Learning how to program. Do it and don't give up!

Unless you don't really use technologies at all (which in that case you wouldn't even be reading this), learning how program will probably help you immensely!
And I'm not even talking about the current demand for programmers (but if you are looking for a job of course that might help).

Why?

Here are a few reasons why I think learning how to program is beneficial to you:

- You get to understand computers better;
- You get to know how things work on electronic devices;
- You are able to create pretty much whatever you need, be it a program for certain calculations, and organizer, etc. anything really;
- You expand your knowledge into new areas;
- Etc.

Also, since you will know more about how it works, you will detect scams much easier. Have you ever been lurking on facebook and then suddenly "Someone you never talk to has tagged you in a post" and you go there and it's a video or image along the lines of "FIND OUT YOUR FRIEND'S PASSWORDS! JUST GO TO THIS SHADY WEBSITE, COPY THE WHOLE CODE AND JUST PASTE IT BLINDLY ON CHROME'S DEVELOPER CONSOLE!" and then if you look at the comments and there's like 324,192 posts and all of them are people tagging ALL of their friends. Now if that isn't a red flag already, which it should be you gullible person you, if you went to the site you could understand what it did and see that it is in fact a scam or at least have a general idea of what it does.

But enough rambling, let's move on.

What language should I learn?

Whichever you want really, Python and Ruby are quite popular mainly because they are high-level programming languages.
(high-level means the language is close to the human language and programming is more leaned towards writing sentences than actually programming, while low-level languages are closer to the machine and how it processes data and so forth)

Most modern programming languages are based on the C language as well as C++ so if you learn those you will have a solid base which you can relate most languages onward. My first language was C++ and then C# (not music related) and I am quite happy about them, I am currently programming in C# and all 3 C languages are widely used everywhere! Even on your household appliances such as your microwave, your toaster or your vacuum cleaner!

Java is also quite popular (MINECRAFT is made with it) and JavaScript is quite versatile as well (and it has not much in common with Java mind you).

And there are hundreds more programming languages so just find one that you like and learn it (but keep in mind, some may lead to very bad habits that can get you into some trouble if you don't know what you're doing, I still like the C languages and they don't have many of those bad habits).

How?

So... where to begin? Well, you can either find a course in your town or all over the internet, there are thousands of websites and tutorials and communities dedicated to programming and to teach it as well as online courses which will give you a certificate on its completion (some certificates are paid, others might not be). If you want, I can also teach you a thing or two if requested, I'm always available to help :)

So just go on google and type "C# tutorial" or "javascript for noobies" or "How to program", etc. and if you ever need any help you can contact me or ask for help online (which is probably also implied in contacting me :P).

Is it hard/scary/maddening/frustrating 

or something along those lines?

Yes... and no... to all of them.

First of all, specially if you have never programmed before, you will find yourself on a whole new environment, a new way of interacting with things and honestly, most of it will NOT be intuitive.
You will most likely try to approach your programming problems through the hardest way possible and with a giant piece of code instead of 2 simple lines that could do the same and better. You will have to adapt your mind to think almost as a computer does and that might be the first hurdle.


Some times, you will feel stuck and hopeless, like there's nothing you can do and you have no idea what's wrong with your code or what to do next... That is ok and it happens... a LOT!

But do not worry and DON'T GIVE UP! Take a break if you need to, if you feel like you are stumped, just let it go, do other things, your hobbies or whatever, go out with friends, watch Youtube videos or something, think about programming if you want but more of a memory than an attempt to find an answer to the problem.
A few days later, if you go back at it again there is a high chance that you will look at it and say "OH MY GOD! OF COURSE! How didn't I see this sooner?" and with just a couple of clicks and a few lines of code you will fix your code without breaking a sweat!

Another great trick to help figure out what's wrong with your code is to describe with every little tiny minuscule smallest detail what is it that the code is supposed to be doing and what it is actually doing. As if you were posting it on some help forums for example. More often than not, you will find the answers without even finishing your sentence! So many times have I started writing a topic on the help forums asking for help because something wasn't working as it should, and a few minutes later replying to it saying "oh never mind I managed to solve it on my own".

Is it worth it?

Absolutely, it's not that big of an effort to learn how to program and if programming isn't really your thing just learning the basics will help you a lot and you will feel that you know much more about computers once you do :)


So that's about it for now, don't be afraid to contact me or comment regarding this or any other subject, I'm always glad to help and let me know if you took any programming classes (or learned them by yourself) and what languages you now know :)


Cheers!