Hurdles in Learning

Go over the difficulties faced by programmers when learning to code.

We'll cover the following

Difficulties in learning to program

Learning to program is not easy. It’s even more challenging if you start from scratch and learn it on your own. While this task is not impossible, its results depend entirely on you. You are studying a new and complex subject, which requires strong motivation. So, consider your goals before you proceed.

  • What do you expect from your new skills?
  • Which tasks will your programs solve?

The answers to these questions will help you choose an effective way to study.

If you firmly intend to become a professional programmer in the shortest possible time, you may need a mentor. Enrolling yourself in a full-time course or online lessons with a teacher accelerates your progress significantly. You get a chance to communicate directly with the mentor, ask questions, and clarify unclear topics. However, you can also learn to program without a mentor—especially if you’re learning just out of curiosity. Do you want to develop a new hobby, or learn a new fancy skill? If so, self-study is the right way. It brings you great practical benefits in exchange for relatively small effort. After all, basic programming skills are helpful to anyone who works with a computer. This course will help you acquire those skills—and may help you choose a direction for further development expertise.

Possible confusions for beginners

Programming is a practical domain. Sure, it involves a lot of theory. However, so does mathematics—and simply knowing formulas does not make you a mathematician! Similarly, just knowing the fundamental principles of software development does not make you a programmer.

To become a programmer, you must write lots of code independently. At first, this code may not work. Then, it may contain errors. Gradually, however, you’re able to anticipate and avoid any mistakes.

Therefore, just the knowledge of a particular computing language does not indicate your progress—rather, an evaluation of your code does. You confirm your progress when you read your code several months later and notice its drawbacks.