Time is one of the most valuable assets that we have and now because of this global pandemic we find ourselves with alot of it. The question is how will we choose to spend that time.
We could relax and watch television all day or we could learn a valuable skill that we will be able to use for life.
A skill that even a global pandemic like the coronavirus can't stop us from doing and making a ton of money from. Learning to code.
Coding Is Hard But Most People Can Do It
Many people think that you need to be a genius to learn how to code but that's not the case at all. You may also think that an extensive knowledge of mathematics is involved and that also is not the case.
If you know how to do basic adding, subtraction, multiplication and division you know more than enough to become a programmer.
The hardest thing to do is to actually make the decision to begin. Many people waste years thinking the very same thing. Will I be able to do this? I should have learned to code when I was a teenager!
Or you may think that it's just too late for you to begin. The beautiful thing is that there is no time limit on learning. You can learn to code whether you are 12, 30, or 60 as long as you stay committed.
Learning to Code Requires Dedication
Yes this will not be easy. There are alot of new concepts that you will need to learn as we will discuss, but it's important to know that you don't have to learn everything right away. This is a marathon not a sprint.
It's a guarantee that you will want to give up about 37.5 times. Most people will face this problem countless days but you need to make up your mind now that you will not quit and stick to that decision.
What Programming Languages Should I learn?
This is a common question and we will give you the path that our developer took. He was honestly glad that he did it this way because after finishing he felt that he could build a website or an app with ease.
Here is what we would suggest for a new programmer or someone who is interesting in coding.
Javascript
If you are doing any form of web development learning javascript is absolutely a must. Javascript allows you to create interactive effects within a web browser.
It brings life to a program and allows communication with other programs through something called an API of which you will learn is very important to understand.
HTML
This is also a must learn for anyone interested in making websites. HTML is the standard markup language for pages and don't worry because it is very easy to learn.
It basically helps you to layout text on a webpage. You should have the basics down in a week or two with practice.
CSS
Learning CSS can also be easy to grasp the main concepts at first but it can also get more complex with more advanced websites.
As HTML is used for laying out text on a webpage, CSS is used for styling a webpage and actually making it nice to look at and use.
Understand What Languages Are Needed
With learning to code it's important to learn why something is needed before just starting to write random code. So let's explain the main parts of programming. It can be broken down in a few parts.
Frontend Programming
First we have Frontend programming which consists of what we already spoke about. That is using Javascript, HTML, and CSS to build a website.
If a person wanted they could only learn this and start making money either at a job or by freelancing by themselves.
Backend Programming
This form of programming has to do with communicating with a database of stored information and also handling any request from the frontend.
The different types of code all communicate with each other at the end of the day so that's a reason not to just learn frontend programming only.
I recommend becoming a full stack developer which means you know the frontend and the backend.
Node.js as Your First Backend Language
There are many backend programming languages to choose from but there is a good reason why we think you should start off with Node.js. That reason is that Node.js and javascript are the same language.
Node.js just allows you to write javascript on the backend which means you won't have to learn an entirely new programming language which can save time and really motivate you in the beginning.
Mongodb for a Database
The database is one of the most important aspects of programming. If we create data then that means we need a place to put it and that's what a database is used for.
When learning a database we recommend mongodb. It's very powerful and versatile and many startups use it because you can easily make changes as you scale up your app.
These are the basics that you need to learn when starting out. Now we will show you what else we recommend learning once you grasp these concepts.
React.js
Once you understand the basics of Javascript we recommend that you learn React. It's a much cleaner way to layout components or parts of your website on the screen than what's done traditionally and react is really a joy to work with once you learn it.
Graphql
When learning to be a backend developer you will deal with requests that come from the frontend. You then need to take that request and provide an answer to the client/frontend.
This is where Graphql comes in. It allows you to send back the exact data needed for a website whereas in the past a big bulk of data would be sent to the frontend and someone would have the fun job of sifting through it to get what they want.
We can truly tell you that we are so glad to have learned Graphql. It really makes writing backend code enjoyable . It just makes sense.
React Native
While you are writing frontend apps using React/Javascript you may think to yourself that you also want to learn how to make mobile apps. Well that is where React Native comes in.
It allows you to build apps for both android and also apple products. Since you would have this knowledge of React, learning React Native will be easy to understand because the two are so similar.
Review
Ok so now that we have discussed this possible learning path you may be thinking that this is just way too much to learn. Remember that we told you programming is not easy but you can do it if you don't give up.
All of this can be learned on Udemy in under a year and it will be useful for a lifetime. So it is more than worth the effort
- Javascript
- HTML
- CSS
- Node.js
- MongoDB
- Graphql
- React
- React Native
Build Any Business You Want
Are you constantly coming up with awesome ideas for apps and websites only to remember that you have no idea how to make them.
Well now you can start to write those awesome ideas down because with these programming skills you can tackle any app.
As a businessman or entrepreneur having these skills are invaluable! You could literally start any number of businesses easily now that you know how to program.
How Should I learn
We live in a time where information is abundant on the internet but when beginning to learn web development something that helped us was simply watching youtube videos on the programming languages that we wanted to learn even if we didn't understand what we were looking at.
A valuable skill you will have to get comfortable with is learning how to learn.
After some time a strange thing happens where your brain will begin to adjust and you will quickly start to understand many more complex topics.
We literally watched graphql videos on youtube until we got to the point where we could write graphql code.
Something important to know is it's never about just learning a programming language. What you need to do is strive to understand the concepts of what you need to get done. After that, implementing it in the code is a simple google search away.
Udemy
Some people choose to attend expensive coding bootcamps that can run you around $20,000. In our opinion you can get a better education by spending $100.00 on Udemy courses which should pay for all the classes for the concepts mentioned in this blog post.
Save your money for when you want to build your first tech startup or online business.
Mentors
Finding coders that you admire and look up to is also a vital part of learning programming. This is something that can also be done on youtube as well.
We often found ourselfs watching so many coding videos that we put them on 2x speed just to devour as much information as possible as fast as we could.
There are many channels that we still go to when we forget how to do certain things. They have helped us so much that they literally deserve to get paid for it!
Build a Valuable Skill During Quarantine
Learning the skill of coding makes you so valuable in the workforce. You can easily make over $100,000 a year with these skills or even better, you can work for yourself and monetize apps however you so choose.
We built the blog you are reading following the very same formula that is outlined in it. If we can do it then you can too.
Now that you have a path it is time to stop asking yourself if you can learn these things and just begin. Sometimes finding the right learning path alone can take a person a couple of years.
Careful planning will save you a lot of time and irritation. The Tech Dollar hopes the information from this article can help you to go as far as you want to go in your coding and entrepreneurial goals. Happy coding!!
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