It’s no surprise that coding has become an in-demand skill. The UK tech sector employs over 1.7 million people and adds over £150 billion to the UK economy every year. Under the right conditions, UK tech could add a further £41.5 billion to the UK economy and create an additional 678,000 jobs by 2025.
And if you want to some of that money, you better start coding today!
Don’t worry, Tech Academia has got you covered!
Follow these steps and you’ll be coding in no time!
Define your objective #
It’s very easy to rush into trying to start coding, but it’s very important to think about why you want to learn. For example, are you trying to become a software engineer? Are you perhaps interested in artificial intelligence and want to explore that avenue? Or maybe you want to learn how to build websites or apps. What if you’re just interested in learning for fun? Thinking about the end goal is important because it helps you create a plan to get there, which streamlines the journey and makes it a smoother process.
Choose your programming language #
Programming languages are the tools we use to write instructions for computers. They allow us to create software, apps, websites, and much more. Each language has its unique syntax and use cases. Here’s a brief overview of some popular programming languages:
- Python
- Characteristics: Known for its simplicity and readability, Python is a high-level language that’s great for beginners.
- Uses: Widely used in web development, data science, artificial intelligence, scientific computing, and automation.
- Why Choose Python: Ideal for beginners due to its easy-to-understand syntax. Python has a large community, extensive libraries, and is versatile across different fields.
- JavaScript
- Characteristics: JavaScript is an essential language for front-end web development.
- Uses: Primarily used for adding interactive elements to websites, it’s also used in server-side (Node.js) and mobile app development.
- Why Choose JavaScript: If you’re interested in web development, JavaScript is indispensable. It’s dynamic, supports event-driven programming, and has a vast ecosystem.
- Java
- Characteristics: Java is a high-level, object-oriented language known for its portability across platforms.
Uses: Commonly used in enterprise environments, Android app development, web applications, and large systems development.
Why Choose Java: Offers robust community support, scalability, and is widely used in corporate settings, making it a valuable language for career-oriented developers.
- Characteristics: Java is a high-level, object-oriented language known for its portability across platforms.
Once you know your objective, it becomes significantly easier for you to choose a programming language. For example, if you know that you’re interested in building websites, you start by learning HTML, CSS, and later on JavaScript and its respective frameworks like REACT.
You can see how this makes things easier for yourself, right?
If you didn’t define your objective, you may have just decided to choose any language for the sake of learning how to code, which isn’t conducive to the outcome you want. We see it often; someone wants to learn machine learning and AI but is learning Java!
Also, when thinking of the programming language you would like to learn, it’s imperative you think of important factors such as:
- Language difficulty
- Availability of learning resources
- Community support
- Availability of tutorials
- Online forums
Here are some programming resources we recommend for you to start your journey learning to program:
Set Up the Development Environment #
A development environment is where you write, test, and debug your code. Setting up a proper environment is crucial for you to start coding efficiently and effectively. Here’s how you can set up your own:
- Essential Tools and Software for Coding
Code Editor: This is where you’ll write your code. Popular editors include Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, and Atom. They offer features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and customization options.
If you’re a beginner, we recommend you use VSCode.
Here’s how to install Visual Studio Code Setup Overview and use VSCode Usage Tutorial
Integrated Development Environment (IDE): When you get more advanced with your coding, you can use an IDE. An IDE like IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, or PyCharm can be used. It integrates several development tools, including a code editor, debugger, and build automation tools.
Version Control System: Tools like Git help manage different versions of your code and collaborate with others. Platforms like GitHub or Bitbucket provide online hosting for your code repositories.
Here is a beginner tutorial for Git and GitHub. If you’re a complete beginner, you won’t need this for now, just focus on setting up your code editor. However, once you start working on bigger/collaborative projects, using Git is very important. It is the industry standard, so you’ll end up learning it one way or another. - Creating and Running Your First Simple Program
Writing Your First Code:
Start with a simple program, like ‘Hello World’. Write the code in your chosen language in the code editor.
For example, in Python, you would write:print("Hello, World!")
Running the Program:
Learn how to run your code within the code editor or using the command line.
In VS Code, you can usually run your program by right-clicking on the file and selecting ‘Run Python File in Terminal’ (or the equivalent for your language).
Understanding Output:
See the output of your code in the terminal or console window of your code editor. For the ‘Hello World’ example, you should see the text “Hello, World!” displayed.
Build Projects #
One mistake beginners often make when trying to start coding is that they don’t practice enough. They watch video tutorials, read books, and study syntax and documentation. But this isn’t enough. You need to get hands-on!
Here’s a quick analogy. Imagine you were trying to get better at football in a year. You spent your time watching all the match highlights, studying how star players performed at the top level, and reading autobiographies of players.
How much do you think you would have improved over a year? Not much…
Why?
Because you didn’t go outside and kick the football! And the same applies when you start coding. You need hands-on experience. And the best way to do that is by creating projects. You can learn more about creating projects in our “Starting and Completing your First Technology Project” module, but here’s a quick summary.
A programming project is the process of designing, coding, testing, and documenting a software-based solution to a particular problem or to fulfil a specific requirement. This could range from a simple script that performs a small task to large-scale software applications that serve millions of users, so there’s a project for you, regardless of whether you’re a novice or a programming whizz! For those of you who don’t have much technical experience, this is a great way for you to flesh out your CV.
- Define the Objective:Understand and clearly state the problem you’re addressing.List necessary and optional features of your software.Define the project scope to avoid overexpansion.
- Research and Planning:Explore existing solutions for insights.Choose the appropriate technology stack based on the project type.Set a realistic timeline and break tasks into manageable units.
- Technology Stack Selection:Identify suitable technologies for different types of projects like web, desktop, and mobile applications, games, data analysis, and databases.
- Design Phase:Plan the UI/UX, system architecture, and database design.Choose efficient algorithms and data structures.
- Coding:Start with foundational code structures.Develop features systematically.Maintain code quality through best practices.
- Testing:Conduct unit and integration testing.Perform cross-browser testing for web applications.User testing for practical feedback.
- Documentation:Document your code and create user guides where necessary.
- Feedback and Iteration: Collect and incorporate feedback. Continuously refine your project.
Join a Community! #
Learning to program is extremely rewarding. If you have an idea, you can turn it into reality with technology! However, its not easy to start coding. It can be quite daunting and can be quite isolating if you try to take on the challenge by yourself. However, luckily for you, there are communities available! You can join our technology Discord community here. Members have received offers at top companies such as Amazon, Bloomberg, and JP Morgan!
Now that you’ve finished this module, it’s time to write your CV so you can start applying for spring weeks, internships, and graduate jobs! Click here to learn how to do it for free!
We hope you found this guide useful. If you did, make sure to share it with your friends so they can start coding too!