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+ 29

How can I become a great coder?

I'm still learning to code. Had some minor experience in C++ and Java in highschool which is more than 10 years ago. What would you do to become a good programmer and get a programming job, in my situation. I have 3 kids and a house i have to pay for and I work shifts as a security agent. Also Java or C#? No debate, just your choice pls. I'm hoping to get a good paying job in IT to take care of my family beter in the future. thanks in advance. Greets.

21st Nov 2016, 3:29 PM
Dirk
Dirk - avatar
49 Answers
+ 44
I am not a great coder but I know some people who are. From there point of view, programing is just like kung fu or mathematics, more you practice more you will learn. Remember you cannot learn all things in some day or month. It is the process of getting knowledge, more you learn more you grow. I recommend you to open your account on stackoverflow. You will learn how to become a great coder as you want. I am user of it since 5 month. And I can say you that I have learn more than my engineering college. There are many great coder like Fred-ii. He is a genius.
21st Nov 2016, 3:40 PM
Aditya kumar pandey
Aditya kumar pandey - avatar
+ 23
//just run it #include<life> #include<passion> int main() { char coder ; for(coder="work hard";coder=="great";coder+=code) { coder+="work hard*practice"; } cout<<"You are now a great coder"; return success; }
15th Dec 2016, 1:05 PM
Gabish Mahawar
Gabish Mahawar - avatar
+ 15
To become an excellent Coder, follow the steps which are given below. -Make your concepts clear on each point when starting to code.Like loop, nested loop, arrays, data types etc. Make strong grips from beginning on each these beginner components. -When you will have grip, start making logical programs.Make strong practice by doing. -Don't stop practice, do daily at least for 3 hours a day. -When you feel you can make more than just logical programs. Than go for bigger applications, like snake games with UI or an android heavy application etc. Try to make them. -Don't copy others code. Just concern. -Never stop learning. Always learn new things about coding or about your field. You can use udemy, udacity, eduonix etc. -Try to solve other coding problems. For that purpose you can join stackoverflow which is the best forum for coders. -Follow good practises in Code. -Use comments with every step -Make your code more optimized & readable
14th Dec 2016, 7:41 PM
Shan Asif
Shan Asif - avatar
+ 13
I learn much by analizing open source projects code. I advice you also take a look at github.com and popular projects located there.
21st Nov 2016, 3:52 PM
Wojciech Duda
Wojciech Duda - avatar
+ 8
Everything people say here is important, but the most crucial thing that may sound obvious is, start programming! Find some excersice projects or do your own, for fun or practical usage. SoloLearn is fine for syntax, but by doing this classes you will not learn how to code, just how code looks. Once you start programming, you'll find yourself asking or reading on forums (like StackOverflow) and trying to understand what the code is doing. I recommend some free courses from Harvard and MIT, that you can find on websites like EdX or Coursera. I've seen the one from Harvard and I'm still amazed of how much I've learned from it.
22nd Nov 2016, 4:09 AM
Alejandro Aristizabal
Alejandro Aristizabal - avatar
+ 8
practice at least a hour but do it everyday , Don't give up !
14th Dec 2016, 12:25 PM
Habib
Habib - avatar
+ 7
My professor in college said you need to invest 10,000 hours. Keep learning and coding and you will get there.
16th Dec 2016, 3:24 AM
Trey Jacobsen
Trey Jacobsen - avatar
+ 6
you have to practice every day and participate in every kind of coding activity
15th Dec 2016, 7:12 PM
Klodian Lula
Klodian Lula - avatar
+ 5
algorithms is the key. Try to learn all algorithms and it's implementation.Language is basically the syntax .To make your code machine friendly you need to learn the algorithms to ensure proper utilization of time and memory.
22nd Nov 2016, 12:21 AM
Mohd Danish
Mohd Danish - avatar
+ 5
Hey Gabish, Your code will show you errors. A character cannot store string. Hope you understand
18th Dec 2016, 1:37 AM
Aditya kumar pandey
Aditya kumar pandey - avatar
+ 4
Thanks, i never heard of stackoverflow, Will give it a look for sure. for now i'm playing arround on here to get my feet wet again. i'm doubting to get a good book and study by myself. or follow an actual programming course for adults.
21st Nov 2016, 3:44 PM
Dirk
Dirk - avatar
+ 4
Choose a topic of interest, like I have chosen PHP. Go through new or most upvoted question in which you have less knowledge. Ask question. It is a question and answer website for programmers. You have to encourage yourself to learn. I know it is a little difficult for new user of that site. But never give up. They will also down vote your question and answer. But some of them will give you a reason. Why have they done this. That site is ideal for all programmers. Even google say, if you have problem in his api process. Ask in stackoverflow.
22nd Nov 2016, 1:47 AM
Aditya kumar pandey
Aditya kumar pandey - avatar
+ 4
practice is the key of success
15th Dec 2016, 6:55 PM
Saurabh
Saurabh - avatar
+ 3
eat ,sleep, work and do everything. but put at least a hour for coding everyday. the best way to learn coding is doing practical stuffs. the more you will work with practical projects , you will face difficult problems one after another. search online or read or think to solve them. after a few projects i think you will have a good command over language. try building up a calculator, or a snake game, or a text editor. it's the best way to learn i think.
14th Dec 2016, 11:34 AM
Spandan Mondal
Spandan Mondal - avatar
+ 3
watch some video tutorials and code online...meanwhile it is very easy to get lazy while watching video tutorials and reading books, I mean looking at the code and just say "I understand it" NO!...go ahead and type the code, manipulate the variable and just play around with some code and never underestimate the power of online coding like codecademy.com, freecodecamp.com and the likes, it forces u 2 practice while u learn and datz a good place to start. good luck
14th Dec 2016, 11:09 PM
temmiecool
+ 3
hey "there is a difference between programming and coding" 😉 become a coder is so easy but to be a great programmer it'll take efforts. to become a great programmer, in simple words i would say practice practice and practice. main things you should consider are 1. learn data structures 2. learn algorithms mastering above two things will surely make you a great programmer.
15th Dec 2016, 3:36 AM
Rajendrasinh Parmar
Rajendrasinh Parmar - avatar
+ 3
while (true){ study; practice; drink coffe; }
15th Dec 2016, 7:21 PM
Diogo
+ 3
Experience. Try writing every day programs for things you learn. For example: A for loop for the squares of 1 to a hundred. The more you learn the more you can challenge yourself and the more things you can use (for instance a nested while) If you are into games you can start with simple games that need simple loops and if statements like guess my number (either you guess the computers random number or it finds your number) and then build up from there. this is a fun process but takes time. Most important is to challenge the and have fun at the same time. Hope i helped😀 Good luck!
16th Dec 2016, 2:19 PM
Ndkc
Ndkc - avatar
+ 2
aditya: Can you tell me what to do in stackoverflow I only see a bunch of projects by everyone sorry if sounds stupid but I really don't get it
22nd Nov 2016, 12:59 AM
Maxwell Miles
Maxwell Miles - avatar
+ 2
Pick a language that you like to write in and Practice practice practice..
14th Dec 2016, 3:03 PM
Nadario Seays
Nadario Seays - avatar