Name: How To Study Programming - Study Tips - Computer Science & IT
Uploaded: 2020-03-06T16:33:45.000Z
Duration: 6 min 3 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

To-infinitive

We’re here to help you be a Great Student.

Today we’re answering a request from a viewer.

Our viewer asks “Can you give me some advice on how to study Computer Science?

I want to be a Programmer, but I don’t have any idea where to start.”

And I say “we,” because today we’ll be talking to my friend Ulka, who teaches

Ulka is a web developer, and studied Computer Science in college.

But is that the only way to become a programmer?

You do not HAVE to study computer science in college in order to be a programmer.

In fact, it is very difficult for universities to keep up with the rapidly changing technology.

If you took a class in programming while in college, by the time you graduate and start

working at a job, that language may be all but defunct.

So why do people study Computer Science in college at all?

It’s important to remember that Computer Science and Software Engineering are two different

A CS degree will help you learn to think like a programmer.

into someone who can code for a lifetime.

Think of your CS degree as a kind of meta-cognition.

It may not teach you the specifics of coding, but it will teach you what coding IS.

The important part of studying CS is to understand the theory.

While the specifics of software engineering may change, the underlying theory of computer

Can you tell us what would you learn in a CS degree?

The curriculum varies, depending on the university.

But you can likely expect to learn about Data Structures and Algorithms, Operating Systems,

Networking, Cryptography and Search, and about Programming Languages in general.

You may also learn about such topics as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Don’t forget the importance of Mathematics.

CS problems are essentially Math problems.

Graphics and Animation use Linear Algebra.

That means you’ll also study Number Theory and Modular Arithmetic.

But what if our viewer can’t go to school full time to get a CS degree?

Ideally, you should pursue your skills both academically, in courses, and non-academically,

There are many online courses to address the academic side, if you can’t enroll full-time

We’ll include links to some free online courses from universities like Harvard and

Now, what about the non-academic road to becoming a programmer?

The best way to learn to code...is to code.

I recommend you start with something very simple.

There are coding tutorials that use visual interfaces.

By that, I mean you will quickly learn that you CAN code...as long as you are logical.

For beginners, it is important to be project driven.

Give yourself increasingly difficult tasks, and solve them.

This is a good way to meet other people who are learning how to program and who can review

Reading someone else’s code is an excellent way to learn programming.

Find a simple bit of code, preferably one with documentation, and try to break it.

You will find, very quickly, what mistakes look like in coding.

Alternatively, take other people’s code and try to USE it.

There are many open source projects that require work to learn how to use them.

Where does someone go to find pieces of code to try to understand?

You will find many open source projects there.

This is also a good place for you to build your own portfolio.

Then, share it with others and learn from their comments.

How do you know what language to start with?

You can start programming with something simple, like JavaScript.

I can also recommend an EXCELLENT Python course.

I actually recommend you learn more than one language.

This will let you see what is common in programming, and what is specific to one particular language.

Each programming language has its own strengths and weaknesses.

What about the people who have learned a little, but they really want to take it to the next

You could sign up for an Immersive Bootcamp.

Those usually last about 6 months, and by the time you get out of it, you’ve spent

a few thousand dollars, and you’ll have a certificate and a lot of experience coding.

BUT...it might make more sense to just get a job.

Create a profile for yourself on a job site, and be honest about your experience level.

Learn to code something useful, like a game you want to play.