Most aspiring programmers get trapped and fail to move forward. As a teacher, I get to observe how some programmers keep moving forward. Here's two signs you are trapped.
Trapped coders focus on anything but coding.
Trapped programmers love to debate which language or framework is best. They spend their time figuring out what to learn and end up learning nothing at all. So let me answer all your questions.
Learn Python.
But what if I need to learn C#? Learn C# after.
Isn't Javascript the language of the future? Learn Javascript after.
My developer friend told me I should learn C++ because all languages are based on it. Learn C++ after.
New programmers fear they could be wasting time learning the "wrong language". Programming is the fastest industry in history. Good developers learn new languages and frameworks on a yearly basis. Three years from now, your knowledge will be outdated. If that scares you then find a different career.
Trapped coders following directions too well.
Trapped programmers follow tutorials like mindless robots. Copying pasting code doesn’t teach you anything. Imagine starting a python tutorial that taught you how to print “hello world”.
print(“hello world”)Most people copy/paste this and move on. If you were my student, I'd push you farther.
Change the code so it prints “howdy”.
Print two alerts. One that says “whats up?” and “take care”.
Continue with the tutorial (usually goes to variables). After a few problems, print “hi” from mental recall.
Since we probably encountered variables by now, what will the code print below? Why? greeting = “howdy” print(greeting) print(“greeting”)
Fix the code below so it prints “hello”. Print(hello)
By the end of my exercises, you would have a strong idea of how print statements work. A simple line of code can create a myriad of problems. Most people brush past it only to get stuck in the future. I always recommend finding a school or mentor for guidance. If you can't do that, be proactive with your learning and keep at it.
Good luck!