Coding: Why You Should Code (And Why You Shouldn’t)

Before I begin, I will like to state that you might not find everything I write here useful. Take what you need and leave the rest. If you find nothing useful to you, well, I am just into coding; your anger would be better served for the people who really matter.

Now, we begin.

Not to sound poetic, but the first thing you need to do before you start this journey is to know your why. Ask yourself “Why do I want to code?”. Your answer can either be one of the following or probably both.

Why you should code

1. For the Money

They will tell you to do it for the passion but they go home in their big cars. Web and Mobile development is selling like crazy and money is a good reason to join the wagon, grab a slice of this gigantic cake; and more than a slice if you can.

If this is you, start with HTML and CSS. Create a simple static page with HTML and CSS, create another, and then another.

Learn computer programming using javascript. Create a  project using HTML, CSS, and javascript. A good project is an analogue clock that works accurately, a simple calculator, or a Trello (Todo list). Play around a little.

After that, learn React JS. This upgrades your JavaScript and eliminates some repetitive tasks done in JavaScript. Apply what you’ve learned on React JS on different projects. A good example is a quiz app. These various tasks will make up your portfolio. Start applying for jobs and do more projects.

You might wonder “so I don’t need a mentor?” You do. How to get one? Twitter has one of the most interactive communities out there. Follow some of these tech individuals and engage with their posts. They are now your mentor. Try establishing a relationship with some and eventually one may pick interest in you.

There you go. A mentor. This will make your journey faster. Or not.

2. You want to know how the computer works inside out

Take an introductory to computer science courses and COMPLETE IT. There are several courses out that you can pick from but I recommend CS50.  It’s not a most that you pick CS50. CS50 will introduce you to at least three programming languages and you will grow a liking for at least one of them. Whichever you pick interest in, work on it. Master it.

Read books and take classes on mathematics. You must do this. Read about operating systems and compilers. Learn about common problems in computing like data structure, common techniques used to solve the problems, and how they work.

You can later decide on the particular part of computers that you want to focus on, this is like taking yourself through a degree in computer science but without the four corners of a school and you go at your own pace. Remember the point is not to finish fast or understand everything but to just enough to take you to the next level, as time goes on you’ll pick up other things on the way.

3. You want money but you’re also passionate about computer programming.

Go through all the steps in part one, once you get a job, start your journey in part 2. For this second part, you have to explore as many subfields as possible. Gain a wide range of knowledge in those subfields and finally specialize in the part that you’re interested in.

The goal is to eventually be able to make money with your subfield of interest so that there won’t be a conflict between what you want to do for a living and what you’re doing for a living.

Meet the 9-year-old Igbo boy who has built dozens of games

Some persons desire to code for some reasons other than these ones. Some think it’s cool and it is. But if that’s all you want, please! join a band. That’s cool too. Some want to learn hacking because they want to break into people’s bank accounts and transfer all their money and things like that. I laugh.

If it were that easy, Professor wouldn’t need a gang to break into the Royal Mint of Spain and every average coder would be a millionaire. And yes, I love Money Heist. Sue me.

Problems beginners will face with coding

1. Setup tools

This is a small but common problem for beginners. They ask questions like: which browser should I use? Which code editor is best? Should I save my codes locally or online? Is Github the best coding platform? The best way to solve this problem is to pick two and try them out, whichever you develop an interest in what you should use. As time goes on you might change to something else and that’s perfectly okay.

2. Google

Relax!

I’m not saying you shouldn’t use Google. In fact, Google is one of your tools to access online resources. The problem is too much information and not knowing which one to choose from. The solution is there are several routes to the market just pick one. This was one of my major problems, I would watch several tutorials and get confused about which one to apply.

3. Error messages

This is not actually a problem but most beginners easily get frustrated when the compiler throws an error message at you and you don’t know exactly what to do to solve this. Most times it is just the omission of a special character like a semicolon.

Solution? Be patient with yourself or smash your device. Your choice.

4. Consuming too much

If you find yourself on this table… just calm down. I know you can read a textbook/ebook four hours straight and watch a ten-hour-long tutorial. That would be a good thing if you can remember everything and apply them. You can’t. I would advise you to take a handful and digest it before moving on to take another.

The formula is “read and then apply, read and then apply” Not “read, read, read and apply”.

5. Inconsistency

It is better to code for one hour every day for each month of the year than to code for eight hours straight once a month. Just like every other skill, if you leave it for a while, it will leave you for more than a while. On some occasions, you will have to start all over again just to catch up with what you already know and, sometimes, more than just an effort to where you stopped.

I am not an authority in this field; all these are opinions based on experience. Like I said earlier, everything might not be useful to you. Take what you need and leave the rest.

Editor’s note: This is the first of a column to be run every Wednesday under the heading of Coding for Dummies with Kelvin.

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