In this article, we will go through 12 Tips for a beginner coder. When I began coding, I felt overwhelmed by the vast array of coding languages and the dizzying number of tutorials. That said, if you are looking to get your first foray into coding, here are some tips for you to make it easier on yourself!

Code online!

You can start with Khan Academy or Codecademy. One important thing to consider when picking a site is if it has an integrated version control system – best to use Github that runs on git.

Pick a forgiving language.

Python and Ruby seem to be the easiest for beginners. These languages aren’t as verbose and thus your programs and libraries will be easier to read and understand.

The only way to learn is by doing, so just start coding! No matter how bad your code looks, you will learn from it and you will get better.

Google and refer online over and over again.

If you are having trouble understanding the programming language(s) of your tutorials or of online coding platforms, try taking a course on Codecademy or khan academy which cover more of the basics. They will introduce more of the fundamentals such as variables, loops, functions, arrays, if statements, etc.

Don’t get discouraged!

If you find a programming language too difficult to grasp, try a more forgiving one. Just keep trying, don’t give up!

Read the documentation for the languages you are using.

I know it may seem like an unnecessary step, but this is actually very important because it can help you understand exactly what’s happening inside your program. It’ll also save you time if something gets messed up in your program because you can go back to see how the developer used the functions/libraries

How To tips for a beginner coder

When you get to coding, these few tips might help you along the way.

1. Make sure all of your tools are up-to-date before getting started – the last thing anyone wants is errors due to outdated software packages or hardware
2. Make a copy of the files that you are working on before changing them, just in case something goes wrong.
3. Organize your code so that it is easier to read and understand. This includes setting your indentation so your code looks neat.
4. Try to write code that makes sense! It may look sloppy or sloppy-looking at first, but after enough time you will be able to comprehend it quite easily without looking at it again! If you already know what the code for a certain function does, try to use it in other parts of your programs where it would make sense (unless the function is only used in one part).
5. After a while, you will start to feel much more comfortable reading other people’s code! You’ll also begin to see patterns in programming styles – for example, how many spaces are used after an if statement or what kind of brackets are used to group functions.
6. Write unit tests for everything! Unit tests will make your programs much easier to maintain and easier to update. See benefits of software testing.
7. Group similar functions together (i.e., all of your draw() functions together)
8. Make sure that your writing is easily readable and that it makes sense. It may not be perfect at first, but with enough practice, it can become quite seamless!
9. When debugging your programs, try to set breakpoints at different parts of your program so that you can look through the code step by step.
10. If you are having trouble understanding something, try thinking about it backwards! This will help you see the exact steps required to solve it
11. Don’t be afraid to ask questions on StackOverflow or on r/learnprogramming.
12. Always make sure that you are saving your files! That means you need to be backing up your work every time you make changes. If worse comes to worst, make sure to make a copy of the files before saving them because there’s no telling what could happen to them.

Conclusion

This article shows you how to get started with your first programming project. The more you code, the better you’ll get! I also show that there is more than just one way to code a simple program.

I hope this article will help you get started! 

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