Working in IT has a number of attractive factors: good specialists are in demand, work remotely and build relatively free schedules, choose from a large selection of professions, and pick one of many programming languages. You should do the same with other branches of IT, as you must first understand them well before developing a technical career.
If you have no doubt that your future should be connected with IT, here are a few steps to start your path.
1. Decide on the approach to learning programming languages
There are several approaches to learning programming languages:
- Conservative
Start by working through the basics. You will understand how technology and the field itself are developing.
Advantages: You learn the technology stacks, master the theory, and know the methods of the work.
Disadvantages: It will take a long time to study, and the process itself is focused on theory, not practice. - Modern
Ideologists of this approach are advised to study the language which you plan to use in the future.
Advantages: It has a practical orientation of studying, and you can quickly find work and interesting projects.
Disadvantages: It will not be possible to choose alternatives for solving problems. - Utopian
Start learning several programming languages at once in order to be able to operate with a small volume on each of them.
Advantages: There are great opportunities for successful employment and the ability to quickly find an alternative.
Disadvantages: Your future is the middle level in programming. You will not become an inspirational creator or thorough expert in all selected programming languages.
2. Decide on the sphere of future activities
If you are looking for a sphere that might be interesting, then here is a brief digest on where to move in the presented fields:
- Website development
Website development is a popular direction. It is simple and extremely accessible to learn html, and JavaScript will add page dynamics. It has a minimal set of skills for the front end; the back end can be based on PHP, Java, Python, and C #. - Game development
Your choice is C ++, Java, C #, or Python. - Application development
If you dream of hundreds of users launching your application on a smartphone, then your friends are Java (Android), Swift, and Objective C (iOS). For desktop development, you can use C ++, Java, C #, and Python.
3. Choose a programming language
Even among experienced developers, there is no single point of view on which programming language should be taught first. Some may initially aspire to work in complex languages of the C group, while others start with JS and gradually accelerate the pace. In order to avoid switching from one language to another, it is important to understand what tasks you want to solve with its help and what you generally strive for in IT development.
When choosing a language (your main tool), you must consider certain criteria:
- The amount of time you can spend studying.
- Language prevalence.
- The sphere and specifics of its application.
- Prospect of use in the coming years.
That is why I recommend starting with the most simple and popular languages:
- JavaScript
Everybody loves JS. A browser is enough to work with it. You can create everything in JavaScript: mobile, desktop and cross-platform applications, games, and servers. Compared to Python, the language is more complex: with constructions, it is not always possible to guess function purposes by name. But the possibilities of JavaScript are much deeper, and it is considered fundamental.
Another reason to start learning programming with JS is its similarity with the languages of the C group. You will be roughly oriented in the C #, C ++, Java, and PHP spheres. - Python
Python is a fairly simple language and easy to learn. The general message of the code can be understood even without programming knowledge. The syntax will not take much time to write a program, and a large library base will save a lot of grief. In addition, Python code is easily assembled into a single .exe file that does not require the installation of additional components. - Java
Created more than 20 years ago, Java still remains as one of the most popular programming languages. Android application development is just one of the features of such a powerful tool. This is a clear and structured language that helps you learn how to really develop: the principles of object-oriented programming are implemented here, work with memory is verified, and there are options for using it as functional programming.
4. Start learning
There are four options for learning programming: self-education, higher education, curator, and courses. Self-education can be combined with all other methods. On the Internet, you can freely find books, resources, and applications that will help you master the necessary skills. Universities do not always provide an opportunity to gain as much knowledge as possible, but, as a rule, they provide a strong theoretical base and initial competencies with which you can make your own small projects.
A curator, or mentor, is a person who is able to advise, direct, help to parse errors, or even just provide support at the right time, check the code, tell you how to solve errors or optimize what is written, and recommend books. There are also full-time and online courses that are either paid or free to access. Often they are carried out by various companies, and after passing you can get a job offer.
If you have already started studying IT and you have problems with a specific aspect, for example, data structuring, you can get data structure assignment help.
5. Upgrade additional skills
Knowing your development language, platform, and libraries is important. To be ready for constant development, studying and broadening your horizons is important. The entire IT industry is extremely mobile and changes almost daily. Therefore, it is necessary to be flexible, ready for change, and never stop developing.
The main thing is to always strive for development. No matter what language you choose, go ahead and try to reach further. Study literature, attend conferences, monitor forums, listen to podcasts, follow trends, and think bigger!