Programming myths
Programming is a big world, which is scary to enter from the outside. In particular, because of this, programming, like any profession, has long been overgrown with myths and legends. We tell you exactly what you shouldn’t be afraid of and help dispel popular myths.
Programming is not for me
Some languages really have very high barriers to entry – it’s not always clear where to start.
What to do. Here, as with any other activity, the secret is simple – if you want to know if programming is right for you, give it a try. There are simulators for this, step-by-step guides on entering the profession and ideas for creating your first projects. The simulators have theory and practice, you can make mistakes, and then fix everything. The main thing is not to be afraid.
It’s scary to make a mistake
Negative experiences are a good teacher. When we receive a fine, we want to improve and not repeat it again. So you can even say that the more mistakes in the beginning, the better.
What to do. Try again and again. What’s the worst thing that can happen? Well, the page freezes and you have to restart your computer. It’s not difficult, but you can keep trying.
Error is the end of the world
In the beginning it seems that if there is an error in the code, then everything is broken. This is usually not the case.
What to do. Learn to debug your code. If after adding a block, the program breaks, comment out this block. Make sure that this is the case, then add it to the code one line at a time and see what has changed. Useful skills – testing your own code and working with developer tools.
Difficulty making the first project
Any computer program is a complex mechanism. Most people find it difficult to imagine what the site will look like at the very end, but it is easy to imagine what the site is made of. Developers call each feature of the program a feature.
What to do. Disassemble the program into features and make a list. After that, take each feature and ask yourself “what to do to make it work?” One action, one task. When you’re done, you can take the first task to work and start doing it slowly.
If you don’t know where to start, trystylize the site
Take your time – it’s better to figure out every little thing than not later understand how your code works.
Can’t learn on your own
The course is a well-trodden path to a goal, in our case, to a developer’s career. Every detail is verified on the courses, teachers and mentors answer questions, there are ready-made homework and graduation projects. But a whole generation of developers studied without courses, using books and documentation.
What to do. Come up with a project for yourself and do it slowly. If it’s hard to choose, take the problem from the outside world: an app that looks like taking medicine or keeps track of finances. If it’s boring, write a game.
The main thing is that it is interesting for you to solve the problem. Then you will not give up the project, even if it is very difficult.
Use technologies you are interested in to learn how they work in practice. If this is your first project, then first make the program just work. There is always StackOverflow and communities of programmers – ask questions or look for ready-made answers. For the first program, everything will do, the main thing is not to give up.
You can not show the code to anyone
It’s customary in the developer world to showcase your code. Or in the form of open source projects, or for a code review when you work. Discussing your code with colleagues helps you make it better, find subtle bugs, and speed up your programs.
What to do. Find a developer to watch your code while you learn. You can search among the speakers of specialized events, google the HTML Academy mentors, or simply look for programmers on social networks. Of course, these people can refuse for many reasons – there may not be time or there is simply no desire to teach someone. Besides, not everyone is ready to help for free. Be prepared to negotiate. A permanent mentor can be more expensive than periodic reviews of your code.
If you publish your code on Toaster and similar sites, be prepared for different people to advise. A beginner can be disguised as an experienced developer.
To make it easier, team up with other newbies. Come up with a common project and saw it together. You will learn to work as a team, support each other, argue, exchange opinions. Growing together is easier than growing alone. And you can also chip in on the code reviewer and it will still turn out more profitable.
Immediately after the courses, they pay 200 thousand per month
Sometimes it is written in advertising, but in practice this practically does not happen. You can get to 100 thousand a month, but it takes a lot to learn. Courses are only one of the steps to a big salary, and everything depends on motivation and desire to constantly develop.
What to do. Try to think not momentarily, but perspective. It’s great if there is an opportunity to join a strong team for an interesting project. The salary may not be very high at first, but it will rise quickly if you do a good job. Think about this early on in your studies and start putting aside the financial cushion that will allow you to choose a beginner job not for money, but for experience. This way you will feel much freer when choosing a new job.