Getting started with coding can be really confusing and one can easily get stuck along the way if necessary steps are not taken, if you are passionate about coding you need to explore the best way to avoid wasting a whole lot of time and money.
I'm a passionate tech writer, instructor and public speaker. I teach and train novice developers how to become successful with little experience. According to my own basic research, here are some of the tips i suggest for passionate coders who are finding coding a very hard thing to learn:
1. Find a purpose.
Before you start, examine the main reason you want to learn to code, there is nothing like learning for fun, you must find your purpose of learning any language in order to gain a lot.
2. Ignore certificates.
Don't learn for certificate alone, what industries is mostly interested in is your skills set and some couple of valuable projects you have accomplished.
3. Motivate yourself.
One of the best thing that inspire coding students is developing a self confidence after accomplishing a given task on their own. You can only acquire this by exploring easy task on your own, it will motivate you to learn more. Scratch.com, code.org, Minecraft are better platform to start cool things even though it is designed for kids, it's still a better way to motivate and develop a self confidence.
4. Begin with a Popular Language.
I will recommend you start with JavaScript since is one of the most popular language in the world. It's a language that lives on web and commonly used to build mobile apps. It can also be use to program robots, drones and games.
5. Practice what you learnt.
Another best way to code is to cultivate the habit of taking some exercises, reading books alone is not the best way to improve coding skills. Code Academy, FreeCodeCamp, Udemy are better platform to get your hands dirty with codes.
6. Explore relevant resources online.
Another best way to develop your coding skills is to stretch your wings to some other platform online such as blogs, watching videos tutorials on YouTube, PluralSight, Tree house, e.t.c. What ever you learn try to always practice, it makes you perfect.
7. Get connected.
If you are definitely willing to code for a career, definitely you will need projects to showcase for employers to examine your ability and experience level. Github is an open source platform that allows you upload your projects for employers to see.
8. Get a competent Mentor.
Sometimes, exploring online course or direct training may not be enough. Considering how technologies changes every day, you will definitely need a mentor to guide and always keep you updated with latest news about new tricks and opportunities. You must be ready to learn new things everyday.
9. Attend Meetup events.
Another best way to develop your coding skills is to find a tech conference, Meetup events or study group. Tech events are often regards as the best place to find competent mentors, new friends, resources, employers and study partners.
10. Be Consistent.
The most essential things to note while trying to learn coding is to develop the mindset of not giving up no matter how big the challenges, learning new things maybe frustrating sometimes, some days will be fast and easy, while some days will be slow but just keep moving and never stop.