When an individual makes his mind to learn programming skills, he comes up with various questions in his mind such as how to start, where to write the first code, etc. And the beginners don’t only find it difficult to get started with coding but also struggle to find the worthwhile platform & resources to learn and excel the programming skills. However, you don’t need to worry about it as all experienced programmers are once a beginner and the problem is faced by almost every individual out there – all you need to do is follow the strategical approaches and be consistent throughout the entire learning process.
Must Read: How Learning To Code Can Change Your Life?
Here, in this article, we’ll let you know about several most-recommended tips to learn Coding effectively and will also mention various prominent platforms where you can learn & practice your programming skills conveniently:
1. Get Proficient with the relevant Programming Language
If you want to learn to write code then obviously, you need to know a programming language to interact with the computer. This is going to be your first and foremost step to understand all the basic concepts of the programming language you choose. As it’s always confusing for beginners to choose a programming language so let’s make it more simple for you. Although every language has its own use cases, as you are a beginner and most probably in school or university where the preferred language is C/C++, you can start with C as it is a middle-level language & you’ll not have to worry about learning OOPs concept while learning it. After that, you can move to Python, C++, Java, etc. according to your end goal.
By end goal, it means few if you want to get completely into competitive programming or want to learn about the embedded systems then you can choose C++. Some people want to get into ML/AI or backend development then they can choose Python. Similarly, some want to make websites then they need to know JavaScript, etc. But at the start, you don’t have to worry too much. Remember it’s not that hard to switch language, the hard part is to learn the first one properly. So take it slow and you will do wonders.
Now the question arises, how will you learn C? There are many resources – one of the most popular and most-recommended is neveropen where you can learn and practice C programming (and other languages as well) without any cost. You can also opt for YouTube videos, online courses, etc. for better learning.
2. Use Code Editors in your Smartphone
Having a PC or laptop every time along with you is not always possible but due to this your learning progress should not be affected or slow down. Remember you’re a beginner and you should practice as much as you can & for doing that it’s necessary to use some good code editors in your smartphones. However, it doesn’t mean if you don’t have a laptop or PC then you can do everything in these mobile code editors as they have some limitations too but if you’re traveling or if you’re sometimes feeling lazy or uncomfortable to open the laptop or PC then you can opt for these code editors in your smartphone to continue your learning & practice sessions. Hence, to utilize your time effectively, install some good mobile editors on your phone right now such as Decoder, programming hub, programming hero, etc or you can practice anytime on the neveropen practice section which is mobile compatible as well.
3. Learn Data Structures and Algorithms
What are Data Structures and Algorithms? Data Structure is a way to store data in an organized manner and Algorithms are concerned with the step-by-step procedures to solve a particular problem. Data structure, and Algorithms always play a major role in solving coding problems, so you need to get better at it as much as you can. You can explore the neveropen website to master Data Structures and Algorithms skills as it the one-stop destination for all DS & Algo related content. You can first learn a particular topic through the tutorial or various online or offline courses and then go for solving some problems on the practice section based on that topic.
Always remember the more you practice, the more you will get better. Also, try to solve the easy problems first but don’t just stick to the easy ones, after solving 4-5 easy level problems move to the medium one, and after that the hard one. In case you are not getting to the point even after thinking about the problem for 1-2 hours, discuss it with other people and check the solution of others. Even if you know the answer, you can still opt to check others’ solution after submitting your own to know different ways of solving a single problem.
4. Read the Problems Properly
Beginners always get confused with the language of the problem. Many times, there are so many useless things given in the problem statement which you actually don’t have to focus on, their main aim is to trick you, and the only way to understand that is by reading the problem statement properly. For example – if you are asked to solve a problem by using some complex constraints such as reversing, reordering, etc. Always check if there is any pattern in it. If you simply try to solve the problem the way it is written in the problem statement, you might get a time limit error.
You’re recommended to use a copy or whiteboard to go through the problem effectively. For finding the pattern, write down the public test case in your copy and perform mathematical operations on it. After finding the pattern, write down the pseudo code and check whether it is working for all test cases as well as boundary conditions before coding. In case you are still getting some bugs, use print statements to debug your code. Meanwhile, maybe these things don’t make sense right now when you are just starting but later on, you will get these kinds of problems so start with the habit of taking pen and paper while solving, even if the problem seems easy.
5. Ask for Help
If you know someone who has prior coding experience, always try to learn from them. Ask them how they are approaching the problem and it is always good to have some people around you who have the same goals as you have. They help you to keep moving and give you a way to see problems from different perspectives. If you are not getting such an environment around you, even then you can learn from others through various competitive sites like Hackerrank, Codechef, etc. There are discussion forums on these platforms and you can use these to ask your problems and to go through others’ solutions.
6. Do Competitive Programming
Competitive Programming is indeed one of the best ways to showcase and analyze your programming skills. There are various online platforms such as Codechef, Leetcode, etc. where you can participate in numerous coding contests and can compete with various brilliant minds across the world. It will surely help you to get better in efficiency while coding and to come up with an optimal solution for a particular problem. There are various types of challenges organized on these platforms such as day-to-day challenges, weekly challenges, monthly contests, etc. In addition, apart from getting better with your programming skills, you can get various exciting prizes and career opportunities as well by participating in these coding challenges.
7. Keep Patience & Take Breaks
Last but not least – do not try to master programming skills within a few days or weeks. You need to keep patience during the learning phase as it is not a matter of a few days or weeks and it will surely take time. There may be times when you won’t understand a single topic in the entire day and in such conditions instead of struggling with the topic for hours and hours, you’re recommended to take a much-needed break and do something that you like such as listening to music, watching a movie, to get refreshed. Also, try to divide the learning goals or tasks into smaller chunks to stay motivated and consistent throughout the process.
