One of the careers that have experienced a considerable increase in demands is programming. Nowadays, every company needs a programmer. Additionally, programmers are well paid, making from $60.000 to over $100.000 per year, which is why this career of choice is popular among people.
However, not everybody is destined for coding. Starting with your programming course can take a lot of your time and money, so you need to make sure you are up for the job. In this article, we will go through some of the things you need to know before starting to learn to code.
1. The Process is Not Easy
First things first, learning coding will not be an easy process, especially if you are not familiar with some of the things. Just like you would learn anything else, you need to start at the very beginning and climb your way up as your skills increase.
Many people think that they can glaze through the course and become programmers overnight, which definitely is not the case. You will face desperation, and you will feel like quitting several times in your journey.
It is important to find the source of motivation that will keep you going throughout this process. If you are motivated by money, try to imagine your salary once you become a success as a source of motivation.
2. Set Goals
It is crucial that you set goals right from day 1. What you like to achieve by learning to program and becoming a full-time web-developer will get you through the process of learning. Learning programming might sound cool, but you need a long-term goal in order to achieve something out of it.
In order to make the process much easier, you need to determine what you want to do with your knowledge and focus only on that programming section.
3. Never Skip The Basics
Many people want to glaze through the basics of programming and skip right to complicated things. That is not going to work. If you are facing programming for the first time in your life, you will be very confused and overwhelmed by everything you will be seeing.
That is why it is essential to climb the ladder step by step. Once you learn the basics and put your knowledge into action, everything will start to make more sense.
4. Be Realistic
We all know that becoming a full time web developer might sound appealing, but you need to be realistic. Success cannot happen overnight and you cannot go through programming expecting immediate results, like if you had guessed the Kentucky Derby winners.
You will face countless nights trying to figure out a simple code that can be done if a few minutes by an experienced programmer.
Don’t confuse realism with dreams. You still need to aim high and have big dreams, but you need to calculate your success in a timely manner.
This is one of the ways to avoid disappointment, which might make you quit programming. Facing facts and setting long term goals will keep you motivated and eager to go through the whole process.
5. Build Projects that You Feel Passionate About
Once you learn enough basics to start doing simple projects, you need to focus on the things you like making. Time is one of the valuable resources on the planet, so focusing on something that you don’t see yourself doing in the future might be wasting your time.
Every project needs to be meaningful, no matter how big or small it is. Whenever you build something from starch, think about your future job as a developer. This will help you sharpen your skills and also give you add fuel to pursuit your dream since you will be doing what you love.
Learning programming is not an easy process, and you have to be prepared for it. If you are eager to learn and feel passionate about what you are doing, you will eventually succeed. Becoming a developer will open many opportunities in the future, and you will have the chance to build financial independence much sooner than anticipated.
