Learn to program
Aspiring software developers often don’t know where to start when learning to program.Should I get a “Teach Myself Programming” book and learn from that?Do I need a Computer Science degree?Which programming languages should I learn?Should I learn every programming language?How do I design an application?The most important thing to understand is programming languages go in and out of fashion over the years. Therefore, educating yourself in current technologies and the history of computing would certainly be a good start to your career in IT.You probably need to know a fair bit of maths to be a programmer but soft skills are very important too. So a well rounded education is a must. You don’t want to be stuck in an office on a low wage because you are unable to assert yourself.Next, you need to learn about process models. A typical software project should consist of REQUIREMENTS, DESIGN, CODING, TESTING, USER ACCEPTANCE. It’s generally better to at least be aware of everyone elses role even if you are just doing the coding. Become a generalist. Learn a little about everything in the IT world. Everything is interrelated so no experience is wasted. I worked as an IT Trainer which taught be about end user’s dissatisfaction with many pieces of software, I’ve worked as a software developer which has showed me that many programmers don’t understand what users want (they just want something that works – nothing fancy!), I’ve worked in sales so I understand what customer’s requirements are.But how many programming languages do I need to learn? Well, once you’ve mastered the foundation of Computer Science and learnt a couple of Object Oriented Programming languages such as Java or C# and used them with a database and server sided scripting language, then you’ll notice that learning a new language isn’t that difficult. In general, you’ll find that you learn more and more programming languages through necessity as your career progresses. Many roles require you know 10 or more different languages as well as standards (such as W3C web standards, usability guidelines) and process models (SSADM, waterfall, Spiral).But should I learn a simpler language first? Well, you could but you don’t have to. I suppose if you learn a more complex language like C++ first and then learnt something simpler like Visual Basic.Net then the learning curse would be steeper for C++ having had no previous experience but subsequently learning VB.Net would be easier. I find that learning a language for a purpose gives me most motivation. First I learnt VB 6 because I needed to for college, then I learnt Ruby on Rails because I needed to. Since then I seem to learn a few a year, just to keep up to date.But don’t programming languages go out of favour? Yes they do but I have a theory that when one programming language, say Delphi, loses its appeal then a new language, say Ruby on Rails, becomes popular. Few developers know Ruby on Rails (well less than .Net) so everyone rushes to learn it. For a time, jobs in RoR are better paid but there are fewer of them.Why learn lots of languages? Good question. Different languages have different applications. You wouldn’t expect an electrician to come to your house with just one size screwdriver would you? Java is slowly than C++ for desktop applications. Delphi isn’t as good for web applications.To be an effective programmer you need to understand how the mind works. When I was younger I had difficulty dropping off to sleep. My dad said lay there until you go to sleep. My grandma said if you can’t sleep get up for a while and get a drink of milk then go back to bed. Guess who’s method worked best. Correct – my grandma’s. The same applies to programming. If it ain’t happening then come away from your desk, read a book, go for a walk. Do something else. Or even sleep on it. Your mind will unconsciously process the problem and when you return to your desk you should be a little further towards solving it. This is why I don’t believe in sticking programmers in 9-5 office environments – they sap creativity and lead to burnout.Healthy body, healthy mind. If you sit there programming all day and all night you are going to get ill and not work to your full capacity. Get to the gym and exercise your body. Also, the stereotypical diet of a computer programmer is lots of coffee, chocolate and crisps. Food and drink which you can make and eat quickly at your desk. If you eat junk food you will produce junk code. Simple as that.The endDeveloper of http://www.computercoders.com
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