to the point" approach. Below are some of my favorite go-to
resources.
Free Code Camp
Over 7000+ video courses, completely free of
charge and taught by professionals in the space.
What the folks at freecodecamp.org are doing is truly remarkable. In a world where everyone is trying to charge or make money from everything, I call it the "sell everything, to everyone" world, here is this group of awesome folks who are giving back to the community by teaching others what they know. Did I mention that it is free? Yes, I did, but I wanted to say it one more time.
Before you explore any of the below e-learning resources check out freecodecamp.org. Great and relevant content, at no charge.
Udacity
I will not spend a ton of time talking about
this as I have another blog post that does just that. See link https://jmdevlabs.blogspot.com/2021/06/my-udacity-review.html
They have so much content, a ton of it for free and all very well thought out and illustrated for a great learning experience.
Their pricing model is based on curriculum, enroll in the Java Web Dev Curriculum, pay X amount, and complete by X date.
Be on the lookout for their scholarships, which every year award to thousands of students just by enrolling and free of charge.
Datacamp
When it comes to python for data science and/or
data manipulation in general I have yet to find another place with a curriculum
as good as Datacamp. Even long after graduating from their Python courses, I
still pay the monthly membership just to go back and refresh on content from
time to time. Additionally, students get their test environment.
Their pricing model revolves around memberships, which makes it a lot more affordable for many of us. Here is a thought, instead of paying for Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+, buy a Datacamp membership and learning something useful.
Udemy
Another popular and largely successful
e-learning platform. I like Udemy when I have a specific project and I want to
find a specific course that talks about what I am trying to do. Udemy has a per-course
pricing, lately, they have tried to change their model a bit to follow more in
the path of the resources above, by creating relationships between courses that
are related, or allowing course authors to create a chain of courses that are
linked in a curriculum. The experience is not as great as that of the resources
above, but if you need a quick video on a course on learning how to do X and
you need it fast, Udemy is the place to find it. Their course catalog is huge.
There is a ton of free courses, coupons, etc.
#2 Books
Reading books can be incredibly relaxing, and very rewarding. Reading differs from other content consumption mainly in that you do it at your speed. Think about it, if you are watching live content on a video you have to be able to pick up the concepts at the speed at which they are presented to you.
Reading is also a great way to spark your imagination. Thus, why not reading about something that can bring you great personal and professional fulfillment in the not-so-distant future.
Having said that, what is the number one source of online books today? Yup, Amazon.
Don't forget that with Amazon you can consume
books the old fashion way (paperback) or you can get kindle books or even
audiobooks. I favor paperback for leisure reading, although lately, I have been
doing a ton of audible, especially in the car.
If I am trying to implement or try things from a book then I will likely get the book in kindle form.
Books are a great way to understand why things work the way they do. When learning to program, at the beginning you will be content to know how to do things. Once you get past the novice stage however you will want to and often be expected to (if you want to be regarded as an expert) know why things work a certain way. This is a great area where books on the topic can bring a ton of value.
Below is a list of Python, Java, and general programming books that I have found very useful.
Coding All-in-One For Dummies
Foundational books are great because sometimes
you just don't know what you want or will like. Having exposure to various
things will allow you to gravitate to things that you find interesting. Who
knows, you might read this book and find that you want to do C# instead.
Who doesn't like bundles? According to the
reviews, over 1400 readers think this is a worthy investment. Don't much care for Excel? No one does, but when
it comes to data manipulation, much of the data will originate from provided
spreadsheets.
- from Amazon
Below are some of the books I have read from Starch pub.
I hope that you have found this content useful and inspiring, if you fancy buying any of these cooks or other e-learning resources and you choose to use the provided links (not required) please know that they are affiliate links, and doing so will mean that I might receive compensation for my efforts.
So on that note, thank you very much.
J.
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