Programming is one of my most favorite things to do. The reasons are one too many. It combines my interest in mathematics and computers into an intriguing way of logic. Giving instructions to the computer and seeing it perform the tasks accordingly is surely a learning experience.
Most of my programming has been a journey of an uncountable amount of mistakes now and then. I made my own projects, and I compiled them successfully and that improved my caliber of programming.
I got this inspiration to program from my education. The syllabus of computers first had QBASIC, then HTML, and then Java (all in different grades). Java changed my perspective towards programming.
Many had told me (including seniors) that programming is difficult (some even said it’s hell.) But in an actual sense, I do not think it is. It may seem obviously challenging too many, but the way to master it is to persist.
In this post, I show you the various teachings I have gotten from programming.
1. Logic
What I love about programming is that there is some logic always involved in it. No matter what you do, or which programming language you practice, it is a necessity to get the logic (because it is the same for any language). Either I would follow the conventional ways (usual logic) or I try my best to create my logic. Of course, I would test my code a few times or even do my dry run if necessary.
The best thing about this is that coding uses math and step-by-step algorithms to explain how a computer works. As one gains experience in programming, he would use the logic that he has learned in the programming stuff. It does not matter which programming language you start with (I’d suggest Java for complete starters anyway). The only thing is you get the logic of the program right.
The advantage is, once you learn the basic concepts and master one programming language, then it is going to be easier for other similar languages. Therefore, experts do not suggest learning many languages at the same time (there are a few exceptions). Logic leads to mastery.
2. Real-life application
Yup, I never stopped with the theory. I tried programs on my own (either in or out of the textbook). Using what I have learned, I try to weave all that knowledge into my projects or investigate new and vital things.
For example, I made my calculator and a scoreboard for a cricket game. All that using Java only. You can try these out too with your own creativity and see how it goes. Always look out for mistakes and keep improving. These kinds of projects will certainly improve your command of programming and have a general idea of how it all works.
In the end, when I would finish such a project, the satisfaction and relief that I would feel is unreal! When you finally get that desired output and prove to yourself that you are a worthy programmer, that is one of the biggest achievements ever!
3. Patience
Bugs and errors: “I am inevitable!” (Yup, that is a Thanos reference.)
But on a serious note, you are going to get annoying bugs and syntax/logical errors more often than anything in programming. But if you don’t get it the first time, relax. Sip water and take a break. Vast projects take time too. Try reviewing each line and do a dry run patiently. You will see the difference and do the corrections yourself.
Ultimately, come what may, patience is a virtue in programming. It all takes time and for some people, it is truly boring to write the same lines again and again. So the solution to this specific issue would be to try other programs out of your textbook.
No matter what, even if it takes months or years, never finish or give up in the middle. You may have forgotten that one step to finish it with a wonderful note, so take a step back and think. Give a thought about where you went wrong and why you got that output. Get all the possibilities of mistakes and review them with your code one by one. It’s that simple.
4. Don’t stick to tutorial hell (Like, have a guide dude)
I’ve seen the majority (including myself) do this mistake.
Tutorial hell happens when you see only a set of tutorials without actually seeing any progress within yourself. This issue happened to me when I was learning HTML (because I didn’t even have a list of important concepts to complete). So I got stuck on YouTube and all I felt was, “what on Earth is this?” And a lack of proper guidance made me leave it in the middle. I focused more on programming than website development or designing, anyway.
And honestly, no programmer knows EVERY SINGLE concept in programming. Truth is, they need not. A programmer needs only whatever is needed to get the job done. The smart programmers will usually ignore anything extra. The smart programmers will usually ignore anything extra.
For me, the reason I got better at Java was the syllabus given. It took me step by step further and further into programming concepts. Every chapter would be harder, so that was a fun way of improvement.
If you do not have a syllabus to follow, at least ask someone who knows to program very well. Or you can go to those Instagram pages (there are a lot) and see what they post there. And I am sure you will find one of those posts where they say what to learn sequentially.
5. Persistence
Doing Java has certainly taught me how to persist. Despite the failures and mental pain/stress I have experienced with programming, I did not give myself space to stop. Sometimes the code did not run, sometimes it had bugs, errors, runtime crashes, etc.
But I did not care to give up. All I did was keep doing it further or even starting from scratch (yes, I am serious.)
It all took time and practice. I would only watch YouTube videos when I ran into confusion (for instance, iterations). I was very tactical in the sense that I would remember all the syntax in my own way. When to put the semicolon and when to not, all comes as an experience. Persistence was my key to an unstoppable interest in programming.
I have gained a lot of experience and learning because of programming alone. And I am sure you can too. I would prefer to start with Java/C++ first before going to languages like Python. Move with the flow and do whatever you can because there is room for improvement.
And by the way, programming is not too difficult. Essentially, it requires mathematical knowledge for you to predict the output of a code/snippet. And a bit of understanding of control statements and logic for you to move any further. For many similar programs, the basic idea is the same. The differences would be minute, such as the number of variables you use.
But once you have practiced some programs, you will boldly try some others, whether it ends up right or wrong.
So have a chill journey with programming!
