When I was a beginner, I was shocked by so many programming languages, what’s the difference between them, and which one I should start with.

I remember the dummy thing I had done is: I spent a lot of time trying each one and wanted to find the one that I can understand and master well. This approach is definitely not the most effective way. Moreover, it would even destroy your interests and confidence. Because some programming languages are pretty hard. If you don’t know any computer science fundamental concepts, it’s hard to figure out why and how they work.

If I can go back to the start, I will learn coding in a smart way.

What’s your interest?

In reality, we couldn’t do everything. We can choose our expertise. For example, I want to be a web developer and build responsive, functioning websites. So, instead of searching “how to code for beginners”, you should search how to build a website – a step-by-step guide for beginners. Another useful tip is to find out the technology stack that some big companies are using. Most of the time, these companies represent the latest technologies and even provide open-source frameworks for all the developers. For example, React is a free and open-source front-end JavaScript library for building user interfaces based on UI components. It is maintained by Meta and a community of individual developers and companies. By doing this, you get a shortcut to learning from the newest technologies, and also your interest will motivate you along the way.

Should I learn as many languages as possible at the same time?

Learning to code isn’t that hard. Many people can learn the basics and start writing the sample projects in a couple of weeks. Coding will give you valuable skills. And we want to extend our skills. That makes sense. However, don’t push yourself, especially in the beginning. You should dive deep into one area and be fluent in at least one programming language. That will give you a good understanding of syntax and logic. There are many common things between compiled programming languages and interpreted programming languages. Let’s say, you know a lot about Python. One day, if you want to switch to backend development, learning Go or Java will be much easier. You can learn more languages. But being focused on one at the beginning will make you learn fast.

Choose the right resources to learn

Nowadays, there are many learning resources for coding.

• Online coding courses:

Online learning platforms, such as Coursera, udemy, codecademy, provide various courses for different languages and levels. Some of their courses are provided by professors from universities. They are really like the academic classes you took at school. Instead of going to school, you can learn anytime and anyplace. Also, the cost of courses is fairly low or free compared with the school’s tuition. Sometimes, you even can get certification for certain programs. It’s a really good resource to learn if you want to learn some basic computer science concepts at the same time.

• YouTube videos:

Personally, I’m a big fan of YouTube tutorial videos. The school class usually teaches the basic or the entry functions. However, sometimes, it turns out some of the functions are not used by the industry anymore. In contrast, the content provider on YouTube can give us more insights into what new frameworks developers are using now. Normally, they also teach you a new framework step-by-step which is more visual than the documentation.

Keep practicing writing your programs

Once you finish a tutorial project, you have a basic understanding of your chosen language and should start creating and building your own projects.
When building your own app, you will encounter new problems. To solve these problems, you need to learn more new things. Remember, practice makes perfect. And you will become a successful programmer one day.

Learning how to code for beginners can be really fun and exciting. Coding can provide you with valuable skills which might expand your career. Coding is satisfying when you accomplished a project. However, coding can be challenging. With some tips, you can learn coding more effectively and less stressfully. Hope you have a good start!