New Year’s resolutions

A few days ago we started the New Year 2022, many of us have new goals for this year, bigger and smaller dreams, and we look at these new 365 days with hope. Someone wants to quit smoking, someone wants to get rid of excess pounds and someone else wants to buy a new beautiful house. We can not help everyone or advise how to do it, but we can tell someone who wants to change their profession and start working as a programmer how to start programming from scratch. It may be easier than you might think. What are the pros and cons of this project, we will try to explain in today’s post.

Goal – change of profession

Regardless of what makes you consider changing your profession and starting to learn programming, and entering a career path in programming, it is worth analysing what possible learning channels and possible career paths you have. The first fundamental question is what direction will be right for you. This is important because the technologies you will use and what you will do as a future programmer will depend on it.

Assuming that your choice is the front-end, it is worth starting learning from JavaScript and familiarizing yourself with HTML and CSS, and this choice will provide you with ideal conditions for creating websites and web applications. However, if you choose the back-end, Java should be a great choice. If you have a problem with the choice of language and position, it is worth talking to some friends in the IT industry who will help you in this and direct your attention in a specific direction.

Learning methods

Once the path decision has been made, it is also worth considering how you will learn. There are many places to learn, both paid and free, offline or online, and each of these methods has advantages and disadvantages. The most popular are:

1. Studies — by far the most extended and comprehensive solution. Usually it is a full 5 years spent at the university, where you will come into contact with various technologies and issues, and just as important as science, you will meet new people with whom you will fight your way through it. Studies provide the widest range of knowledge, but there is also a lot of material that has nothing to do with what you will be doing in the future, despite the university diploma you received.
2. Programming bootcamps — these are typically annual courses that were created in response to the needs of employers from the IT industry. Simply put, it is the essence of your studies, which you will need at work and will give you the opportunity to fit perfectly into the labour market. Bootcamps are very practice-oriented and require a lot of self-denial and regularity. The available materials are based not only on the basics of programming, but also the science of technology that you will probably use in your future work.
3. Video courses — is a very popular form of learning from the very beginning. Undoubtedly, the advantage is the low cost of purchasing materials (on profile channels the promotion lasts all year round) and contains a very systematized knowledge base. Typically, such a course is based on a series of videos in which the lecturer guides the student practically on a string through an unknown topic. The downside of this form of learning is that the topic is too superficial and that it is not possible to undergo practice. Programming is learned through practice, not just watching. Movies are watched lightly, but there is a risk that, after watching the 30 hours of the material, you will unfortunately absorb only a fragment. If you are a systematic person with a lot of self-denial to follow the video material and program, this form of learning will give you complete satisfaction.
4. Books and scripts — classic, good old books are a great source of knowledge, regardless of the direction in which you are studying. Books give you the opportunity to explore a topic at a more advanced level, you can systematize knowledge from a narrow range of material. As they usually go through a dozen or so hands at the planning and publishing stage, they are better prepared than free materials on the Internet. In the age of current technology, unfortunately, book knowledge alone will not prepare you for the profession.
5. Free materials on various platforms, eg YT — we have the 21st century and there will be no problem with finding any material for learning. It is exactly the same with learning to code, there is a lot of material and everyone can find something specific for themselves. The advantage of this form of education is definitely the availability of material, all you need is Internet access, a computer and a lot of time. The downside is probably that the entire amount of information is not substantively structured, and the quality itself varies. Either way, it’s a good way to try different learning methods.

In conclusion

Regardless of which way of learning you choose, remember that in order to learn to program well, you have to … code! The best and surest way to learn is not only through theory, but above all through practice. Therefore, at any free moment or while watching a training video, sit at the keyboard and try, act, code! Good luck.