Hey you coders out there, are you worried about the cut-throat competition going around in the coder’s community? Do you keep fussing about it and find no clue how to fortify your programming and coding skills? How to begin with a plan and continue till you achieve your desired results? All these questions are just going to explode your mind, aren’t they? Then this post is absolutely for you buddy! In this article, we will be sharing with you a few tried and tested methods to improve your coding skills and gain confidence in this ever-demanding field.
So, chill, take a deep breath, and without any further ado let’s dive into the techniques which if followed with persistence, you could master coding skills at ease.
5 best steps to improve your programming skills
1. Practice Algorithms and Data Structures
The first thing when you start learning a programming language is to learn its syntax. Most of the languages like C, C++, Java, etc have similar syntax. So once you learn any one of these languages it’s easier to get a grip over others.
After knowing the syntax the next task is to develop the programming, that is building logic and understanding for a given problem statement. So in order to arrive at the solution, you will need a few steps and we call these steps an Algorithm. We then convert the algorithm into code.
Sometimes when you write a code, it may not always be the correct way. Here along with the right output, the way you write the code also matters like the compactness, accuracy, speed efficiency, memory occupancy, etc.
So you need to solve some existing algorithms. If you open any algorithm book, you have the searching and sorting techniques, so refer to the first.
Also do practice Data structures like linked lists, trees, etc since there are few algorithms that work with these data structures.
2. Try out other people’s code
It sometimes so happens that the code you have written is right but there may exist a simpler version of the same so it’s a good practice to try different codes. Reading different codes will expand your creative skills as it will give you a new way of writing code. Here the syntax and output remain the same only the code will be different. Eg; go to GitHub and try different codes.
3. Participate in competitions
Participating in coding events of your college as well as other colleges, quiz events, debugging events, hackathons will boost your confidence. You will get used to thinking about the logic and code for diverse problem statements.
Initially, you will lose but soon you will start getting a grip over it as you will practice and progress. Remember, the more errors you get while coding the more efficient you are getting at programming. It will help you in debugging.
Nowadays, you can compete with people online on websites like CodeChef, Hackerrank, HackerEarth, etc.
4. Explore various languages:
Every language has some advantages and disadvantages. So don’t ever stick to one language. We all definitely have a love for that one programming language. Learn them and appreciate them. This process makes your brain much flexible.
5. Build a project
We learn any programming language in order to build a project. So why not begin from the start? You can start with mini-projects initially to gain some confidence. For eg: making a calculator, library management system, developing a game, making a website, developing an app, etc. After knowing a language and all its syntax, it’s time for the implementation and that is in the form of a project.
We all have some passion, isn’t it? Maybe you like to watch a movie, read a book, listen to music, photography, whatever it may be, make your first project for yourself, it will make us feel good. If you love games make your own game and so on. If you love music, try to build an app for that. You may get stuck but you can always Google it. Don’t just copy-paste any code, write it and test it for yourself and that’s how you will benefit. Although you refer to a code from some source always type it by yourself in the text editor as it will increase your retention.
6. Join , share, listen and follow
Join any coding community to expand your knowledge and increase your networking. Share your problems, ask doubts, take advice, try to help out other coders in the community. Talk to the people already into that avenue and listen to them. Try to absorb as much as possible through them.
Also, follow your favorite coders on all the social media handles like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, youtube, Twitter, Pinterest, etc to keep yourself at par in the field. These people out there are always working to bring something new that would enhance your knowledge. Also, it does become easy to keep a track of updates in this social media-driven world. This seems quite an educational use of social media, doesn’t it?
7. Listen to coding podcasts
Podcasts related to coding keep you updated with the neo-innovations in the world of technical languages. It also keeps you noted about the top trends, new techniques, and web designing tools. The speakers also discover their programming journey, current challenges, career aspects, etc. It’s an enjoyable task to listen to podcasts and learn.
8. Don’t let your curiosity sleep
Let your thirst for coding and building neo and creative solutions always stay alive. It often happens that we tend to leave a task undone because of the back-to-back failure that we receive. But these failures or errors for that matter in programming are your stepping stones to success. Do something for 15 minutes that challenges your coding skills each day. There are a number of coding challenges available on the web. Eg : TechGig, Hackerrank, etc.
9. Teach and learn
‘You learn twice when you teach’. Indeed an old and wise adage. Whatever you learn try to teach it to someone. Don’t keep it restricted to yourself. Teaching is another step in improving in whichever field we are into along with boosting your confidence and increasing interaction. You can help your friend or maybe your younger siblings.
Programming infrastructure in India
The programming atmosphere has gained speed since the revolutionary changes in the Indian Education Policy. Until then programming was only restricted to engineering graduates but now it has become the need of the hour for everyone. Ranging from a lawyer, teacher, doctor, entrepreneur, businessman, fashion designer to anyone and everyone, connectivity with programming has become our next essential.
Today, right from a early age parents have started teaching their kids technical languages. People have started considering teaching programming languages equivalent to teaching English and other native languages which is great news. Teaching technical languages involves building logic, critical thinking understanding and it just flexes out your brain muscles. The future seems bright with such awareness in the IT field in India. Although technology comes with a price like reduced employment opportunities, the expertise required, people of remote areas don’t have access to IT, increased health issues. But on a global level, we are moving ahead and will definitely find solutions to the existing issues.
HAPPY CODING GUYS!
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Extremely insightful!!