How to become a programmer, and where should you start if there is no practical experience, and your idea of programming is very vague? We will tell you how to start your adventure in programming and what skills and qualities you should have.
Is it possible to become an IT specialist from scratch?
Of course, it is. There are materials aimed at beginners: they include articles, book collections, educational applications, tasks, video tutorials, and more.
But how to become an excellent programmer from scratch is another question. For example, Senior developers are distinguished by years of practice and colossal experience, so only patience and hard work will do.
Why do people want to start programming
IT is a promising industry that offers big salaries for good specialists. But if money is the only reason, think twice before choosing IT. You will have to work in the office, at home, forget about the weekend: all thoughts will be focused on tasks and bugs.
And, of course, ordinary courses will not give everything you need to know: be ready to invest time and effort in your studies. If you have a genuine interest in the process, feel free to enter the development path – that’s the only option.
What you need to know to become a programmer
To become a successful and sought-after programmer, you need to acquire many hard skills and soft skills. The former is responsible for technical skills and knowledge, the latter for the qualities that help work effectively and find a common language with the team.
Hard skills
Each profession has its own set of hard skills. For a programmer, these are general technical knowledge (mathematics, computer science, algorithmization) and a set of skills inherent in a particular stack.
Fundamentals of Informatics
In such a complex technical profession, you will need even the very basics, namely:
- what types of data are and how they differ from each other;
- understanding of number systems – binary and hexadecimal;
- understanding of the principles of performing computer operations.
Mathematics
But how can you become a real programmer if you are bad at math, and how important is mathematics in development? The requirements differ depending on the industry: to work with graphics, you need to know geometry, and for machine learning, probability theory, and statistics. But basic knowledge of mathematics will never be superfluous, especially if you master programming from scratch.
Algorithms
This is what you need to know to become a programmer. Algorithms are a sequence of actions that transforms input data into a result. You’ve probably heard about search and sorting algorithms – that’s what they are. Having figured out how the algorithms work, you can create solutions to complex problems and even combine them.
OOP principles
Object-Oriented Programming is an approach in development that takes abstract objects as its foundation rather than functions or procedures. This approach is used in most modern programming languages, so it is vital to understand the basic principles of OOP, namely:
- abstraction;
- inheritance;
- encapsulation;
- polymorphism.
Soft skills
Soft skills, also known as flexible skills, are a collection of non-technical, non-specialized skills that are nevertheless important for productivity and professional development. This is what a programmer also needs to know to work effectively.
Knowledge of English
The need for English in programming depends on your ultimate goals. If you see programming as a hobby, you can get by with basic knowledge of English and the help of an online translator. But if you’re serious about pursuing a career as a developer, English is essential.
Ability to work in a team
Programming is almost always a team effort. At a minimum, to become a programmer, you need to interact with the PM, team lead, etc.
This is not about sociopathy and the need to be the life of the party. To become a developer, you need to listen and hear, ask questions, admit mistakes, correct them together, and not blame coworkers whenever convenient.
For effective teamwork, you must understand and use agile development methodologies.
Stress tolerance
The responsibility of a programmer is tremendous. For example, a code launched in production with an error can delete some or all of the data, disturb the customers, and generally cause losses.
In addition, you need to calmly accept the wishes and make edits, if required, without rushing to the project manager.
Continuous self-development
Don’t think that programming can be learned once and forgotten. The industry is rich in changes and innovations. These are languages, frameworks, and related technologies that are constantly changing and improving for more efficient development. Tune in to ongoing meetups, webinars, and refresher courses.
Time management
Controlling the time for solving the assigned tasks saves both time and resources and increases productivity. Time management for a developer is based on the same concepts as for any other profession.
Conclusion
Understandably, these are not all necessary things you need to be aware of. The profession of a programmer is a complex one, so be ready for a variety of programming languages you will have to choose from and many other things. The game is worth the candle!
