How to learn programming

When someone asks me about how to become a programmer and what sources to rely on and what steps to follow, the only appropriate answer, which I have not yet told anyone, is "If you have what qualifies you to be a programmer then you will know your way on your own." The reason is that programming is an art as well as a science. In the sense that it is an art, it requires a minimum of talent and not just memorizing the rules, and as it is a science it is based mainly on logic and in general on mathematics, which is a nightmare for any student. When you have the talent to innovate in programming and when you have the mental readiness to deal with abstract code texts, then you will not need to ask the previous question.

Conclusion .. If you are not able to enjoy programming and savoring it like a taste of poetry, abstract logical thinking, and finding the right needle between a pile of needles, then do not waste your time learning programming, because you will not learn it and because it does not suit you.

If you think you are fit to be a programmer, I have only two tips for you: (1) Search for yourself, you will find a lot of diverse sources and a lot of contradictory opinions, and only you will be able to choose what suits you. (2) The second advice is to always exercise. The first step to learning programming is to start coding immediately. It does not matter what you will program or how many mistakes you will make. Only continuous training can improve your abilities. It would also be a good idea not to just practice alone, there are thousands of free software programs available for development for whomever he wants. Try to make your changes and add your changes to these programs. Some modifications will be rejected and you will face a lot of harsh criticism, but you will, in turn, improve the quality of the scripts you write, until you become an expert professional.

How did I learn programming?

Initial note: I don't consider myself a programmer yet, but I at least know the basics that allow me to program my own projects.

For a long time I was learning to program purely theoretical. I didn't have a computer at the time and was capturing whatever source I could find in any language. Reading without the app is not an effective way to learn programming, but I had no other (I still love to write code in the paper when I am outside the house, and then transfer it to the computer later). I used to read a lot. I don't understand most of what I'm reading, but I was storing it in my memory for another time until I found the ellipses that allow me to understand the full picture.

The first thing I learned was HTML & CSS, (think 2000). The funny thing is that I learned them in Spanish during a workshop organized by Spanish students in the city (there I first heard about Google). I only knew a few words of Spanish, which entered the Moroccan colloquial and similar to French words. But before that, I had read some scattered information about HTML in English and French magazines.

After that I had a few attempts with Javascript, but the problem at the time was that Javascript was not used as a real language as it is now, but only for the purpose of decorating the pages with some dynamic animation, so I did not learn much from it.

Then came PHP. I guess 2004. I read some basics on French sites and then started downloading some small scripts and modifying them a little bit. But it was all just for fun. Although I started at the time in providing web design services and installing PHP programs, I did not look at it seriously, and programming was nothing more than just another hobby, so I did not delve into learning it. If today I have reached a reasonable level in PHP with the ability to use other programming languages ​​with relative ease, then this is only due to the practice, which although it was not in-depth but which, along with my continuous reading, contributed to my reaching the current level.

The best resources I have come across during my slow career in coding are:

Google: an indispensable search engine at any stage. Always come back to him to find solutions to the problems you encounter.

stackoverflow: a very important site for programmers. In it you can find solutions for almost every problem that you may encounter, and you can ask your questions and communicate with professional programmers.

PHP Manual: The best guide to learning PHP is the official user guide, which is enriched by programmers from all over the world with comments and examples.

PHP 5 Power Programming: a very important book, nothing wrong with it except that it has not happened since 2004, which is a long period during which the language has known many updates.

smashingmagazine: a popular and indispensable website for any designer. Also tracks new in HTML & CSS and Javascript.

Beginning Ruby: The best book for explaining the basics of Ruby. It is also valid even for users of other languages ​​due to the basics of programming it deals with. In the same context, I found that familiarizing yourself with the RubyOnRails framework is very important to get new ideas and different programming methods that can be used when using other programming languages. Personally, my usage of PHP completely changed after I started using Rails.