With increasing technological innovations, there is no shortage of reasons to learn to program. After all, this is a great way to be prepared for the job market, which has a growing demand for this professional. This is because software must remain present in our routines in the coming years — especially with the popularisation of the Internet of Things .
In addition to employment possibilities, programming allows you to learn several subjects at the same time, as it requires knowledge of physics, mathematics and chemistry, as well as English to write codes.
If you believe that your professional future could be combined with information technology , don’t miss this post. We’re going to give you 7 tips on how to learn to program. Continue reading and check it out!
1. Understand the fundamentals of programming
The first step to becoming a successful programmer is knowing the fundamentals of programming. There are several languages that can be used in this career, each of them with a specific purpose. If you want to create an iOS app, for example, you’ll need to master Swift .
However, don’t make the mistake of trying to embrace everything at once and take a step bigger than you can handle. You don’t want to do a dynamic reading of all your material at once and only later try to practice those teachings.
Instead, set small reading goals and put what you learn into practice to better establish these fundamentals through codes you can create yourself. This way, your evolution will be much more linear and noticeable.
2. Create a personal project
A good way to study at home and learn to program is by creating a personal project. This way, you will actually put what you are learning into practice, not just being stuck with theoretical exercises in handouts and textbooks.
Let’s say you want to create an iOS app to organize the movies you watch. Now, imagine that it can send you a notification when that release you’ve been waiting for finally opens in theaters? To do this, in addition to mastering the Swift language , you will need to learn how to code how to send messages.
By combining your learning with the needs of your personal project, you will have a more comprehensive view of what you need to study and more control over the usability of what you learn, making better use of the codes you create in the exercises.
3. Discover the essential platforms for programmers
Once you’ve studied the fundamentals of programming and thought about a personal project so you can put all this knowledge into practice, it’s time to choose which platform it will be developed on.
This way, you can focus your studies on what you like most, whether developing mobile applications for Android or iOS, or creating front-end web systems. After all, no one likes to work for a long time with something they don’t feel an affinity for, right?
By making this choice, you will be able to completely master one platform before moving on to another, allowing you to visualize your growth and evolution as a programmer more clearly.
4. Talk to other programmers
Programming is a career that is always changing, as technologies continue to evolve. Therefore, a good tip is to talk to other programmers who already have some professional experience in the area.
By maintaining this contact, you will not only be able to establish promising networking , but also stay up to date with news in the sector, especially with regard to new versions of the platforms on which you usually program.
Furthermore, this is a chance to understand what the career challenges are and how to overcome them, as well as the solutions that your potential clients may need and that you can offer — a more intuitive finance application, for example.
5. Find a mentor
Talking to other programmers will also offer you the possibility of getting a mentor. Someone with a lot of experience on the platform you are interested in and who can teach you how to make the most of it to become a successful programmer.
However, make no mistake: this mentor does not necessarily need to be a person. After all, it is possible to find excellent books, websites and even YouTube channels aimed at teaching programming, with rich and didactic content, ready to be consumed. Therefore, study them diligently and master all the knowledge they have to offer.
6. Write code daily
All learning requires practicing that content, whether through exercises or through a personal project. After all, this is how you will be able to test what you have learned to see if you really understand the basics and resolve any doubts you may have.
Learning to program is no different: it is with practice that you will be able to master each line of code, in each language, on different programming platforms.
Therefore, try to establish a schedule in your routine so that you can write programming codes in order to acquire a certain proficiency in this activity. If you can make this practice a daily habit, the results will be even better.
7. Go to IT college
Finally, our last tip in this post is for you to take the next step and invest in a college that offers higher education courses in the IT area.
The Computer Networks technologist course , for example, aims to train professionals capable of meeting the demands of the project design and development market. The degree in Information Systems trains its students to plan, analyze, evaluate and manage information technologies and the structure in which they are applied.
